Management When you take the time to define your core values and live by them, decision-making becomes extremely easy. You don't have to push your team forward. The mission, vision and values pull them in the right direction.

Every Problem Wears Shoes I had a heart-to-heart with a smart client this week. After an on-site training, it was painfully clear to everyone but him that two employees were sabotaging his growth. “Let’s cut the nonsense,” I told him. “Your practice isn’t stuck because of marketing. It’s not your technology. It’s not even your location. It’s your people.” He paused for a beat and then smiled. “I know. This was a test. I wanted to see how those two would handle the training. Their severance letters are already typed up.” I can’t tell you how many times this has happened. Doctors send employees…

Flying in Formation If you’ve ever looked up at the sky and watched a flock of geese in that familiar V-formation, you’ve seen a master class in teamwork. The lead bird has the hardest job, cutting through the headwinds without the lift that the others enjoy. But here’s the genius: they don’t expect one goose to shoulder that burden alone. When the leader tires, it falls back, and another takes its place. That simple rotation allows the flock to fly as much as 70% farther than if each bird went it alone. We’ve started borrowing this idea in the practices we coach.…

Celebration is a System Years ago, Howard Behar, former President of Starbucks, told a story about how the company sent him to Portland to “fix” a store that was underperforming. He walked in expecting operational chaos. What he found was a team that didn’t know they were allowed to win. No scoreboard. No celebration. No one cheering when the job was done right. So Behar gave them permission. He made the numbers visible, encouraged competition, and celebrated progress in full view of customers. You already know what happened next: the store became one of the best in the region. Not because the coffee got…

Marketing Enhance practice visibility and brand awareness, attract new patients and build trust within the community. Ensure patients are well-informed and empowered to make the best healthcare decisions while improving access to quality care in your community.

The Moment That Matters Most Why Most Orthodontic Practices Miss the Moment That Matters Most by Dustin Burleson, DDS, MBA If you’ve read The Truth About Referrals, you already know the Five Reasons Patients Don’t Refer. The fourth reason is perhaps the most overlooked: patients are not welcomed to the practice in a big way. In a recent Look Over My Shoulder Marketing Program, I shared every step our team takes after a patient starts treatment in one of our clinics. What might appear, from the outside, as simple onboarding is actually one of the most powerful drivers of retention, satisfaction, and ultimately, referrals. We…

The Low Cost Lie There’s a fabulous quote floating around from Scott Kirby, the CEO of United Airlines. When asked about the future of low-cost carriers, he said, “The low-cost model is dead. It was designed to screw the customer.” That’s a pretty bold statement. And it caught my attention—not just because it’s rare for a CEO to speak that candidly—but because it’s true in a much broader sense than airlines. If you’ve ever tried to run a “low-cost” version of your business—cheaper aligners, faster appointments, tighter schedules, less training—you know exactly what he means. JetBlue is a good case study. They started out…

The Test of Time Today's society seems fixated on the next big thing. I wrote about this a few years ago and referenced the book, Spectacle, which I highly recommend you read if you want to become a master at marketing and selling. If everyone else is fascinated by what's new, it's insightful and important for you to consider things that remain constant. Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon, once highlighted this perspective, stating, "I almost never get the question: 'What's not going to change in the next 10 years?' And I submit to you that that second question is actually the more important of…

Leadership Inspire and motivate your team, foster a positive work environment and boost employee morale. Learn how to make informed decisions, set clear goals and allocate resources efficiently so that patient care and outcomes are maximized. A culture of excellence, innovation and compassion begins here.

On Practice and Punishment In the 1997 NBA Finals, Michael Jordan delivered one of the most legendary performances in sports history—The Flu Game. Battling illness, dehydration, and sheer exhaustion, he put up 38 points and carried the Chicago Bulls to victory. Fans and commentators marveled at the spectacle, calling it one of the grittiest efforts ever seen. But what’s often missed in these highlight-reel moments is the relentless preparation that made them possible. Jordan wasn’t just “clutch” in that moment—he was the product of thousands of unseen hours of work. The same shot mechanics, footwork, and decision-making that won that game had been drilled…

Keep Showing Up Brad Stulberg said something recently that stuck with me: “The goal is the path; the path is the goal.” Brad says a lot of smart things, actually. He was incredibly generous with his time on The Burleson Box, where we talked about his book Master of Change. What he’s getting at, I think, is the constant temptation to chase some big milestone—and then feel oddly disappointed when we reach it. We hit the goal, look around, and ask, “Is this all there is?” And then, as if we’ve learned nothing, we set off again, chasing the next big thing. In…

Resilience and Reinvention: What Dentistry Can Learn from High-Performance Athletes In elite athletics, peak performance is often less about sheer talent and more about the ability to recover, reset, and sustain energy over the long haul. Dentistry, a profession that demands both technical precision and emotional resilience, is no different. Yet, too often, the industry has ignored the very real demands placed on providers, leading to burnout, high attrition rates, and a struggle to attract and retain talent. In a recent conversation with Dr. Erinne Kennedy, Assistant Dean for Curriculum and Integrated Learning at Kansas City University College of Dental Medicine, we explored how dentists can apply lessons from high-performance…