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…
Posts By:dustin@burlesondds.com
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…
The dental industry is currently facing significant workforce challenges, with many practices experiencing difficulties in retaining staff for more than a year. This trend is influenced by several factors, including generational differences, workplace dynamics, and broader labor market conditions. Recent industry reports highlight the following insights: The American Dental Association (ADA) reports that staffing issues are a major concern for dental practices, with many experiencing difficulties in hiring and retaining qualified dental assistants and hygienists. Studies published in the Journal of the American Dental Association emphasize that a lack of leadership training among dental professionals can lead to challenges in…
Psychiatrist and author, David Viscott said, “The purpose of life is to discover your gift, the work of life is to develop it, and the meaning of life is to give your gift away.” I’m not certain I understood this early in my career. I was too busy focused on external metrics like practice growth. I was constantly striving to prove myself to others and to assuage self-doubt and fear. I grew up with role models who instilled work ethic and diligence into me from a young age. I also grew up in the 1980s when movies like “The Meaning…
On a recent coaching call, I was asked about short-term thinking and the damaging effects this has on long-term results. It reminded me of the conversation I had with Dorie Clark on The Burleson Box podcast. She has a great book called The Long Game – How to be a Long-Term Thinker in a Short-Term World. Dorie told me, “You know you’re getting this right when you’ve put the proper systems in place so that your business doesn’t collapse if you’re not working 24/7.” Smart people like Warren Buffett and the late, great Charlie Munger understand this fundamental truth to…
In his 2015 book, The End of Average, Todd Rose cautions against the pitfalls of designing systems based on averages, a concept he calls “averagarianism.” He argues that relying on the mean or judging success in terms of deviation from the mean can lead to ineffective and potentially harmful outcomes. Rose cites the example of Gilbert Daniels, a researcher in the 1950s whose work prompted the U.S. Air Force to design personalized cockpit features for pilots of various shapes and sizes, moving away from the notion of a standard, average pilot. This innovation significantly improved safety records. The essence of…
Most people think of failure in the wrong way. They see it as simply negative. We’re conditioned through school – and healthcare providers go through a lot of school – that our biggest fear becomes failing. This is unfortunate. You should think of failure as a temporary defeat. You’ve learned over and over again that thinks either work or they don’t work. From the time you learned to walk and through school and starting your practice, many things have worked and many things have not worked. Yet, we convince ourselves from today forward that everything is just going to work.…
The Challenge of Employee Discontent In the ever-evolving landscape of healthcare, the challenges we face extend beyond the patient’s chair. As leaders in orthodontics, it’s crucial to recognize the growing issue of employee discontent within our teams. Despite increased investments in employee benefits during the pandemic, many orthodontic professionals find themselves grappling with rising dissatisfaction among their valuable staff. Stephan Scholl, CEO of Alight Solutions, rightly pointed out in a recent Wall Street Journal article by Vanessa Fuhrmans and Lindsay Ellis that increased spending on benefits doesn’t always translate into happier employees. “In an Alight survey of 2,000 U.S. employees…
I’m attending the 2023 British Orthodontic Conference in London and it has been such a fantastic meeting. After dozens of pages of notes, I’ve been copying down questions and topics to review with the orthodontic and pediatric dental residents I teach. I’ve also made a list of areas where I need to rethink my approach, including some really thoughtful questions on third molars and anterior open bite treatment proposed by Dr. Flavia Artese. My excitement continued to increase for direct printing of orthodontic aligners and 3d metal printing after listening to Dr. Simon Graf. The relationship between orthodontic treatment and…
In today’s competitive fields of dentistry and orthodontics, establishing a strong public presence is essential to reaching a broader audience, building trust, and showcasing expertise. Harnessing the power of the press and publicity can significantly enhance your professional reputation and create valuable opportunities to educate, inform and create goodwill. Recently, the American Dental Association and a handful of talented dentists were featured in an article on Today.com written by Sarah Jacoby. It fires on all cylinders. You can check out my LinkedIn profile and read the post to see why their article is so great. For this blog post, we…
