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On this week's episode, host Tim Boyum reconnects with Shelane Etchison. She was North Carolina's first ever Congressional unaffiliated candidate to make it on the ballot. Independents aren't a party, they aren't a third party, they're exactly as they sound — independent. Although she lost the election, she significantly outperformed all other non-major party candidates, exceeding expectations. “The burden for unaffiliated candidates to get on the ballot, I believe, is too high right now. The bar is too high right now,” Etchison told Boyum. “The amount of money I had to allocate to that, the time and effort, it just already puts you at an impasse.” So, how does she feel now after running? Can an unaffiliated candidate ever win, and what's next for her? Listen to find out her experience.
Shelane is a military policewoman and special operator who ran her congressional campaign in 2024.
Foretold - Week 2 - "The Origin Story" - Jayson Etchison
Foretold - Week 1 - "The Son Of David" - Jayson Etchison
Unlock the secrets to transforming those seemingly mundane non-clinical days into powerful opportunities for growth with insights from Dr. Paul Etchison. Ever feel like you're endlessly busy but not making real progress in your dental practice? Dr. Etchison shares his journey and highlights the top three non-clinical activities that can propel your practice forward, starting with the critical examination of key performance indicators like accounts receivable and case acceptance rates. Text us your feedback! (please note: we cannot respond through this channel))Check out www.relevanceonlinemarketing.com if you want to get the same great marketing results as Dr. Etch. Mention DPH and get your first month FREE!the DPH Hero Collective will teach you how to work less days, make more money, and achieve the life/work balance you've always wanted by giving you a scaleble business, instead of a job.You will get: ✓Comprehensive Training to level up your team and practice✓Live Monthly Webinars to make sure you are moving forward✓Live Question and Answer Sessions to get you help when you need it✓A Community of practice owners to support and cheer you on✓System and Protocol Documents to Edit, to standardize your operations And Remember, we are actual dentists! At DPH, we don't coach you on anything we haven't personally accomplished ourselves. Visit www.dentalpracticeheroes.com to Learn more.
Paul Etchison, D.D.S. is the author of two books on dental practice management, a dental coach, the owner of a $6 million group practice in the south suburbs of Chicago, and the host of the Dental Practice Heroes Podcast. This week, the Dental Amigos host Dr. Etchison and they discuss strategies for growing and expanding your practice. Through creative planning and scheduling, a practice owner can increase new patient flow and spend less time doing practical dentistry and more time running the business. Dr. Etchison offers strategies for building a team that an owner can trust to run his/her practice in the same way that the owner would run the practice. From bringing on the first associate dentist to delegating responsibilities to empower owners to focus on elements of practice ownership that they enjoy, Dr. Etchison coaches his clients to grow professionally, financially, and personally. Listeners who are interested in Dr. Etchison's coaching can schedule a call with his team at dentalpracticeheroes.com. Stream the Dental Practice Heroes Podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Check out his books, Dental Practice Hero: From Ordinary Practice to Extraordinary Experience and Dental Practice Hero II: The Sequel: How a 3 Day Work Week Can Give You the Life You Want. You can connect with Dr. Etchison on Instagram at @dr.pauletchison, Facebook, or LinkedIn. Listeners who want to reach out to Paul can do so at Paul@DentalNachos.com and those who want to reach out to Rob can do so at Rob@RMontgomery-Law.com.
The Halloweenies continue a new October tradition! Last year, Michael Roffman and Dan Caffrey ventured to the Haddonfield Public Library to read Curtis Richards' excellent 1979 screen-to-page adaptation of the John Carpenter original Halloween. Fortunately for them, for us, for you, there are several more novelizations, and they're going through 'em all. This year sees the two dust off Dennis Etchison/Jack Martin's 1981 novelization for Halloween II. Together, they discuss Etchison's writing style, the additional scenes, the dreams of Laurie Strode, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Welcome back to our groundbreaking “Meet The 2024 Independent Candidates” series—highlighting independent candidates of all kinds, for all levels of office, from all across America. This week, we're bringing back a powerhouse and fan favorite, Shelane Etchison (@ShelaneEtchison). She's running for Congress in North Carolina's 9th District while pregnant and at the same time dealing with the same devastation the rest of her state is experiencing in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. But she's ready. As a combat veteran that used to jump out of planes into battlefields for a living, she's ready. And she's bringing the grit and independent spirit that drives this show and the growing independent movement to the campaign and making history while doing it becoming North Carolina's first independent candidate to qualify for a federal race. It's a massive accomplishment and it's thanks to supporters like you, the real independent Americans. If you're interested in independent politics—or American politics in general—this is a can't miss. If you're an independent, you've found your home. And an inspiring one at that. And your host Paul Rieckhoff (@PaulRieckhoff) goes deep on all of it in this all new episode of Independent Americans. From the Presidential race to Jill Stein's propensity for lying, he's hitting it all — hard. And reflecting on the last year and what the anniversary of 10/7 means here and in Israel. Plus updates on Mayor Disaster's growing scandal in NYC, the latest from Ukraine, and the thwarted ISIS election day attack the FBI announced yesterday that seems to have been missed by most (all?) of the mainstream media. And that's why every episode of Independent Americans is the truth beyond the headlines–and light to contrast the heat of other politics and news shows. It's content for the 49% of Americans that proudly call themselves independent. And delivers the Righteous Media 5 Is: independence, integrity, information, inspiration and impact. This is your home for independent news, politics, inspiration and hope. -Learn more about Shelane Etchison and her race on her campaign website. -Join the movement. Hook into our exclusive Patreon community of Independent Americans. Get extra content, connect with guests, meet other Independent Americans, attend events, get merch discounts, and support this show that speaks truth to power. -WATCH video of Paul and Shelane's conversation. -Check out the first time Shelane joined us back in May for Episode 279. -Hear Dorin Cohen's harrowing story of her October 7th experience. -Paul's column from 10/7 on what Israel can learn from our mistakes after 9/11. -Support Team Rubicon's vital hurricane response efforts. -Check the hashtag #LookForTheHelpers. And share yours. -Find us on social media or www.IndependentAmericans.us. And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch. -Check out other Righteous podcasts like The Firefighters Podcast with Rob Serra, Uncle Montel - The OG of Weed and B Dorm. Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led Righteous Media. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
788: The Story Behind the Dental Heroes Podcast – Dr. Paul EtchisonDo you want to make $1 million a year or more working three days a week or less? To find out how it's possible, keep listening! Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. Paul Etchison, creator and host of the Dental Practice Heroes podcast, to share how he found balance between his work and home life while earning more and stressing less. To learn more about Dr. Etchison's books, podcast, and strategies to build your dream practice, listen to Episode 788 of The Best Practices Show!Learn More About Dr. Etchison:Follow Dr. Etchison on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.pauletchisonSchedule a call with Dental Practice Heroes: https://www.dentalpracticeheroes.comListen to the Dental Practice Heroes podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/1OZg46P8MLsyQoIYYSbc3WLearn more about Dental Business Mentor: https://www.dentalbusinessmentor.comMore Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listenJoin The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpaJoin ACT's To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/tttSee the ACT Dental/BPA Live Event Schedule: https://www.actdental.com/eventGet The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazinePlease leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218Episode Resources:Watch the video version of Episode 788: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videosRead Dental Practice Hero and Dental Practice Hero II by Dr. Paul Etchison: https://www.dentalpracticeheroes.com/books-1Read Traction by Gino Wickman: https://benbellabooks.com/shop/tractionMain Takeaways:Develop your core values — and actually communicate them to your team.Emphasize to your team that they make a difference in your patients' lives.No matter the size of your practice, you need to have a leadership team.Let your leadership team handle more of the things you don't like doing.Being understaffed is often better than dealing with underperformers.An office manager is not equivalent to an admin team member.Retirement probably isn't what you want — it's balance.Snippets:0:00 Introduction.1:36...
In this episode, Paul Etchison of Dental Practice Heroes shares his journey of reducing clinical days to focus on the procedures he loves while growing his dental practice. He discusses the significance of hiring associates and hygienists, setting intentional growth targets, and establishing a strong online presence to enhance patient experience and encourage referrals. Additionally, Paul emphasizes the importance of reappointments, building a leadership team, and finding fulfillment beyond financial goals, all while maintaining a healthy work-life balance.
Ever wondered how to pivot from general dentistry to a specialized practice that truly excites you? Join us on this episode of Dental Practice Heroes as Dr. Paul Etchison chats with Dr. Dan Briskie and Dr. Taher Dhoon from the Colorado Surgical Institute. We share our personal journeys and insights on transitioning from routine procedures like Class II fillings to focusing on more complex and fulfilling work, such as orthodontics and veneers. Dr. Dune reveals his fascinating path from corporate dentistry to owning his practice, highlighting the significance of continuous education and the integration of specialized services like single implants and full arch surgeries. We also discuss strategies for maintaining patient trust and ensuring smooth team dynamics during this transformative journey.Text us your feedback!Please leave a review on whatever app you are listening on! It only take a moment and would make such a difference to our growth!Join the DPH Hero Collective and take your practice and your life to the next level! Access to over 37 hours of training videos for you and your team. Access to every document, checklist, protocol, and system that Dr. Etchison uses in his practice. Weekly live content, live webinars, office hours, hotseats, group coaching sessions Access to a community of like minded Dental Practice Owners helping each other succeed! At DPH, we don't coach you on anything we haven't personally accomplished ourselves. We provide: One on One Coaching for Doctors, or Doctors and Teams Group Coaching Programs for Teams Minicourses on every practice management topic you need to know Team Coaching for your Front Desk Exactly what you need to level up, whatever level of practice you are at. Visit www.dentalpracticeheroes.com to Learn more, and check out our new 7 Phase OmniPractice Total Team Success Program to learn how to systematize your office, all while creating a leadership team to help you manage it all.
What if your entire dental team could be your secret weapon to boost case acceptance and patient care? We share why every team member's belief in the value of dental treatments is crucial and how understanding the risks of untreated cavities can turn every patient interaction into an opportunity for improved health outcomes. Gain practical insights on structuring your meetings to maximize productivity and impact, ensuring every staff member grasps their vital role in patient care.EPISODE BONUS: Download the PPT and Verbiage Document HereText us your feedback!Please leave a review on whatever app you are listening on! It only take a moment and would make such a difference to our growth!Join the DPH Hero Collective and take your practice and your life to the next level! Access to over 37 hours of training videos for you and your team. Access to every document, checklist, protocol, and system that Dr. Etchison uses in his practice. Weekly live content, live webinars, office hours, hotseats, group coaching sessions Access to a community of like minded Dental Practice Owners helping each other succeed! At DPH, we don't coach you on anything we haven't personally accomplished ourselves. We provide: One on One Coaching for Doctors, or Doctors and Teams Group Coaching Programs for Teams Minicourses on every practice management topic you need to know Team Coaching for your Front Desk Exactly what you need to level up, whatever level of practice you are at. Visit www.dentalpracticeheroes.com to Learn more, and check out our new 7 Phase OmniPractice Total Team Success Program to learn how to systematize your office, all while creating a leadership team to help you manage it all.
In this powerhouse episode of "The Making Of," Dr. Ashley Joves sits down with the incredible Dr. Paul Etchison, a renowned dentist, coach, author, and podcast host. They dive deep into the realities of practice ownership, from building a $6 million dental practice to achieving work-life balance and everything in between. Paul shares his journey, the challenges he faced, and the lessons learned along the way. Whether you're a dentist, entrepreneur, or just someone looking for inspiration, this episode is packed with valuable insights and candid conversations.What You'll Learn:- Building a High-Performing Practice* Paul shares his experience in growing his practice from a five-op startup to an 11-op powerhouse, bringing in $6 million annually.- New Patient Acquisition Strategies: Learn about the importance of SEO, Google reviews, and strategic marketing to consistently attract new patients and maintain growth.- Optimizing Operations: Discover how Paul maximized efficiency through block scheduling, smart use of assistants, and maintaining a high standard of care.- Leadership and Team Management: Paul talks about building a strong leadership team, the importance of training and calibration, and how to handle staff turnover effectively.- Life After Selling the Practice: Paul reflects on his transition out of daily practice ownership, focusing on his passion for coaching and how he's found fulfillment beyond the dental chair.- Real Talk on the Challenges of Practice Ownership: Both Ashley and Paul get real about the emotional and psychological toll of being a business owner and the importance of finding balance and joy in the journey.Key Quotes:- "Growth isn't just about hitting numbers; it's about finding what lights you up and focusing on what truly brings you joy."- "You can maximize your practice by keeping as much in-house as possible, but you also have to recognize when it's time to let go of the tasks that don't fulfill you."- "Building a great team isn't just about hiring; it's about consistently training, calibrating, and creating a culture where people feel valued and supported."Connect with Dr. Paul Etchison:- Website: www.dentalpracticeheroes.com - Discover more about Paul's coaching services, books, and resources for dentists.- Podcast: [Dental Practice Heroes Podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dental-practice-heroes-with-dr-paul-etchison/id1271051104) - Tune in for more insights and tips on growing a successful dental practice.- Facebook: [Paul Etchison](https://www.facebook.com/paul.etchison) - Reach out to Paul for more personal connections and updates.Mentioned in the Episode:- Books: Check out Paul's books, *Dental Practice Hero* and *Dental Practice Hero 2*, available on Amazon.- Voices of Dentistry* Reflect on Paul's impactful presentation at this renowned dental conference.- Upcoming Retreats: Hear about the possibility of Paul speaking at future dental retreats hosted by Ashley—stay tuned!Don't Miss Out:Be sure to subscribe to our podcast and YouTube channel for more inspiring interviews and actionable insights. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review and share it with your network to spread the wisdom!---Follow Us:- **Instagram**: [@TheMakingOfPodcast](https://www.instagram.com/themaking.of)- **Twitter**: [@MakingOfPod](https://twitter.com/makingofpod)- **Facebook**: [The Making Of Podcast](https://www.facebook.com/themakingofpodcast)Join us next time for more candid conversations and valuable insights from Ashley, Brian, and their incredible guests!
The Greatest Hits - Week 11 - "The Church's X-Factor" - Jayson Etchison
One in the Chair and Two Waiting: the dental podcast by Stuart Campbell and Michael Tang
For this episode, we're spreading our wings to fly across the Atlantic Ocean to meet our special guest from Stuart's favourite city of Chicago...Yes listener, we're proud to welcome the Dental Practice Hero himself... Dr Paul Etchison.Tune in as we share with you the many hints and tips behind Paul's success as an entrepreneur, an author, a podcaster, and why he is a Dental Practice Hero.Checkout: Paul's website here> Dental Practice HeroesHis books here> BOOKS 1 (dentalpracticeheroes.com)His DPH Podcast here> Dental Practice Heroes Podcast Series - Apple PodcastsYou can also follow us on Instagram @oneinthechairandtwowaitingFor more information on us and our clinics please visit:www.loanheaddental.comwww.dentalpractice.com
Can keeping an underperforming employee really harm your dental practice more than having an empty seat? Join me, Paul Etchison, as we confront this critical question in today's episode. We'll draw parallels to a rowing team to discuss the tough decisions you face when dealing with underperforming staff. Explore the immediate and long-term impacts on team morale and performance, the importance of understanding the risks involved, and the significance of transparent communication. Learn how to give employees a fair chance to improve by addressing the root causes of their underperformance, whether it's timeliness, training, or personality issues. Arm yourself with the knowledge to make well-informed decisions that balance short-term staffing needs with maintaining high standards and fostering a positive team culture..Text us your feedback!Please leave a review on whatever app you are listening on! It only take a moment and would make such a difference to our growth!Join the DPH Hero Collective and take your practice and your life to the next level! Access to over 37 hours of training videos for you and your team. Access to every document, checklist, protocol, and system that Dr. Etchison uses in his practice. Weekly live content, live webinars, office hours, hotseats, group coaching sessions Access to a community of like minded Dental Practice Owners helping each other succeed! At DPH, we don't coach you on anything we haven't personally accomplished ourselves. We provide: One on One Coaching for Doctors, or Doctors and Teams Group Coaching Programs for Teams Minicourses on every practice management topic you need to know Team Coaching for your Front Desk Exactly what you need to level up, whatever level of practice you are at. Visit www.dentalpracticeheroes.com to Learn more, and check out our new 7 Phase OmniPractice Total Team Success Program to learn how to systematize your office, all while creating a leadership team to help you manage it all.
Discover the secrets to creating a thriving dental hygiene department with Rachel Wall, founder and CEO of Inspired Hygiene. Learn how to attract and retain skilled hygienists, boost departmental productivity, and enhance patient care and profitability. We tackle the pressing issue of hygienist shortages and the shift towards flexible roles, offering strategies to make your practice an attractive workplace. Rachel's insights on continuous recruitment and investing in team education will transform your approach to managing staffing changes.check out Rachel's Programs at www.inspiredhygiene.comText us your feedback!Check out www.relevanceonlinemarketing.com if you want to get the same great marketing results as Dr. Etch. Mention DPH and get your first month FREE! Please leave a review on whatever app you are listening on! It only take a moment and would make such a difference to our growth!Join the DPH Hero Collective and take your practice and your life to the next level! Access to over 37 hours of training videos for you and your team. Access to every document, checklist, protocol, and system that Dr. Etchison uses in his practice. Weekly live content, live webinars, office hours, hotseats, group coaching sessions Access to a community of like minded Dental Practice Owners helping each other succeed! At DPH, we don't coach you on anything we haven't personally accomplished ourselves. We provide: One on One Coaching for Doctors, or Doctors and Teams Group Coaching Programs for Teams Minicourses on every practice management topic you need to know Team Coaching for your Front Desk Exactly what you need to level up, whatever level of practice you are at. Visit www.dentalpracticeheroes.com to Learn more, and check out our new 7 Phase OmniPractice Total Team Success Program to learn how to systematize your office, all while creating a leadership team to help you manage it all.
Unlock the secrets to boosting your dental practice's case acceptance with expert insights from Dr. Henry Ernst and Dr. Steven Markowitz. Discover how even the smallest improvements in this area can have profound effects on both your financial success and the quality of patient care. This episode of Dental Practice Heroes is packed with practical tips, including creating a warm office atmosphere and mastering patient conversations to ensure prompt, effective treatment. We delve into the importance of refining treatment planning data and patient interactions to elevate acceptance rates and overall practice health.day!Text us your feedback!Check out www.relevanceonlinemarketing.com if you want to get the same great marketing results as Dr. Etch. Mention DPH and get your first month FREE!Join the DPH Hero Collective and take your practice and your life to the next level! Access to over 37 hours of training videos for you and your team. Access to every document, checklist, protocol, and system that Dr. Etchison uses in his practice. Weekly live content, live webinars, office hours, hotseats, group coaching sessions Access to a community of like minded Dental Practice Owners helping each other succeed! At DPH, we don't coach you on anything we haven't personally accomplished ourselves. We provide: One on One Coaching for Doctors, or Doctors and Teams Group Coaching Programs for Teams Minicourses on every practice management topic you need to know Team Coaching for your Front Desk Exactly what you need to level up, whatever level of practice you are at. Visit www.dentalpracticeheroes.com to Learn more, and check out our new 7 Phase OmniPractice Total Team Success Program to learn how to systematize your office, all while creating a leadership team to help you manage it all.
Shelane is the daughter of small business owners, growing up in central Florida and working on horse farms throughout her youth. After the attacks on 9/11, she was commissioned as an officer in the United States Army, becoming the first in her family to join the military.Shelane deployed to Ramadi, Iraq leading Soldiers as a Military Police Platoon Leader and Executive Officer. Upon returning, she moved to Fort Bragg, North Carolina and was specially selected for a Special Operations pilot program deploying women on combat missions in Afghanistan with Army Rangers and Navy SEALs, and charged with gathering critical intelligence on high-value Taliban and Al Qaeda targets. Shelane and her teammates' contributions to this historic program are chronicled in the New York Times bestseller, Ashley's War.Motivated to continue serving in Special Operations, Shelane attended and passed selection for a highly elite Special Mission Unit. She was deployed to combat yet again, partnering with Kurdish women forces in Syria to fight against ISIS, in addition to serving with inter-governmental agencies throughout the Middle East.Interested in how business approaches can provide solutions to public issues, Shelane left the military after 11-years and earned a MBA from Harvard Business School and MPP from Harvard Kennedy School of government. She's worked abroad on economic development projects, domestically as a security consultant, and volunteers with nonprofit organizations for youth leadership development and Afghan refugee resettlement.As a passionate advocate for community empowerment and inclusive governance, Shelane has stepped forward as an independent candidate for Congress in North Carolina's 9th district. Don't miss this opportunity to hear firsthand insights into leadership, service, and community empowerment from a dynamic individual making waves in both national security and public policy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
What if you could slash your dental practice's supply budget to under 5% of collections without compromising quality? This episode unpacks essential strategies to help you achieve this goal. We discuss how increasing production and collections, rather than just cutting expenses, can effectively lower your overhead. We explore six key reasons why supply budgets often exceed targets and provide actionable steps to address them. From accurate expense categorization to centralizing supply orders and educating your team on cost-saving measures, we cover the ground comprehensively. Text us your feedback! Click here to get access to 11 free OmniPractice Videos, a Webinar on creating a team driven practice, the Big Book of Dental Analogies, The Brand Book for New Hires, and the Essential Membership Documents you need!Join the DPH Hero Collective and take your practice and your life to the next level! Access to over 37 hours of training videos for you and your team. Access to every document, checklist, protocol, and system that Dr. Etchison uses in his practice. Weekly live content, live webinars, office hours, hotseats, group coaching sessions Access to a community of like minded Dental Practice Owners helping each other succeed! At DPH, we don't coach you on anything we haven't personally accomplished ourselves. We provide: One on One Coaching for Doctors, or Doctors and Teams Group Coaching Programs for Teams Minicourses on every practice management topic you need to know Team Coaching for your Front Desk Exactly what you need to level up, whatever level of practice you are at. Visit www.dentalpracticeheroes.com to Learn more, and check out our new 7 Phase OmniPractice Total Team Success Program to learn how to systematize your office, all while creating a leadership team to help you manage it all.
Can you really afford to wait to implement new clinical skills? Discover how immediate action can skyrocket your confidence in dental practice! In this episode of Dental Practice Heroes, we break down the barriers to achieving both external and internal confidence essential for providing exceptional patient care. Learn from our personal experiences and observations with associates and students, and uncover effective strategies for practicing new skills, like partnering with local specialists or mentors. We guarantee by the end of this episode, you'll have actionable insights to overcome those initial hurdles and boost your clinical prowess.Mention DPH and get 10% off of courses at www.ColoradoSurgicalInstitute.comText us your feedback! Click here to get access to 11 free OmniPractice Videos, a Webinar on creating a team driven practice, the Big Book of Dental Analogies, The Brand Book for New Hires, and the Essential Membership Documents you need!Join the DPH Hero Collective and take your practice and your life to the next level! Access to over 37 hours of training videos for you and your team. Access to every document, checklist, protocol, and system that Dr. Etchison uses in his practice. Weekly live content, live webinars, office hours, hotseats, group coaching sessions Access to a community of like minded Dental Practice Owners helping each other succeed! At DPH, we don't coach you on anything we haven't personally accomplished ourselves. We provide: One on One Coaching for Doctors, or Doctors and Teams Group Coaching Programs for Teams Minicourses on every practice management topic you need to know Team Coaching for your Front Desk Exactly what you need to level up, whatever level of practice you are at. Visit www.dentalpracticeheroes.com to Learn more, and check out our new 7 Phase OmniPractice Total Team Success Program to learn how to systematize your office, all while creating a leadership team to help you manage it all.
Welcome back, America. Welcome back to the hottest summer on record. Literally and figuratively. The planet is on fire, our politics are on fire and we're only getting started. And because of that reason, we're going to do something we haven't done since we started Righteous Media and all of the offshoot projects we've created along the way. We're going to take a break. We're going to shut it down for one week so we can recharge our batteries, clear our heads, and prepare ourselves for the shitshow that will be this fall. But before we take a break, we've got one more pod to help you get through the dog days of summer. Welcome back to our groundbreaking “Meet The 2024 Independent Candidates” series—highlighting independent candidates of all kinds, for all levels of office, from all across America. So far in the series we've met Dan Osborn, Shelane Etchison, Jared Young, Marcus Carter, Kodi Sawin and Tyrell Hicks. They all represent the true independent spirit. And this episode we're bringing you a remix. The best of the Meet the Independent Candidates Series. Every episode of Independent Americans is independent light to contrast the heat of other politics and news shows. It's content for the 51% of Americans that now call themselves independent. Always with a unique focus on national security, foreign affairs and military and vets issues. This is another pod to help you stay vigilant. Because vigilance is the price of democracy. In these trying times especially, Independent Americans is your trusted place for independent news, politics and inspiration. -Get extra content, connect with guests, events, merch discounts and support this show that speaks truth to power by joining us on Patreon. -Check #LookForTheHelpers on Twitter. And share yours. -If you're an Independent VETERAN especially, check out Independent Veterans of America. -Find us on social media or www.IndependentAmericans.us. -Hear other Righteous pods like The Firefighters Podcast with Rob Serra, Uncle Montel - The OG of Weed and B Dorm. Independent Americans is powered by Righteous Media. America's new independent and veteran-owned media company. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On this episode of Christopher Lochhead: Follow Your Different we have an in-depth conversation with Shelane Etchison, a veteran who is currently running for office in the US government. This episode is a compelling exploration of Shelane's remarkable journey from a non-military background to serving in the Army, her experiences in combat, and her motivations for running for political office. You're listening to Christopher Lochhead: Follow Your Different. We are the real dialogue podcast for people with a different mind. So get your mind in a different place, and hey ho, let's go. Shelane Etchison on her Journey of Overcoming Challenges Shelane begins by recounting her early life, noting that she did not come from a military family. Growing up in a dual-citizen household with her mother from British Columbia, Canada, she developed a deep sense of gratitude for the opportunities available in the United States. The events of September 11, 2001 profoundly impacted her, sparking her interest in the military and leading her to join ROTC during her undergraduate studies. Initially, Shelane faced significant challenges in ROTC, feeling out of place and unsure of herself. After a brief withdrawal, she explored Air Force ROTC but ultimately returned to Army ROTC, where she found her footing. Her determination to serve was fueled by a sense of duty and a desire to prevent future attacks on American soil. She reflects on the internal dialogue that motivated her: "Someone has to go and bear the burdens of defending this nation." - Shelane Etchison Shelane Etchison on her Views on Military Service and Leadership Shelane articulates her views on the significance of military service in shaping effective leaders. She believes that the skills and values learned in the military—such as discipline, teamwork, and strategic thinking—are essential for political leaders. Her perspective challenges the conventional notion of leadership, advocating for a model that prioritizes service and accountability. Throughout the conversation, Shelane emphasizes the need for political reform, particularly in how veterans are treated and represented in government. She shares her vision for a more inclusive political landscape, where diverse voices, especially those of veterans, are heard and valued. This vision is rooted in her belief that true leadership involves listening to the needs of the community and acting in their best interests. Motivations for Running for Congress Shelane expresses deep concern about the current polarization in American politics, which she believes is detrimental to the country. She argues that there is a significant crisis of genuine leadership, and she feels compelled to step up and represent the values she believes in. Drawing from her military experience, she emphasizes the importance of leaders who prioritize the needs of the people over party interests. Shelane's decision to run as an independent candidate is rooted in her desire to challenge the two-party system, which she views as increasingly out of touch with the electorate. She points out that a majority of Americans are registered as independents, yet they often lack viable candidates on the ballot. By running as an independent, Shelane aims to provide a new choice for voters who are frustrated with the current political landscape. To hear more from Shelane Etchison and her views on how to change the government from within, download and listen to this episode. Bio Shelane Etchison is a former Army officer and aspiring congressional candidate. Raised in Florida, she became the first in her family to join the military after the events on September 11. She served in Iraq and was part of a Special Operations program in Afghanistan. After 11 years of service, she earned an MBA and MPP from Harvard. Shelane has worked on economic development and security consultancy projects and is committed to bringing principled leadership to North Carolina,
Chekout Mindset Guru and NBA/WNBA Basketball Trainer Jordan Delks interview Gus Etchison of Marian University! Gus averaged 22.8ppg last year taking the Crossroads League by storm and has an unbelievable testimony that will leave you inspired to COMPETE!
Ever wondered how a simple change in mindset and the right tools can skyrocket your dental practice's success? Join me, as I share a compelling story about a coaching client who's ready to transition from clinician to business leader. Text us your feedback!Don't miss out on the New Online Mastermind. Lock in Pre Launch Pricing today. click here to take advantage! Please leave a review on whatever app you are listening on! It only take a moment and would make such a difference to our growth!DPH CoachingAt DPH, we don't coach you on anything we haven't personally accomplished ourselves. We provide: One on One Coaching for Doctors, or Doctors and Teams Group Coaching Programs for Teams Minicourses on every practice management topic you need to know Team Coaching for your Front Desk Exactly what you need to level up, whatever level of practice you are at. Visit www.dentalpracticeheroes.com to Learn more, and check out our new 7 Phase OmniPractice Total Team Success Program to learn how to systematize your office, all while creating a leadership team to help you manage it all.
This special episode, hosted by Dr. David Maconi, peels back the layers of my journey (Paul Etchison) in a candid discussion about the ups and downs of the dental profession. Our conversation dives into the financial maze new doctors face, tackling everything from hefty student loans to the pros and cons of joining DSOs versus group practices. We break down the risks and rewards inherent in different practice models, emphasizing the importance of sustainable partnerships and doctor retention for long-term success.Text us your feedback!Don't miss out on the New Online Mastermind. Lock in Pre Launch Pricing today. click here to take advantage! Check out www.relevanceonlinemarketing.com if you want to get the same great marketing results as Dr. Etch. Mention DPH and get your first month FREE! Please leave a review on whatever app you are listening on! It only take a moment and would make such a difference to our growth!DPH CoachingAt DPH, we don't coach you on anything we haven't personally accomplished ourselves. We provide: One on One Coaching for Doctors, or Doctors and Teams Group Coaching Programs for Teams Minicourses on every practice management topic you need to know Team Coaching for your Front Desk Exactly what you need to level up, whatever level of practice you are at. Visit www.dentalpracticeheroes.com to Learn more, and check out our new 7 Phase OmniPractice Total Team Success Program to learn how to systematize your office, all while creating a leadership team to help you manage it all.
The Greatest Hits - Week 4 - "Truth + Grace = Freedom" - Jayson Etchison
The Greatest Hits - Week 3 - "Never Enough" - Jayson Etchison
Discover the secrets to running a thriving dental practice with effective team meetings as Dr. Paul Etchison, Dr. Stephen Markowitz, and Dr. Henry Ernst reveal their strategies for maintaining a cohesive and high-performing team. Tune in and learn about the power of consistent meeting cadences, the transition from morning huddles to structured weekly L10 meetings, and the creation of pod meetings to address both patient-specific details and broader office themes. This episode promises to equip you with the insights needed to foster a culture of continuous improvement within your practice.Our guests share their journey of transforming team meetings from casual morning gatherings to carefully structured, agenda-driven sessions that have significantly boosted their practice's efficiency. Hear firsthand how the EOS model and its customized implementations like pod meetings have helped tackle issues promptly and drive the team's ongoing development. We also discuss the financial and team-building benefits of investing in all-day meetings quarterly or tri-annually, despite their initial costs.Learn how to cultivate a positive meeting atmosphere using practical tools like Trello for task management and creative appreciation systems such as the "jar of awesome" and token-based gratitude programs. Our experts provide valuable tips on starting meetings with a positive mindset and managing negativity effectively. Dr. Etchison, Dr. Markowitz, and Dr. Ernst offer actionable advice on keeping meetings focused, efficient, and conducive to team morale, ensuring your practice operates at its peak performance.Are you ready to completely systematize and document the way you do things at the practice. The DPH OmniPractice Total Team Success Program is just that. Online Instruction, one on one sessions, sample documents, and worksheets...We take your office through 7 phases of practice transformation and teach you how to manage it all with your team. If you want a team driven systematized practice, go to dentalpracticeheroes.comDPH CoachingAt DPH, we don't coach you on anything we haven't personally accomplished ourselves. We provide: One on One Coaching for Doctors, or Doctors and Teams Group Coaching Programs for Teams Minicourses on every practice management topic you need to know Team Coaching for your Front Desk Exactly what you need to level up, whatever level of practice you are at. Visit www.dentalpracticeheroes.com to Learn more, and check out our new 7 Phase OmniPractice Total Team Success Program to learn how to systematize your office, all while creating a leadership team to help you manage it all.
Unstoppable - Week 6 - "Does God Really Use All Things For Good?" - Jayson Etchison
Welcome back to our groundbreaking “Meet The 2024 Independent Candidates” series—highlighting independent candidates of all kinds, for all levels of office, from all across America. In our second episode in the series, following independent Jared Young running for Senate in Missouri, we have our first independent VETERAN candidate. Meet inspiring combat veteran, Shelane Etchison (@ShelaneEtchison). She's running for Congress in North Carolina's 9th District against a career politician who's never served in uniform and likes to vote against veterans benefits named Richard Hudson. Shelane is an independent and Army Special Operations combat veteran that used to jump out of planes into battlefields for a living. She's got a tough race ahead of her against an entrenched, incumbent, extreme GOP Rep who has raised millions. But as Shelane says, she's not afraid to do bold things and lead. She's got the grit and independent spirit that drives this show and the growing independent movement. You'll hear about her harrowing time in the military, why she is running for Congress, why she thinks she can overcome the odds and beat an incumbent in a deeply red district, how she defines independent, and whether or not she'll endorse RFK Jr, Trump or Biden. If you're interested in independent politics—or American politics in general—this is a can't miss. If you're an independent, you've found your home. And an inspiring one at that. And your host Paul Rieckhoff (@PaulRieckhoff) rips into all of it in this all new episode of Independent Americans. And, he tears into the college campus protests spreading across America, RFK Jr's latest “big” announcement and why Knicks superstar Jalen Brunson might have a career in politics when he's done with basketball. Because on Independent Americans, we're focused on not just what's happening now, but also on what's happening next. Every episode is the truth beyond the headlines–and light to contrast the heat of other politics and news shows. It's content for the 49% of Americans that proudly call themselves independent. And delivers the Righteous Media 5 Is: independence, integrity, information, inspiration and impact. Independent Americans is your trusted place for independent news, politics, inspiration and hope. -Learn more about Shelane Etchison and her race on her campaign website. -Join the movement. Hook into our exclusive Patreon community of Independent Americans. Get extra content, connect with guests, meet other Independent Americans, attend events, get merch discounts, and support this show that speaks truth to power. -WATCH video of Paul and Shelane's conversation. -Check the hashtag #LookForTheHelpers. And share yours. -Find us on social media or www.IndependentAmericans.us. And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch. -Check out other Righteous podcasts like The Firefighters Podcast with Rob Serra, Uncle Montel - The OG of Weed and B Dorm. Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led Righteous Media. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Good Friday 2024 - Jayson Etchison
Episode Summary:In this episode of the DPH Hot Seat, Dr. Paul Etchison and Dr. Henry Ernst dive deep with their guest who shares his journey from an associate to practice ownership. With a focus on navigating the complexities of running a dental business, especially in a fee-for-service model, this episode is packed with actionable advice for dentists at any stage of their career.Key Takeaways:Transitioning from Associate to Owner: Our guest discusses his leap from being an associate in a DSO to owning a practice, highlighting the challenges and learning curves associated with understanding the business side of dentistry.Growth Strategies for New Practices: The episode explores strategies for practice growth, including marketing, staff retention, and expanding services.Navigating Fee-for-Service Models: Insights into managing a fee-for-service practice, including patient acquisition, insurance considerations, and setting the practice apart in a competitive market.Community Engagement and Marketing: Practical tips on how to increase patient base through community engagement, effective marketing, and leveraging unique selling propositions like sedation dentistry.Why You Should Listen:This episode is a must-listen for dentists who are considering the transition to practice ownership or are looking for ways to grow their existing practice. It provides a real-world perspective on the challenges and opportunities of running a dental practice, with a special focus on fee-for-service models. Whether you're grappling with the decision to accept insurance, looking to increase your patient base, or simply seeking inspiration to innovate within your practice, you'll find valuable insights and encouragement from our guests journey and the expert advice of Dr. Etchison and Dr. Ernst.Mention the Dental Practice Heroes Podcast and get your first month free at www.relevanceonlinemarketing.com DPH Coaching Operational Excellence: Strategies to streamline practice operations for efficiency and growth. Team Building and Leadership: Techniques to build a cohesive team and lead effectively. Financial Management: Guidance on managing the financial aspects of a dental practice for long-term success. Personal Development: Coaching on personal growth to enhance professional performance. Visit www.dentalpracticeheroes.com to Learn more Visit www.ColoradoSurgicalInstitute.com for more information about CE courses and get 10% off as a DPH listener!
In today's flashback, an outtake from Episode 29, my conversation with author Ben Loory. It first aired on December 25, 2011. Loory is the author of the story collections Tales of Falling and Flying and Stories for Nighttime and Some for the Day, and a picture book for children, The Baseball Player and the Walrus. His stories have appeared in The New Yorker, Tin House, READ Magazine, and Fairy Tale Review; been heard on This American Life and Selected Shorts; performed live at WordTheatre in Los Angeles and London; and translated into many languages, including Japanese, Farsi, Arabic, and Indonesian. A graduate of Harvard and the American Film Institute, Loory lives in Los Angeles, where he is an Instructor for the UCLA Extension Writers' Program. *** Otherppl with Brad Listi is a weekly literary podcast featuring in-depth interviews with today's leading writers. Available where podcasts are available: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, etc. Subscribe to Brad Listi's email newsletter. Support the show on Patreon Merch @otherppl Instagram TikTok Email the show: letters [at] otherppl [dot] com The podcast is a proud affiliate partner of Bookshop, working to support local, independent bookstores. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Dr. Etchison discusses how growth lies in continuous improvement, involving the entire team to enhance patient care and practice efficiency. See more of Dr. Etchison at the Practice Growth Summit 2024 with All-Star Dental Academy®! Resources:Practice Growth Summit 2024Dental Practice Heroes PodcastDr. Etchison's WebsiteDental Practice Excellence WebinarJoin us for The All-Star Practice Growth Summit!This year we'll be hosting the nation's top doctors and teams from May 17th through the 18th at the beautiful Lago Mar Beach Club and Resort in Fort Lauderdale Florida.Click here to learn more. Join us for The All-Star Practice Growth Summit!This year we'll be hosting the nation's top doctors and teams from May 17th through the 18th at the beautiful Lago Mar Beach Club and Resort in Fort Lauderdale Florida.Click here to learn more.
Episode Summary:In this solo episode of the Dental Practice Heroes podcast, Dr. Paul Etchison dives deep into the transformative journey of a dental practice from disorganization and low profitability to a thriving, systematized powerhouse. Through a real-life case study, Dr. Etchison shares invaluable insights on leadership, team culture, and the importance of internal systems over external factors like insurance dependencies.Key Takeaways:Innovative Patient Follow-Up: Discover how Dr. Doug Warfell's video call system enhances patient care and saves time, setting a new standard for post-op communication.Leadership Through Change: Learn how embracing change and confronting challenges head-on can lead to significant growth and a more fulfilling practice environment.Systematization Over Insurance Dependence: Understand why focusing on internal systems, culture, and patient care offers a more sustainable path to profitability than solely focusing on insurance adjustments.The Power of Positive Team Culture: Hear how transforming team culture and aligning practice policies with your vision can lead to unprecedented success and satisfaction for both patients and staff.Why You Should Listen:If you're a dental professional seeking to elevate your practice, this episode is a must-listen. Dr. Etchison not only shares a compelling success story but also provides practical strategies for overcoming common obstacles in dental practice management. Whether you're struggling with team dynamics, profitability, or patient engagement, this episode offers a roadmap to achieving a practice that not only meets but exceeds your aspirations.Mention the Dental Practice Heroes Podcast and get your first month free at www.relevanceonlinemarketing.com DPH Coaching Operational Excellence: Strategies to streamline practice operations for efficiency and growth. Team Building and Leadership: Techniques to build a cohesive team and lead effectively. Financial Management: Guidance on managing the financial aspects of a dental practice for long-term success. Personal Development: Coaching on personal growth to enhance professional performance. Visit www.dentalpracticeheroes.com to Learn more Visit www.ColoradoSurgicalInstitute.com for more information about CE courses and get 10% off as a DPH listener!
Episode Summary:In this solo episode of the Dental Practice Heroes podcast, Dr. Paul Etchison shares his personal journey and the lessons learned on building rapport with patients to increase case acceptance. From his early days as an enthusiastic new dentist to his realization of the importance of non-verbal communication and deep, meaningful conversations, Dr. Etch shares actionable strategies for dentists to connect with their patients on a deeper level. He also discusses the significance of posture, eye contact, and hand gestures in making a lasting first impression and the power of asking questions to engage patients effectively.Key Takeaways:Building Rapport is Key: The importance of establishing a connection with patients before diving into dental needs.Non-Verbal Communication Matters: How posture, eye contact, and hand gestures can significantly impact patient perception and trust.The Art of Conversation: Strategies for engaging patients in meaningful conversations to understand their needs and concerns better.Learning from Literature: Insights from "Captivate" by Vanessa Van Edwards and "Six Conversations" by Heather Holliman on improving communication skills.Practical Tips for Practice: Dr. Etch shares personal anecdotes and lessons on how to enhance patient consultations and increase treatment acceptance.Why You Should Listen:This episode is a must-listen for dentists and dental professionals looking to refine their patient communication skills and build stronger relationships with their patients. Dr. Etchison's relatable storytelling, combined with practical advice from his experiences and recommended readings, provides listeners with a comprehensive guide to making every patient feel valued and understood. Whether you're struggling with case acceptance or looking to improve your patient interactions, this episode offers valuable insights into making a positive impact on your practice and patient care.Mention the Dental Practice Heroes Podcast and get your first month free at www.relevanceonlinemarketing.com DPH Coaching Operational Excellence: Strategies to streamline practice operations for efficiency and growth. Team Building and Leadership: Techniques to build a cohesive team and lead effectively. Financial Management: Guidance on managing the financial aspects of a dental practice for long-term success. Personal Development: Coaching on personal growth to enhance professional performance. Visit www.dentalpracticeheroes.com to Learn more Visit www.ColoradoSurgicalInstitute.com for more information about CE courses and get 10% off as a DPH listener!
In this episode of the Dental Practice Heroes podcast, Dr. Paul Etchison and Dr. Justin Bhullar get into the complexities of managing hygiene workflows and communication within dental practices. They address a listener's concern about the tension between dentists and hygienists regarding exam interruptions and provide practical solutions to enhance office efficiency and harmony. Key Takeaways: Effective Scheduling and Planning: Importance of planning visits to the hygiene room at the start or end of appointments for minimal disruption The role of morning huddles in discussing and preparing for the day's schedule. Communication and Understanding: Emphasizing the need for clear communication between dentists and hygienists to understand each other's workflow and priorities. Addressing the root cause of frustration, which often stems from delays or extended time spent by doctors in the operatory. Co-Diagnosis and Efficient Time Management: The benefits of co-diagnosis, where hygienists play a role in treatment planning, reducing the time dentists need to spend in the operatory. Strategies for dentists to manage their time effectively, ensuring minimal disruption to hygienists' workflow. Creating a Two-Way Street of Respect: The importance of mutual respect and flexibility between team members, allowing for interruptions when necessary. Encouraging a culture where both dentists and hygienists can request assistance or intervention without hesitation. Why You Should Listen: Practical Solutions: Gain insights into practical strategies for improving workflow and communication between dentists and hygienists. Enhanced Team Dynamics: Learn how to foster a more harmonious and efficient working environment in your dental practice. Expert Advice: Benefit from the experiences and perspectives of seasoned dental professionals, Dr. Etchison and Dr. Bhullar. Real-World Scenarios: Understand common challenges in dental practices and how to address them effectively. DPH Coaching Operational Excellence: Strategies to streamline practice operations for efficiency and growth. Team Building and Leadership: Techniques to build a cohesive team and lead effectively. Financial Management: Guidance on managing the financial aspects of a dental practice for long-term success. Personal Development: Coaching on personal growth to enhance professional performance. Visit www.dentalpracticeheroes.com to Learn more Visit www.ColoradoSurgicalInstitute.com for more information about CE courses and get 10% off as a DPH listener!
Episode Summary: In this insightful episode of the Dental Practice Heroes podcast, Dr. Paul Etchison and Dr. Henry Ernst delve into the challenges and strategies of managing a dental startup. They discuss foundational aspects of growing a dental practice, regardless of its stage. The episode features an anonymous guest sharing their journey four months into opening a startup with a partner. Key Takeaways: Growth and Expansion: The episode emphasizes the importance of understanding when to expand, whether it's adding new hygienists or equipping additional operational rooms. Patient Acquisition and Retention: Strategies for maintaining a high rate of new patient acquisition and ensuring their retention through effective scheduling and service offerings are discussed. Navigating Team Dynamics: The challenges of managing team dynamics, especially with the introduction of new roles and responsibilities, are explored. Importance of Systems and Processes: The significance of establishing efficient systems and processes from the start is highlighted, ensuring smoother operations as the practice grows. Financial Considerations: The episode touches on financial aspects, including understanding the break-even point and managing investments for future growth. Why You Should Listen: Practical Insights: Gain practical advice on managing the early stages of a dental startup, applicable to both new and experienced practitioners. Real-Life Experiences: Learn from the experiences and challenges faced by a dental startup, offering relatable scenarios and solutions. Expert Guidance: Benefit from the expertise of Dr. Etchison and Dr. Ernst, who provide valuable perspectives on growing a successful dental practice. DPH Coaching Operational Excellence: Strategies to streamline practice operations for efficiency and growth. Team Building and Leadership: Techniques to build a cohesive team and lead effectively. Financial Management: Guidance on managing the financial aspects of a dental practice for long-term success. Personal Development: Coaching on personal growth to enhance professional performance. Visit www.dentalpracticeheroes.com to Learn more
Ever wondered if selling your practice to a DSO could be the key to financial freedom and a lighter workload? Dr. Paul Etchison, a seasoned dentist, did just that. But was it smooth sailing all the way? Tune in to discover the challenges, surprising opportunities, and valuable lessons he learned throughout his journey.
Episode Summary: In this insightful episode of the Dental Practice Heroes podcast, host Dr. Paul Etchison delves into strategies for dental practice owners to elevate their practices in 2024. He discusses the importance of setting clear goals, understanding what you want from your practice, and the significance of being content with where you are. Key Takeaways: Understanding Your Practice Goals: Dr. Etchison emphasizes the importance of knowing what you want from your practice and why. He encourages listeners to find contentment in their current state if that's where they are happiest. Growth and Transition Strategies: The episode covers various stages of practice growth, from reaching the first million in collections to transitioning into a group practice. Dr. Etchison shares insights on managing growth and the challenges that come with it. Focus Areas for Growth: Key areas such as attracting new patients, improving collections rates, and effective scheduling are discussed. Dr. Etchison stresses the importance of having a solid foundation in these areas to support growth. Team Involvement and System Implementation: The episode highlights the necessity of involving the entire team in implementing new systems and protocols, ensuring consistency and efficiency in practice operations. Personalized Coaching and Resources: Dr. Etchison mentions his coaching services and the availability of team training modules on his website, designed to help dental practices implement effective systems and strategies. Why You Should Listen: Practical Advice for Practice Growth: Gain valuable insights into practical strategies and systems that can help elevate your dental practice in the new year. Leadership and Management Focus: The episode provides a deep dive into managing a growing practice, dealing with challenges, and ensuring team involvement for successful implementation of systems. Expert Guidance: Benefit from Dr. Etchison's expertise and experience in dental practice management and growth. DPH Coaching Operational Excellence: Strategies to streamline practice operations for efficiency and growth. Team Building and Leadership: Techniques to build a cohesive team and lead effectively. Financial Management: Guidance on managing the financial aspects of a dental practice for long-term success. Personal Development: Coaching on personal growth to enhance professional performance. Visit www.dentalpracticeheroes.com to Learn more
Alex Nottingham JD, MBA, is interviewed by Dr. Paul Etchison on Dental Practice Heroes regarding three ‘Silent Killers' facing your practice. Resources:Dental Practice Heroes PodcastDr. Etchison's WebsiteDental Practice Excellence WebinarJoin us for The All-Star Practice Growth Summit! This year we'll be hosting the nation's top doctors and teams from May 17th through the 18th at the beautiful Lago Mar Beach Club and Resort in Fort Lauderdale Florida. Click here to learn more.
In this episode of the Dental Practice Heroes podcast, Dr. Etch delves into the transformative journey of his dental practice. He shares his experiences with team dynamics, the impact of hiring new assistants, and the powerful role of anonymous team surveys in shaping a positive practice culture. Dr. Etch emphasizes the importance of clear expectations, agreement, and accountability in fostering a productive and harmonious work environment. Why You Should Listen: Navigating Team Changes: Learn how Dr. Etchison successfully integrated new assistants into his team, enhancing the practice culture and reaffirming core values. The Power of Anonymous Surveys: Discover the benefits and challenges of conducting anonymous surveys to assess and improve team dynamics and practice culture. Effective Leadership Strategies: Gain insights into setting clear expectations, securing team buy-in, and maintaining accountability to ensure smooth practice operations. Building a Resilient Team: Understand the importance of open communication and how to handle feedback constructively to build a stronger, more cohesive team.
Dr. Paul Etchison emphasizes team inspiration, purpose-driven work, active listening, and fostering a culture of gratitude for a thriving practice.Resources:Dental Practice Heroes PodcastDr. Etchison's WebsiteDental Practice Excellence WebinarJoin us for The All-Star Practice Growth Summit! This year we'll be hosting the nation's top doctors and teams from May 17th through the 18th at the beautiful Lago Mar Beach Club and Resort in Fort Lauderdale Florida. Click here to learn more.
Don't miss out on our upcoming live office hours on December 14th, 9:30 a.m. PST/12:30 p.m. EST, where we will delve into the tactics of ground marketing to Trader Joe's. You do NOT need to be a member of our ground marketing course to join, and this session will offer exclusive insights into scripts and strategies, plus a chance to interact directly with me. Click here to register and take your marketing game to the next level! https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_0rbNohCiRHO18qnwGUE6Hg#/registrationGuest: Paul EtchisonBusiness Name: Dental Practice HeroesCheck out Paul's Media:Website: https://dentalpracticeheroes.com/Dental Practice Heroes Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-dental-practice-heroes-podcast/id1315253777DPH OmniPractice Total Team Success Program: https://www.dentalpracticeheroes.com/offers/925o3Jgr/checkoutOther DPH Courses: https://dph.mykajabi.com/Other Mentions and Links:Companies/Software: KajabiTrainualTrader Joe'sUdemy Leadership Course People/Communities: Amy C. Edmondson - Harvard UniversityPodcast Episodes:300: DR. PAUL ETCHISON | NELSON RIDGE FAMILY DENTALMMM [INTERNAL MARKETING] SMALL DETAILS THAT MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE IN TEAM COMMUNICATION"WHAT IS 1 THING YOU WISH YOU KNEW BEFORE YOU OPENED YOUR START-UP/ ACQUISITION?"455: DR. PAUL ETCHISON | ACHIEVING PEACE OF MIND: EMBRACING DELEGATION FOR A HARMONIOUS DENTAL TEAMHost: Michael AriasWebsite: The Dental Marketer Join my newsletter: https://thedentalmarketer.lpages.co/newsletter/Join this podcast's Facebook Group: The Dental Marketer SocietyWhat You'll Learn in This Episode:How to establish truly effective leadership within a dental practice.Strategies for managing your team effectively and efficiently.The importance of creating a psychologically safe and healthy working environment for your team.How to delegate roles and responsibilities that best suit your team members.Implementing effective communication systems to foster seamless workflows.The first steps to transitioning responsibilities to your team for better office management.Dr. Etchison's experience in specializing in only projects he loves and becoming a visionary for his practice.Learn how you can apply these strategies, regardless of the size or nature of your dental practice.Please don't forget to share with us on Instagram when you are listening to the podcast AND if you are really wanting to show us love, then please leave a 5 star review on iTunes! [Click here to leave a review on iTunes]p.s. Some links are affiliate links, which means that if you choose to make a purchase, I will earn a commission. This commission comes at no additional cost to you. Please understand that we have experience with these products/ company, and I recommend them because they are helpful and useful, not because of the small commissions we make if you decide to buy something. Please do not spend any money unless you feel you need them or that they will help you with your goals.Episode Transcript (Auto-Generated - Please Excuse Errors)Michael: All right. It's time to talk with our featured guest, Dr. Paul Etcheson. How's it going, Paul? Paul: Hey, it's going good, man. How you doing? Michael: Doing pretty good, man. You're, uh, this is, you've been on Monday Morning Marketing episodes and then we've also dived deep when you had your practice, right? Yeah, yeah. So, right now, remind me, how long has it been since you've...Been in Paul: practice ownership. So I have been in practice ownership since 2012 and in 2018, we expanded from five to 11 ops and then 2020 in December, that's when I partnered up with a DSO. I'm just wrapping up my third, my three year contract. It's over. And then I'm free, but I mean, the thing is I'm not leaving.I'm not planning on leaving. So that's pretty irrelevant when I think about it. But yeah, that's, that's the whole like short, brief summary of it. Michael: Yeah. Why aren't you Paul: leaving? Cause I like it. when, when I partnered up, I was like, man, I got to get out of here. I got to find something else to do.Maybe I'll be a fireman. I don't know. And through this whole process in the past three years, man, it's, uh, I've really just realized how much I do like being part of the team now. I don't like being there five days a week. I'm there about six days a month and I have a team that runs everything, but I'm just like the visionary.I'm the, I'm out of the noise. I'm out of the day to day. And I do get to do like my. Ortho, I do band and bracket on kids. I still like doing that, but I've had like I had one period where I took like five weeks off and it wasn't supposed to be five weeks. I got COVID right at the end of a three week vacation and I didn't like it and it was like, wow, like I feel really drained.I feel like I need to leave the house. I feel like I need a reason to go somewhere. I mean, I was going to, I was going grocery shopping when we just went grocery shopping just to go somewhere, you know? Yeah. I was like, well, this bread, this bread is probably going to expire in like maybe 10 more days. We should probably have some for those, you know, it was weird, man.It was, uh. I just noticed it. I, I just noticed, man, I don't, I'm not feeling the greatest about this. And when I went back to work after that, I was like, gosh, I really missed all you guys. This is great. I'm so happy to be back. So I, I do want it as part of my life. I don't want to leave it completely. I had to realize that through going through this process, but, um, I'm not ready and I'm never going to go back to like five days a week.I'm just not going to do that. Michael: So then looking back, do you think you could have done that? Just work somehow minimized it on your own to three, two days a week or something still been profitable, but Paul: good question. Yeah. Because you know, a lot of people say like, do you regret selling? Do you, you know, do you wish that you still had your baby and it was still all yours?Because I've sold 85 percent at this point. I will say. Through that process, I've, since I sold, I kind of backed off. I let my leads do a lot more and it was kind of part of it. I was more comfortable letting them do more because I was saying, well, dude, I only own 15 percent now, you know, it shouldn't be, I shouldn't, I don't have as much writing on it.So go ahead, do whatever you guys want. And what I realized is they were great at it it's been running better with them than it runs with me, you know? And I think that's one of the things I've kind of rolled into my coaching now with, with teams is that I had this epiphany that gosh, like your practice can grow and run so much better if you have teams running it.Um, now would I still have sold? Yeah, I'm still happy. I sold, I still got a whole bunch of capital. It's all invested into different assets and a bunch of real estate. And I've, I've reached a point where I can kind of chill and just do whatever I want because I want to do it. And I'm happy for that. So I am glad that I sold, but could I have had this kind of de stressed practice lifestyle?For sure. I think, um, I could have had this de stress, uh, just this, what I have now, and maybe I wouldn't have sold. I don't know. It's hard to say, but I'd have no regrets about doing it.Michael: Is the decisions that like decision fatigue, you're like, Oh my God, too many. I just don't want the weight of all these decisions because technically they're still looking for you at you for Paul: leadership, right? Yeah, yeah, there's, I mean, still to some extent, they're, they're pretty good leaders there and I've established a good team. I would say what bothered me, and this might be a personal thing, I know a lot of dentists go through this, so I know I'm not alone on this, is that I was trying so hard to make this an incredible place to work. And I really wanted to be, in my heart, I really do care about that, I want it to be a great place to work, I want people to love the job and love being there.And I think through seeing patients and trying to manage everything. I was just really overwhelmed with the amount of time and my lack of time to do so. And then when people would come with, come to me and say, Hey, like, you know, we got to do something about it. So I mean, the front desk is going, we really got to redo this front desk.It's just, it's just a mess up there. I would almost internalize that as. You are unappreciative of all the work I do. Like, why don't you appreciate I'm doing my best here and you're telling me it's not good enough. And it was just like constant frustration of giving all of myself to this practice, but at the same time having people still be upset.And I think there was a mindset shift that I had to make that I said, well, you know what, instead of them being completely 100 percent happy with the practice, they just have to be content. And I have 40 plus team members. There is no way they are all going to love it and just be like, this is the best place ever.100 percent of the time, 100 percent of them, it's just not possible. So I think I had unrealistic expectations there. But as I employed my leadership team and they started handling these interpersonal things, it just kind of the weight lifted and I didn't hear about these things anymore. And I have a clinical lead.And she has been my assistant for like, man, almost 12 years now, almost the whole practice lifetime. And she's the one who handles all this stuff now. If somebody's complaining and it got to the point where like, I check in with her, she'd be like, Hey, this happened. Do you want to hear about it?And I'd be like, if you don't want to tell me, I'm cool. She's like, I got it under control. Don't worry about it. And she doesn't really tell me. I mean, not that I'm in the dark, but I, I like how in the dark I am. I mean, she, she let somebody go like three weeks ago and she just shot me a text for like a blessing.Hey, cool. You cool. If I fire this person, I barely know that person go, you know, it was a new assistant and she was there for like maybe five weeks and it just like, it wasn't working out. So she let her go. I don't even have to do that anymore. I don't hire, I don't fire. People, I walk into practice, I see new faces.I say, hello. And I'm just doing like big vision stuff. Like we just dropped Delta. That's like our thing. We're, we're going out of insurance this year. So that's our big thing for this year, it's a good place to be. And, and yes, did I need to sell to a DSO to do it? No, not at all. And that's kind of what I'm teaching to my coaching clients is like, Hey, this is how you do it, because I wish I would have done it before I sold to a DSO.I mean, I owned this practice for nine years before I sold. it could have been a lot different nine years. So overall, Michael: you kind of don't wish that you sold. You wish you kind of, uh, worked on it on your own or what? Paul: No, no, no. I I'm still happy. I sold because I got the capital and I got it. I got a really great deal for my practice, you know, and it's to invest in the company that has bought my idea, bought my practice or partnered up with me.Like I just, I got so much for it. I don't know if I would have waited five years, if I still would've got what I got. I mean, as you know, private equity in dentistry right now is very, very hot. And this might be something like era that we look back in 20 years and be like, man, remember when that happened?Yeah. So I just didn't want, I didn't want to miss it. I'm not saying that it's going away. I don't know, but who knows, man, I, I'm really happy with the amount of God. And it's, it's gotten me to a point where just kind of can do whatever I want now. And I'm doing the things that I want because I want to.But there was also that period of in between like, wow, you can do whatever you want because you want to, what the hell do you want to do? and it kind of took me a little bit to kind of figure that out. Michael: you sign an NDA or anything like that? Or could you give us like a range of how much you Paul: got?Or I don't know if I could give you a range. I could get, yeah, they probably wouldn't want me to talk about it. Okay. Don't Michael: worry. You're like zero to 10 Paul: million. Okay. Yeah. We can go, we go zero to 10 million. I didn't get 10 million. Michael: Okay. Got you. Got you. Got you. But, but it was a good one. That was a good mouth. Yeah. Gotcha. Okay, man. So rewind a little bit. you talked about how now your team runs your practice. I mean, I think that's the dream for everybody, right? Like what you're making right now. So what are the first steps to making my team run my practice? I'm listening to this episode. Yeah. Day one. I'd love to get there.Can you give me the first steps to create this system? Paul: For sure. I think the, I mean, the first steps of any practices is we're trying to get it systematized. We're trying to get it organized. So we've got to start with checklist. That's like number one. So got to look at checklists, got to like just basic checklists, like.What do we do when we close? What do we do when we open? What do we do weekly, monthly, annually, like just making sure that everything that needs to get done is getting done. it's a whole process of systematizing your practice. But now, now that I have these leads. And this leadership team, what I realized is that they've created a lot of these systems without me now.So when I first opened the practice, and I first was doing this before I had the leadership team, it was kind of a slow process, even though in retrospect it felt like it was happening fast. Now, like, I'll look at things and I say, how do you, how do you guys do this? Show me. And I'm like, who came up with this?This is fantastic. And they're like, oh, we did. but I would say the first process is seeing who the leaders are on your team. And I have an office manager. I have a hygiene lead. I have my clinical lead, who is also my assistant lead, and then I have a front desk lead. So I have four people on my leadership team.I don't think everybody needs that many people, because I think if you have maybe 10, 12 people, you can pull it off like that. But sometimes smaller offices, I mean, if you've got seven employees, you can't make three leads. You know, it's, that's just like half the team's not lead to have the team as a lead, but it's picking who are, who the people are.And it's being really clear on the expectations of what you want them to do. And hopefully you're picking the right people. These are not people. These are not your best all star performers. Like, um, I don't want to say that my, my clinical is not my best assistant. She's fantastic. But she was not like my primary assistant, you know, she was, but she was the one who really was able to take things and run with it.She was really confident in herself. She was great with talking with people and she was a really good leader. So you got to find those people that want to take on more responsibility and they need to look at it from a way. And I've seen this happen in some of my coaching clients offices is they assign the leads and the people are like, I don't want to be the lead anymore.And they're like, well, why? Like it's just too much extra work and one of the things I realized when we had some issues with the leads you've got to give them scheduled time to work on their duties. Because when we started it, we said, okay, you know, you don't get a cancellation.You're in between patients. You could work on this stuff and you could sit down and talk with the other assistants and you could train them and find out what they need help with. And you could do like performance reviews and all this stuff. And the fact of the matter is, is when it's in between patients, when you get a cancellation, people aren't like, okay, cool.Cancellation. Let me work on this other stuff. They just want to chill sometimes, you know, we were running so much, they just want to like, you know, talk with their team members, talk with people they work with and just get to catch up and stuff. So that causes overwhelm is because we don't have time to do it.So you need to schedule time for these people to do it. And that's why I told every, every single person, like, I don't want to be the lead. I'm like, just try this. You've gotta do this. 'cause I always tell people I need to do it. But then, you know, dentist just don't listen. They don't , they don't like to listen.And I'm like, I'm telling you, you need to schedule time. They're like, no, no. Well, we'll just, we we're pretty slow a lot of time. Okay, cool, whatever. And um, as soon as you schedule 'em like maybe four hours a week to go in an office, shut a door and just work on stuff, they get it done. And they love that day.They all wake up that day and they go, man, this cool, this is the day I'm just in the office. This is awesome. Even, even when you make 'em try to do stuff in between patients. You might as well not have them at all. They're not doing it. They're just not going to do it. So if you want help in your practice from the leadership team, and you want to build a leadership team, you've got to find the right people, you got to pick the right people, and you've got to make sure that they have time, but then you also need to sit in front of your team and designate what is this relationship that you have with them?Because it's going to be hard for them to be almost like a boss to the people they've already worked with. And, and I'm saying like my leads. are kind of a boss to people that we've worked with that used to be their, their equals. Cause we've got a lot of long term team members and that relationship is okay.But I had to designate this like, Hey, they aren't, I am still your boss. You know, they are, they are for communication and they're for like, you know, training and stuff. They're here to help you. They're here to support you. This is what I want the leads to do. This is the person I'm going to go to, but I want to change something versus going to everybody.But I will tell you that the people that come into the practice now that are hired by the lead, that that's their only point of contact, they barely even talk to me. That's their boss and that's a completely different relationship than what they have from the people that they were in the same level with, but the people that they were on the same level with, and now there's the lead, they do respect them.So it's, it's, I think it's because you had to, you have to, as a leader, designate what is the role and what does this mean for everybody? You know, are we taking orders from five people now? What am I doing? You know, so, so pick the people, give them time to do it and designate with the team what exactly this means.And it's something that's just going to evolve over time for you. It's going to like, I didn't have my leads hiring right off the get go. It was just one day I was like, Hey, like these two people aren't getting along. I mean, can you handle it? They're like, yeah, I can handle it. You want, do you want me to help?Nah, I got it. And then it's like, do you ever think you could like call on these people, these resumes and just see if you like them? Yeah, sure. What do you want me to do? Call them. See if you like them. If you like them, get them in for a working interview. And then if you want to hire him, send it to me.And then it got to, Hey, if you want to hire him, here's your budget, figure out what to pay him, you know, and then, and then it was just like, you don't like him, do you feel comfortable firing him? Okay, cool. Off you go. And, um, you slowly give them more and more things, but what's cool about it is at first they're kind of like hesitant.And then when they start seeing that they, they, it's almost like they get confidence in their abilities. And they're like, I can do this. Yeah. I can do anything. I got this. And people just love that role. So when I hear someone say, I don't want to be the lead, it's too much work. I'm like, we're doing it wrong.They should love being the lead. It's an awesome place to be. It's a great place of autonomy, creativity. You get to be a big role in the practice. You get to make big decisions and how things change and everybody should like to do it, but you got to give them time to do it so they don't get overwhelmed.So I think that's, that's the biggest thing. Michael: Gotcha. Okay. So then you want to, and I like how you said, give them scheduled time to work on their duty. So one is you want to pick the right people, right? And then to schedule the time, this scheduled time is for them to work on their craft or is it scheduled time for specifically what?Like Paul: if it was front office. It's like office time. I mean, so like, for instance, like front office would be, this might be time for this person to give some one on one training. Some more one on one training to somebody that needs it. It might be time to do a performance review. It might be time to sit down and maybe come up with agenda for a team meeting that's coming up.You know, just whatever we're, whatever we're transitioning or whatever new things we're implementing, this is time to work on this. Get a system in writing so that we can present it to the whole team. It's not for, hey, I gotta get caught up on these insurance checks. Man, am I so behind on these insurance checks.Cause I mean, that's another thing that's happened to my front desk lead. Is we were like, why is this front desk like so crazy? Like what is going on? Like, and like, what are you doing in your lead time? It was like, I'm getting caught up. So then we were like, we gotta get, we gotta teach someone else how to do these insurance checks.Cause this, my lead was doing this. So we got that off her plate and it's been great. It gives her time. I said, I don't, I don't care if you're sitting behind somebody and just listening to the front desk. I need this place needs to be managed and you need time to manage it. And that needs needs to be time that you're not working with a patient or doing some other tasks.So it's just their time to be elite. Michael: Gotcha. So you schedule the time for them to be elite. You get specific, but you also specify the leads to everybody, right? Who's the leads and things and what their role is. And then the leads create systems. So would you say like, Hey guys, once a month, I need you to make me a protocol or system on something you're working on Paul: we used to have lead meetings with me and my four leads, we would do it every other week. Now we do it once a month. But we'll have a team meeting that's two hours long, and usually that's like 10 15 minutes of me talking about how things are going, trying to provide some little inspiration, a little gratitude, appreciation for what we've been doing.And then we break into departments. If you want to know what to work on at a practice, ask your team. I mean, they, they know exactly where the pain points are. So they'll break off and all the hygienists will go in one room and all the assistants in another room. It's like, Hey guys, what's going on? What do we need to work on?What's not working? And then that is where you find out where you come up with like a system or protocol. So it is a, it is a whole team collaboration. It is, for instance, say the assistantly talking down to the assistants and saying, Hey, this is something to happen.We go up to the front desk. Sometimes we walk up with a patient and nobody looks up and we don't know where to go. And it's awkward. we don't know, like, is there, is, can we designate, and this is what they came up with. Can we designate a priority of the four chairs at our front desk that this is the person that always gets gone to first?If they're not available, we go to this person, if they're not available, you go to this person. So we came up with that, and then we bought these little tap lights that change from red to green. And they just sit on the little desk next to the person. And if for some reason there's not a patient there, but they're still finishing something up, typing something into a computer, or like doing some correspondence to a patient, they tap the light that's red.So that person's priority is taken, you go to the next person. And that was completely come up by my assistant and, uh, and the team. So it's just like, they're just, you give them the autonomy to just invent and come up with solutions and it's awesome. I mean, you'd be amazed that when, whenever you drop the ball on a patient or whenever something goes wrong at your practice, that's the opportunity to create a system.And if you've got a leadership team to help you do it, you don't have to do it alone. And now you have somebody that's in on the front lines, that's working there. That understands that position a lot more than you. So it's, it just works on so many Michael: levels. Gotcha. Now, why did it go from every other week to a month, your meetings?Paul: So and that's why I tell everybody just about meetings. How often should we meet? I don't know. We were meeting every other week, or every, yeah, twice a month, and it was getting a little stale. We just felt like we didn't have a lot to talk about. So we're like, hey, what do you guys think? Things are running pretty smooth.What do you think about us going down to every, once a month? And that's been fine for now. Um, there was a time where we were doing some front desk training. We were doing phone skills training. And we were doing it, like, where we have two shifts. We have a night shift and a morning shift. So the morning shift would stay late.We'd meet with them, and the night shift would come in early. And we'd meet with them and go through phone calls. And we did that weekly for six, seven weeks. And then you just feel it at a certain point. We're like, okay, I think we've got this. Start flipping through phone calls as a team. And you're saying, I can't find much to critique here.These sound fantastic. You know, okay, we're good. let's just stop. And we stopped the meeting. And then at one point in the future, and when we listen to a phone call, if we start hearing a lot of, um, bad phone calls again, we're going to start meeting again. So you just play it by ear. So you'll just feel, nobody wants to go to meetings that are unproductive and boring.So if your meetings are being unproductive and boring, because there's not a lot to talk about, you might be meeting too much. Michael: Yeah. I like that, man. I like that a lot because a lot of the times we get so like, uh, I guess, It's dogmatic about like, we got to meet every week, like if not then, I mean? And then we get more of a, like, ah, we got to, but if it's a seasonal where it's like, Hey, this is a, it's, it's bad.We should be meeting about this stuff often. Right. So it can like get into, burn into their brain. That's good. So then I guess that kind of leads my next question. Like what if the leads say like every, everything's fine. Everything's good. I can't think of a system. I can't, month two comes around. Yeah. I can't think of a system.Like everything looks good. Are they like looking or Paul: how can we be sure? I would find that hard to believe that everything's ever good. There's always, there's always something. If, if my lead was saying that to me, I would say, when's the last time you did one on ones with your department? You know, that's what I would ask.When was the last time you did some one on one meetings with everybody in your department? Because, uh, do a round of one on ones with your team. You know, if you don't have a leadership team, sit down with everybody this week. You're gonna find stuff. It's never going to be everything's fine. They might say when you ask them. Everything's good. Yeah. Yeah, keep probing Everything is not fine. And I like the question when I asked when I used to do one on ones I used to ask people what is something that frustrates you when you're working here? No, I like it. Everything's great. Everything's great Well, there's got to be something we all get frustrated something.No, I don't care how minor it is What is something that frustrates you? and Everybody can always come up with something and then you can there's always truth to it It's just like when that crazy patient complains, we all want to dismiss it. We say, Oh, they're crazy. We don't care about them, but there is always truth to every complaint.If it comes from a crazy person, or if it's just a minor complaint from somebody on your team, there is some truth there that could be addressed. And that complaint is a gift that we should take and create something with it. So, um, there will never be a point that everything is good. I mean, things are running smooth right now.My practice, we haven't had a whole lot going on. Um, big stuff at least, but there's always stuff going on and there's always things that improve on. I could show you system after system and protocol after protocol. And I think our office is one of the greatest offices in the world. And I really do believe that, but we dropped the ball all the time.We have humans on our team and they make mistakes and they have bad days and sometimes they're tired and sometimes they're in a bad mood. Things happen. We are human. And that's okay. Like, we offer everybody grace. We understand that. But there is never a point where you will ever have a practice that is free of issues, stress, or problems.But you can just reduce them as much as possible and use them to make your practice a better place to be. And if that is the core of your being, that that's what you want for your team, a really nice place to work, it makes it easy to have, and it's a pretty, it's a nice, um, it's a great why. It's a really great why to kind of motivate you to really take this, this avenue and put on this hat for your practice.So. and it's, it's good for everybody. It's good for the patients. You know, when everybody's happy at work, the patients get taken care of really well. It's good for the community. It's, it's good for patients that are happy and tell more friends and family about you because now you're going to help more people.So it's really all coincides with your mission. If your mission is to help as many people as possible, all these things Michael: matter. Yeah, no, yeah. A hundred percent. Now, what would you recommend if like. We're starting out, and it's just me, front, one front office, one assistant. But we want to have this in place because we can see a vision, like, I would love, for whatever Paul's telling me right now, like, to have my team take over, I would love that.How can we start? Paul: So, I mean, with just two people, that'd be, that'd be a pretty small leadership team. Because your leadership team is your normal team, I guess. But I think when, I tell people for small offices, it's time for an office manager. You know, that's, that's the first one to do. And it needs to be an office manager that's not working at the front desk.And they go, what do they do? Well, they're gonna do your payroll. They're gonna do the 4 0 1 K reconciliation. They're gonna do all the credit card reconciliations at the end of the month. They're gonna be working through the ar. Just checking on all these things that you're checking on. 'cause you don't necessarily need a leadership team when you're a smaller office, but I do suggest that you, you don't need to be the only leader at the office.And it's just one of those things that. It's a matter of having somebody and you give them that title, you put them in that role, and you, and you tell them what to do and you get help. You're getting help growing this practice. Now, and I will say my leads were all my leads. Every single one of them was not my first person I hired in that position.They have been with me a long time, but they were not, you know, and if anyone's wondering how we did this, cause we were probably a team of. 16 to 18, when we incorporated this lead structure, we had everyone do ranked ballots. So where you would vote for who you want the lead to be, who your first choice is, your second choice and your third choice.And it was all anonymous. And then I took them home and counted them and everybody voted the way that I would have picked. And I don't know what I would did if they didn't, because I had the ballots at my house and I don't think I could have, I could have did whatever I want with that election.Um, But I didn't have to, I, I, I, I was able to not have to make the decision because they did pick the right people. And so I think your team knows who it is, but that's how we did it. Cause I didn't want anyone to think I was playing favorites. I wanted the team to play their favorites. And thankfully the, the team had the same favorites as me, I guess it's just worked out.Yeah. I Michael: like that. I like that the rank balance. So, okay. So that's how we kind of want to start it off as right. But we want to already start giving like, um, I guess the sense of authority to the people that we, we feel could be leads. Because I feel if we hired a front office and we're like, man, they're great at accounting, they're great at this.And then our assistant's great at that. What should we ask ourselves to be like, but are they a good, or are they not a good Paul: lead? Well, it's, it's, it's hard because like we always want to put the person in the leadership position. That's our best employee, our best front desk employee. Our best assistant, our best hygienist and, um, I mean, I'm not going to pick who's my best is, but I would say they're not always there's a different set of skills that is required for leadership and it's more of the soft skills.It's more of the personality and it's more of, um, if I had to look at my leadership structure now and say, who are the best ones? It is the people that are comfortable getting out of their comfort zone and having a weird conversation, having a difficult conversation. They're not afraid to go to somebody and say, Hey, I got to, I kind of got to talk to you about something, you know, can we go into the office?I got to talk to you about something that's going on and, and, um, yes, people have been telling me this. I want to hear your side of it. What's going on. People that can sort through conflict and you want to like hope that most people have these skills and they don't and that's like with one like I was mentioned like my program that I have that's like part of it like is.Part of my, I have this program coming. I'm just going to spend it. Can I just talk about it now? It's going to run it is like, so I got a seven month program. It's called the omni practice total team success program. And what this is, is what we do. We we've helped the doctor pick their leads and we help them take to that transition and then it's all online contents that is slowly leaked out to fully systematize the practice.So the first month is pick your leads, doctor. And then we bring the whole team into it. Now the team's looking at like, okay, the leadership team is watching leadership videos. How do I manage people? How do I, how do I engage people in conflict? How do I embrace and inspire people with a vision? So that they're getting that leadership and management training that first month.While the other team members, they're starting to kind of work on things like what is a brand? What is a touch point? Why does everything we do matter? And we take it through this, the whole office through this course, and there's scheduled things and assignments in our hope to get this office completely systematized and running with the leadership within seven months.And within that there is coaching. So I'm having monthly calls with the doctor. Every one of my leads is having a monthly call with the person on the, the, the client's leadership team. And it's been awesome, man. It's just been a game changer for these offices that are doing it right now. We've just rolled it out like three months ago.We're only like, we're getting on our third month now, but man, it's cool to see the changes. It's, it's just when you bring in the team, that's when things change. And that's what I noticed because I was doing coaching for about four years. I had a client that said, Hey man, can my hygiene lead just talk to your hygiene lead?I'm like, of course. And then it was like, do you mind if my front desk lead talks to your front desk lead? Yeah. And the office manager talking. And he's just like, I can't believe how helpful these calls are with your team. Cause one of the things that like my team does when they talk to other people, they can't believe how much my team does.And they're like, this is great. Like, yeah, I want to do that. But you do the hiring and the firing, like, wait, what did you build? This is so cool. And it's, it's a lot different coming from somebody who's in that same position versus me telling another doctor, Hey, you should have your leads do this. And then they go to their lead and say, Hey, my Dr.Edgerton says his lead does this. You should do it. Can you do this? That's what you're supposed to be doing. It's just a completely different way of motivation and implementation. That's it. It was like, it was a game changer for that one client. That's why we created this program. But yeah, it's like I was saying is people don't have that leadership skills.They just, they don't have it in doctors. We don't have it a lot of times either. So it's, it's a game changer to give this to your team and, and my team has picked it up for me, but now that they're, my team leads are part of this program, they've watched these videos. They're like, these are great. Thank Man, why didn't we ever talk about this?I'm like, we did, we talk about it all the time. They're like, no, no, not like this. And I'm like, well, okay. Well, I'm glad it, I'm glad it was beneficial. I kind of wish we would have done this earlier with you guys, you know, it's just training, man. It's just like, can we optimize every area of this practice?And make everything the best it can be. And all it takes is a little intentionality and a little bit of time. But that's, that's the, that's the challenge. Is we don't have the time. Or we don't make the time. We don't think it's valuable time. And, and when we shut down our practice and do these things.Officers, doctors say, Well, ah man, we just risked out on 3, 000 of production by shutting down. You know, they, they think of the negative and the opportunity cost. They don't think about what are you gaining. And I assure you, you're gaining way more value when you shut down your practice. And have some dedicated time.Try to get your team to come in on a Saturday when they're supposed to be off. Yeah. Good luck with that. They don't want to do that. They're not going to bring their best self to that meeting. You know, it's gotta be when they're scheduled time. So, yeah, that was right. But that's answering your question.Yeah. That's, uh, I don't even remember what the question Michael: was. No, no, no, it's good to you, Michael. It's, uh, when they're, I guess when they're like, you know, kind of dropping the ball, but it's hard to find, I think, cause you mentioned, uh, you want to find people who can sort through conflict, leads. because sometimes we don't know how it is, if that person would be a good leader, they're just a good employee.Right. At the very beginning. Um, but sometimes I feel it's hard to find people who can sort through conflict because sometimes I feel like I'm thinking, are you someone who wants to sort through the conflict and you were, Hey, tell me why you got fired. Or are you just wanting to know the gossip? Like you just want the drama.You're like, Hey, why did they fire you? What's going on? Right. Like kind of thing. Right. Right. So. I guess, would it take more leadership training? On the owner to, to like know about themselves to be like, okay, uh, how can I make sure I do a good hire? Paul: Yeah, absolutely. And I think what's really worked out in my practice as well is it's like the, the team is going to model the leader and my leads are going to model me as a leader.So And I feel like I've always just kind of set a good example. Naturally, I've been very engaged in leadership training, leadership books, and just things like that stuff online. And Udemy is a great course. That's had got some good stuff on there. There's, there's so many cool things that you could do for like leadership training, but, um, if you don't have it yourself, it's going to be hard to get it in your team.It's gonna be hard to recognize it. And I think like, just to give you like a nugget, like the big one for me is safety is, is, and I'm not talking about physical safety, like, and your team needs to feel safe, like psychologically, they need to feel that they can screw things up. They need to feel that they can come to you and ask you for help.They need to feel that they can come to you and let you know when things aren't working out or things are going wrong or somebody's doing something. And they need to know that when they tell you that you're not going to get defensive and you're not going to make them feel guilty. You're not going to shame them.You're not going to criticize them. You're going to be like, Oh, I thank you for, thank you for sharing that for me. That probably was a little hard to share. And that I think is a huge thing in man. I would say so many people just completely screw that up. We want to be the boss that we were taught on TV and growing up, how the boss is supposed to be.And it's the big fat cat in the, in the chair with his feet up Boston, everywhere on telling people what to do. And that's not how good leadership works. It's about a collaboration. It's about leading with everybody. And it's not about scolding people, and, and that's leadership by intimidation, and that doesn't work.You'll get the bare minimum out of your people if that's the way you lead, if they are scared of you. there's just certain things, like, if, if you have this open line of communication and your team feels safe. They will come to you and let you know what the problems are. And when you have a team member that's like, I'm getting really frustrated with this, nothing is, nothing is changing.I think I'm going to go look for a new, new job. They don't ever get to that point. Because when they're frustrated, they come and let you know about it. And they, they don't have a reason to leave your practice. Now, am I saying I don't have any turnover? I absolutely do. Yeah, I'm just like everybody else.But I, we, we keep good team members. And there's been a number of times where somebody has, I've done this one on one. I said, Hey, tell me what frustrates you. I say, have you ever thought of quitting? Is I just curious. I feel this from you. I feel its vibe. I can feel its energy that like you're not liking being here and people have been like, yeah, I have been.It's weird that you noticed that. Tell me about that. Tell me more about that. And they tell you about it. And one, you now have a certain something that you have to fix something. You need to come up with a solution for, but to this person now feels validated and heard and appreciated. And wow, this person cares about me and my wellbeing.I mean, if you don't want your team members to leave, that's the way you need to lead. If you don't want them to leave. it's a lot and it starts at the top, just like everything. The doctor needs to be the first one to be trained. So everybody needs it. Everybody needs it. I mean, it's not just for work.It's for life. These are life skills. These are not just work stuff. Yeah. Michael: No. Yeah. You know what, Paul? I never thought about that when it came to safety. How, like, you got to be okay with it because I feel like we were always, you know, we Just in general, in school, everywhere, we're always brought up to like, never disappoint, right?Like, never disappoint, you gotta get the good stuff, like, all the time and everything like that. And so when you did, remember you'd like, go home and your report card was like, CCD or whatever, right? Maybe like an F or whatever, and you're like, how can I forge my parents signature, right? Like, you're like, how can I escape this?So you're thinking that. I feel like throughout the whole process, especially when you're an employee and even when you're an owner to your employees, I feel like that you're like, I don't want this point, but I got to look like a leader, but you're really just looking like a boss. You know what I mean?Instead of a leader, like you said, interesting. So that's what it would be called safety. They have to feel safer than that. Paul: It's a, it's an idea from Harvard business, uh, maybe psychologist. I don't know what she's doing. Her name's Amy Edmondson. She's the one who coined that.And she got that from, she did a study on hospitals. And they looked at like really well communicating teams and really poor communicating teams. And they said, which one of these teams is going to have more adverse events at the hospital, meaning Which one's going to give the wrong medication and give the wrong dosage to a patient.They're like, well, it's got to be the poor communicating team. It's definitely going to be that. It ended up being the better communicating team that made more mistakes. And like, whoa, what's that about? That is not what we thought was going to happen. And then they dug into it deeper and it wasn't. It was the bad team that was making more mistakes, but they weren't reporting them.They were hiding them. Because they weren't safe to report. And there was no safety in making a mistake. It was not, let's learn from this. It was, you're in big trouble. So they didn't tell anybody. The Michael: bad communication team, or? Paul: Yeah, so it was the bad communication team that actually made more mistakes.But in the study, they just weren't reporting them. They didn't feel safe to report them. So they came back and they, she came back and did some more studies and more surveys and stuff. And that's what they found out. They're like, oh my gosh. this is all about safety. They don't feel safe admitting to the failures.So it's because of the leadership. It's because of the dynamic created on this team. So that she wrote a whole book about it. It's really interesting. Michael: Yeah. So then how can we like, I guess, mention that to our team at the very beginning, like you got hired on like. Without telling them like, yeah, make a ton of mistakes.It's cool. You know, but like, Hey, it's okay to make. Yeah. How would you say that? Paul: That's something I do with my team. I do. We have, we have onboarding videos that do it now, but I used to sit down with everybody. I said, Hey, this is my, this is what I want you to know about me in this practice. I do understand that everybody is human and we all make mistakes.I want you to 100 percent always be comfortable telling me if you make a mistake, if you need some more training, if there's something you're not understanding, or if you're seeing somebody do something that you think I should know about. I want you to feel comfortable telling me about it and the only way that we can do that is we, we have this mantra here and we call it grace over guilt is that something goes wrong.You drop the ball on a patient. I don't care who did it. I don't care how it happened. Okay, this happened guys. What do you guys think? What can we do so this doesn't happen again? We are not shaming that person because if you shame that person. You're not going to find out about it and you're never going to be able to address it.So we always just say grace over guilt. And that's hard sometimes, especially when, um, somebody is coming after you as a leader telling it's you, Hey, you, this is your fault. You got to go. Yeah, you're right. You know what it is. Even if deep down in your heart, you're like, this is not my fault. You, you gotta, you gotta look at how you respond because psychological safety, it's, it's a lot like, It's like trust in a relationship, you know, you can break that in one dumb mistake.You can break that trust, years of trust that you built and same thing with psychological safety. You could blow up on a team member or get really, really critical and really make them feel bad. And you just broke that whole thing. They are never going to share with you ever again. Because you now have made it unsafe and when the team is unsafe, the only way to stay safe in that kind of environment is just to be quiet.And that's the whole thing with quiet with when people are quiet, we don't know because it's silence. It's an invisible act. We don't see it. And it's one of those things that it's just somebody comes and quits and you're like, wow, I can't believe they quit. They're like my best team member. Why did you quit?And then they say, I don't know. I just might, I just ready for something new or just, I think I need less hours because they're not going to tell you the truth. You've trained them not to because you, the way that you've approached them as a leadership, as a leadership style. So it's, that's the problem is you miss out on all that collaboration, all that good stuff that can come out of your practice, because you're getting upset and mad with people with their decisions.And what I see in most offices, man, people will get mad at their teams for doing things, not the right way. They have never designated what the right way is. They have never made a system or protocol around it, yet they're upset. You know, should I address this with a team member? I can't believe he or she did this.And I always say to them, I say, well, what's the way they're supposed to do it? Well, I think they should do it like this. I'm like, well, do they know that? Yeah, everybody knows that. Well, how do they know that? Have you ever like put in a document? Have you ever trained? Have you ever talked about it? No. Do you think I should do that?Yeah. I do. I think you should do that before you, before you start getting critical of their performance. Why don't you just, why don't you make the rules, make the rules of the game before you're telling somebody they're losing at it. we don't do that. We expect everyone to know what we know and do everything in our way.And that's just our natural human perspective that we think everybody thinks like us and has the same values as us. And I think part of getting older and becoming wiser as you realize that we're all different and that's cool. We can all be different. Michael: Yeah. Uh, sure, man. And our memories. All right. You can tell him like, yeah, I told him to do that three years ago.And you're like, you sure? I think so. Like, you know, I don't even remember, like, how can I remember it kind of thing, you know? Interesting. So real quick, if you can, man, break, I know you did already, but break down to us your program that you have, or this, it's a whole Paul: training course. Yeah. So it's a seven month training course where we've, we've come up away with me and my leads.How can we implement this in somebody's office? And this is for, um, if you have a larger, I'm saying larger office, if you've got a team that's large enough for a few leads, it's a great program for you. If it's something where you've got a really small team, we do have a program that's just, there's no coaching involved.It's still got all the videos. You still get to have all these different, there's eight different tracks for different positions in the office. Um, that would be like doctor associate, the four leads, the office manager. And front desk hygienist and leaving somebody out assistance them. We didn't forget you guys.We like you assistance. there's eight different tracks, but every month. There's a set of videos to watch, there's some worksheets, and there's assignments. And I can just tell you, like, for the first month, it's all about leads, it's leadership for the doctor, let's decide your lead system, let's talk about your goals, let's figure out where you're going long term.Second month, the team comes in, and we're talking about how do we stay on time, how do we implement this scheduling protocol that I like to do, it's called block scheduling, it works great, everybody can follow it, and it makes nice, easy days that are produc
In today's episode, we're joined by Dr. Paul Etchison, DDS, who shares his transformative journey from establishing a practice in 2012 to eventually selling to a DSO. We delve into Dr. Paul's background, explore team dynamics and retention strategies, and ponder whether a high-end practice necessitates a smaller scale. They also discuss the complexities of navigating PPOs and the possibilities of transitioning away from them!
Dr. Paul Etchison has recently been evaluating what it feels like to be a patient in his office. He takes the patient experience pretty seriously, but since dentistry really sets the bar low (and medicine sets it even lower), he's on a mission to make it amazing! He's got some thoughts: Reviews: good, bad and ugly Is the bar set low? (yes, yes it is) Paul was an advertising major...priming TVs on the ceiling Touch points and team perspective Poo pouri and Paul Operatory set ups and consistency Complimenting the team during hand offs How often is the dentist in their own chair? No one is talking about your bond strength! Ask your assistant to do an impression of you Role paying sucks, but it's really helpful Running in to patients out of the office The "automatic introduction" trick with your spouse Buy Paul's second book and review it Dancing at hands on implant courses Some links from the show: Dental Practice Heroes podcast Paul's SECOND book: Dental Practice Hero II: the sequel Join the Very Dental Facebook group using the password "Timmerman," Hornbrook" or "McWethy," "Papa Randy" or "Lipscomb!" The Very Dental Podcast network is and will remain free to download. If you'd like to support the shows you love at Very Dental then show a little love to the people that support us! -- Crazy Dental has everything you need from cotton rolls to equipment and everything in between and the best prices you'll find anywhere! If you head over to verydentalpodcast.com/crazy and use coupon code “VERYDENTAL10” you'll get another 10% off your order! Go save yourself some money and support the show all at the same time! -- The Wonderist Agency is basically a one stop shop for marketing your practice and your brand. From logo redesign to a full service marketing plan, the folks at Wonderist have you covered! Go check them out at verydentalpodcast.com/wonderist! -- Enova Illumination makes the very best in loupes and headlights, including their new ergonomic angled prism loupes! They also distribute loupe mounted cameras and even the amazing line of Zumax microscopes! If you want to help out the podcast while upping your magnification and headlight game, you need to head over to verydentalpodcast.com/enova to see their whole line of products! -- CAD-Ray offers the best service on a wide variety of digital scanners, printers, mills and even their very own browser based design software, Clinux! CAD-Ray has been a huge supporter of the Very Dental Podcast Network and I can tell you that you'll get no better service on everything digital dentistry than the folks from CAD-Ray. Go check them out at verydentalpodcast.com/CADRay!
Shared Practices | Your Dental Roadmap to Practice Ownership | Custom Made for the New Dentist
Eleven ops, 40 team members, four GP's, three specialists...Dr. Richard Low and Dr. Paul Etchison talk about Paul's incredible practice, the journey he's had to get there, and whether it's all worth it. Ask the Coaches
Shared Practices | Your Dental Roadmap to Practice Ownership | Custom Made for the New Dentist
Dr. Richard Low and Dr. Paul Etchison talk about Richard's "mid-life crises", mistakes & bumps in growing and clinically retiring from practicing...plus real estate and way more. Ask the Coaches