If you have been a regular reader of this blog you know that I have deep respect for Dr. Frank Spear. He is an amazing educator and has the unique ability to take a complex subject and distill it into very understandable parts. To do so takes intense skill and understanding of the subject matter. Last year I had the wonderful opportunity to spend time with Dr. Spear on a retreat. As I sat with him at lunch one day, I asked him the following question; “What are the most important things you would teach a young Dentist today to develop a thriving practice?” Without a moment’s hesitation Dr. Spear said, “I would teach the young Dentist two things. 1) I’d teach the Dentist to use digital photography for patient education. And 2) I would encourage the young Dentist to develop confidence.”
While I posed the question for young Dentists, Dr. Spear’s recommendations can apply to you at any stage of your career. As for his recommendation to use digital photography for patient education, here is a blog post that covers this topic:
Dr. Spear’s recommendation to develop confidence is critically important! I have been contemplating writing a blog post about this very topic since confidence can make such a huge difference in a practice. Then, my friend Dr. Michael Barr, the author of the awesome blog titled, The Dental Warrior (www.thedentalwarrior.com) wrote a blog post titled, Confidence. Swagger. Success! This blog post is absolutely spot on! Dr. Barr covered the topic of confidence so well that I asked for his permission to reprint his post here. He was kind enough to allow me to do just that:
Posted on September 2, 2012 by The Dental Warrior
No doubt confidence breeds trust. Those who are confident usually go further in life. Things go their way. They make things happen.
Dentists, as a group, seem to lack confidence. It’s not true of every dentist, of course. However, it’s hard to argue against the stereotyping of dentists as meek wannabe doctors who go through each day hoping not to hear the dreaded, “I hate dentists.” We’re reportedly so ashamed of our own work and profession, that having the highest suicide rate persists as urban legend.
Watch it get worse?
I’ve not heard a physician ever say, “Let’s put a watch on that,” when referring to any diagnosis including, hypertension, glaucoma, high cholesterol, diabetes, a tumor, etc. Continue reading →
Let me encourage you to subscribe to Dr. Barr’s blog! I greatly value his perspective and his courage to publish his thoughts without regard to the political correctness of those thoughts. The world could use a little more unvarnished perspectives and more confidence as well! Here’s to you developing your confidence, swagger and success!! Keep Smiling!
