The More Things Change…

The More Things Change…

“It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts.” Coach John Wooden

So yeah, after over 40-years at the chair, maybe I did hang up my drill, mask, and shield a while ago (May 2022), but I still have some smile game in me. And I gotta tell ya, being the reception area greeter while masquerading as a dental consultant has given me a clear vision of the future. Why not smile and help others smile while NOT wearing gloves? I mean, even though I grew to enjoy stuff like lasers, scanners and other power tools, it’s the people thing I always really loved. How could I make the greeter/ consultant gig work?

Since I have absolutely no food preparation skills, my everyday dining double play combination reads something like Trader Joe’s to Gale’s Restaurant (northern Italian) to Panda Express (Chinese American.) And after four decades or so of being a professional observer/ problem solver/ enamel sculptor, a dental healthcare provider learns some stuff. Why not look for some adaptive genius to copy? I’ve seen greeters/consultants working in restaurants and even retail.

If you’ve been an approval addict since you were three years old (like me) and can’t help wanting everyone to like you, why not be a 1% minority restaurant owner or maybe the greeter at Nordstrom? A 1% owner wouldn’t have to marry the boss and my nearest Nordstrom location employed a well-dressed welcomer who smiled, conversed, and charmed the ladies…and lived over 100 years. As former Seattle Seahawk QB Russell Wilson was asked by his dad, “Why not you (or me)”?

And service-related endeavors still depend on the spoken word. Dentistry, BMWs, and golf equipment have evolved technologically over time, but the human factor just can’t be ignored when it comes to long-term success.

I’m old enough to have been a college freshman when either of the two current leading presidential candidates were old enough to be graduate students. And the current state-of-the-art golf clubs and balls allow me to hit my Titleist Pro V1s farther than when I was a young flexible athletic dental student stud. The challenge remains: me. Honestly, every time I head out to the golf course, I commit to being cool, calm, and collected (just like an actual adult) for 18-holes…and…I’m still waiting for the numerous breakdowns to generate a behavioral breakthrough. I’ve discovered technological advances in the waiting hands of activity specific short-term psychosis can produce consistently inconsistent outcomes.

My car has remained my ultimate driving machine since way back in 1987, the year before the Dodgers last won a legit World Series. The technology is amazing! My dashboard looks like the cockpit of a 737. When I recently picked up a new leased 3-series, I needed dashboard tutoring from a young customer service representative. So, having driven the same model car for 36-years, I still needed some on-the- spot mentoring to just drive off the lot without being dangerous at any speed. A dentist using a touch screen accessing way more ultimate info than he’ll ever need can be problematic on the road.

Dentistry has generated technologically transformative tools, materials, and equipment following an extended dry spell. Most team members and dentists who were born less than two score and several years ago can’t identify stuff like M.A.S.H., Caddy Shack, Bill Murray, or even the pegboard system. When I share that we dissected human cadavers in dental school without even wearing gloves, the youngsters look at me like I’m their uncle having an acid flashback. But dental schools remain knuckle draggers when it comes to teaching verbal systems, leadership, and team building. I have a friend and colleague who admits to not having good people skills. And since we work with teams of people providing dental care for people within a community of people and since people will assault veterinarians with no people skills, Houston, we may have a problem. And maybe the consultant part of the greeting job has some potential; it’s not like I haven’t experimented with teenagers.

So, when you have my kind of experience that takes you back to the Mickey Mouse Club and Annette Funicello, the great thing the years give you is the chance to compile major mentorship cred. I get to mentor high school students who’re interested in health science/service careers. And what’s super cool is mentoring my 2-cents worth as part of the Health Science Immersion Program (HSIP) and Impactful Internships. And, I have an opportunity to help introduce/teach young people everything they will never learn in dental school. And, by the way, my HSIP boss founded the non-profit in 2017, when he was 19-years old!

I always congratulate the students on seizing the opportunity to be part of something giving them the head start I found after 20 years in private practice. And I always emphasize the power of communication and verbal systems that will be key to collaboration, team building, leadership, and joy.

I’m amazed how some young professionals lack humility and remain close-minded to exploring the vastness of what we don’t know, we don’t know. My dad helped me learn the value and honor of work…the hard way. Following three years of full-time warehouse duties inspired by a 2.13 GPA college debut, I learned a lot after figuring I already “knew it all.” And even after the epiphany, and even twenty years later and after my “head start”, and even two decades after that (when have I reality lapse), a little voice whispers “2.13” when I need to hear it. The beauty of consulting is when you teach, you learn.

The irony of technology is that it puts communication at our fingertips but doesn’t teach things like asking, rather than telling. Stuff like active listening, building mutual trust and respect, serving others, and delivering information the way others best receive it take practice and require feedback…from people. CBCT scans do not deliver welcoming, warm cultures. Cloud-based software doesn’t coach conflict resolution, build and share goals, core values, purpose, or vision. But everyone can be open to listening and learning; I know thousands of high school students who fit the description.

Hopefully, it won’t take the business equivalent of a 2.13 GPA for leaders to figure out that you lead by listening, offering support, and serving the team, the patients, and the community. Being a control freak is a condition requiring some compassionate care. Dictators lead very few vital workplaces, even in upscale banana republics.

My friend and longtime Team Leader Dani and I will soon be training dental assistants; we’ve created the Impact Assisting Academy, LLC. The students will learn all the clinical stuff, but they’ll also learn our core values: Family, Fun. Empathy, Appreciation, Represent (the community), Love, Enthusiasm, Service, and Support. During my career, I’ve had the privilege of working with award-winning dental assistants; I’ve undoubtedly learned more from them than they’ve learned from me. Registered Dental Assistant Dani and I both look forward to greeting students who can make a difference; we’re also looking forward to teaching and learning.