456: Why Last Week Was a Great Week - Dr. Barrett Straub - a podcast by ACT Dental

Why Last Week Was a Great Week

Episode #456 with Dr. Barrett Straub

Every week can be a great week. You just have to have good systems and be around the right people. And to help you make that process easier, Kirk Behrendt brings back ACT’s CEO, Dr. Barrett Straub, to share some tried-and-true tools that will help your practice. Being a business owner and running a team doesn't have to be difficult! Find out about ACT’s To The Top study club, what they can offer, and why you should join. For a path to a better practice and better life, listen to Episode 456 of The Best Practices Show!

Main Takeaways:

Surround yourself with the best people.

Find the best mentors to learn from.

Support your team members.

Accept your weaknesses.

Be a lifelong learner.

Quotes:

“We say it all the time, leadership is lonely. It’s lonely at the top. And not necessarily a bad thing, but our thinking can get a little skewed when we’re working in our practices all day.” (4:46—4:57)

“That's one of those stories that we can tell ourselves when we’re stuck in the insurance PPO game, that, ‘There's no way out. I have to do it this way. I couldn't possibly do it the way he or she does.’ And those are stories that are all false. And sometimes, when you get in the room and you learn from people that are just like you, all of a sudden, that story changes a little bit.” (7:11—7:30)

“If you're talking to yourself, that's dangerous. Because 80% of your self-talk is going to be negative.” (9:07—9:12)

“In dentistry, the better your business is, the less your worries are. Your life is best when your business worries are at their least.” (11:26—11:35)

“When things are predictable, life gets a lot better.” (11:36—11:39)

“Dr. Pete Dawson was an incredible mentor of mine . . . He said, ‘Making money in dentistry is actually pretty easy, Kirk. It’s the byproduct.’” (12:53—13:02)

“You're not really a great leader until you create other great leaders that create other great leaders.” (13:48—13:53)

“If you study the best leaders, they all never stop learning.” (16:50—16:53)

“I said, ‘Dr. Dawson, what piece of advice would you give me in this career of dentistry?’ And he said, ‘Great question. I would say this: don't ever tell yourself you have it all figured out.’ And I said, ‘Really?’ He said, ‘Yes. Kirk, I don't have it all figured out.’ I was 24, he was 64.’ And he said, ‘I'm learning from my students all the time. The other thing you'll understand is, the people that have it all figured out, they're not that much fun.’ So, become a lifelong learner.” (17:53—18:20)

“It’s better to get two things done really well than try to chase 92.” (20:47—20:51)

“We walk our talk in [ACT’s] Team Week. And so, our coaching philosophy, our coaching program, really came about from a few years of working through what does work and what doesn't work. And we tried it before we ever coached on it, and we found what works. And we’ve basically taken our operating system that we use every day — and we believe in it because we, firsthand, have seen it work — and now, we coach on it. And so, it’s our way to walk our own talk, and it definitely works.” (22:47—23:17)

“Our attention gets diluted after 13 weeks. We start to move off of our core focus. We start to look for bright, shiny objects. And every 13 weeks we need a chance, dentists and ACT Dental, to stop, time out, get out of the business, get out of the practice, and work on the practice because usually, we’re working in the practice or working in the business. So, that time is really, really important.” (23:18—23:44)

“A lot of us listening would go, ‘Yeah, I totally believe in my team!’ But it’s the Rachel Wall question. I'll give her full credit for this. You ask any dentist like, ‘What do you believe?’ ‘Yeah, my team...

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