Sharks, Carps and Dolphins in dental practice

Some years back there was a little known publication called "The strategy of the Dolphin".  It's content timeless and sooo appropriate for dental practice.  It goes like this;

Carps are bottom feeders; live by the motto I always lose, I can't win, have the bumper sticker "lifes a bitch and then you die".  There are also pseudo enlightened carps who subscribe to the same beliefs as the carp but hold to the belief that if they "hold a crystal they can walk in front of a bus"...that they have no ownership nor influence on what happens to them...it's just their "lot in life".   Their bumper sticker "don't worry....be happy"

Sharks swim close to other fish and wait for their moment to strike.  They live by the motto; in order for me to win, someone has to lose.  It's the way of the world and so I can't be held accountable for my actions by playing it "smart".  

Dolphins live by the motto "find the win/win".  They take out sharks in the natural world.  They ignore the bottom feeders.  They can play in turbulent waters, find the up wave, know when to get out of the water, when to speed towards sharks or when to be gentle.  They are wise and communicate brilliantly.  

In the sea of dental practice, the challenge is to recognize the fish first.  If there are carps and sharks in the waters, the next question of the leader is did you make them that way or hire them that way? 

People's natures (driven by values) need investigation and yet so much emphasis is placed on skill.  The challenge is to know how to recognize their values to determine nature rather than contend with incongruent natures.  What have you on your team Dr.?  What reasons can you identify as to how they got there?  Which fish are you?

I wish there was a knob on the TV to turn up the intelligence. There's a knob called 'brightness', but it doesn't work.

That's a line by Galagher and it made me think.  I'd like to find the knob that turns up the brightness for the dental profession.  I don't mean they're stupid...although sometimes I think they have difficulty seeing the light.  I also mean dentistry is not such a dark picture! 

I'm amazed at how much sifting I have to do to get past the "marketing" blogs, commercials for marketing or the throngs of dentists who promote cosmetics (the commoditization of what is a healing art) to get to anyone talking about the opportunities in the industry rather than lament about how the economy is bringing them down. 

What must it be like for those caring souls out there who really want some enlightenment that isn't about market more, blog more, facebook more or sign up for this marketing magic bullet?

Many are highly ineffective with the people they currently serve and don't know what to do about it except go get more people.  They don't feel good about selling and don't want to.  They feel like they're in a swamp with the alligators licking at their heels.  That's from a journal in the early 70's.. the golden days of insurance it was called.  For those not a old as me; there was a time when insurance paved the way for dentists who faced the same challenge that remains today; earning the investment of discretionary income.  The cosmetic boom with insurance paved another way to profit...it was and remains the easy way out but not the sure and sustaining way to practice...in my opinion.

Dentists, like many others, are drawn to cookbooks and sure fire fixes.  The challenge of today is really no different than it has been for many years.  It's just more acute as the rich days of cosmetic dentistry fade away.  Insurance maximums have remained the same in 30 years while fees have gone up and so now what?  The relatively "easy sell" of cosmetics that replaced the nuance of insurance has lost it's appeal.  Many dentists are losing considerable market share in part because of the economy, in part because people are sick of the same old message and largely because the health services, true elevation of health have not been the focus of their discussions with patients and faded in their consciousness.  Crap detectors go off regularly for the public and the profession, with throngs in the same game, now have to fight fee sensitivity as the shoppers have wised up.  

There is enormous opportunity to be truly distinctive.  If you look outside of dentistry, permeating other businesses is the knowledge that values are being honed in trying times.  People are looking for genuine, true, authentic service and resonance with their providers....be they dentists or otherwise.  Look at Starbucks and the drive of many others who promote in their commercials....we're making a difference because we care.

Yoo hoo....does anybody out their hear me?  What's next?  Will the enormous increase in dentists closing shop be a wake up call?  Could now be the pivotal time when dentistry returns to the healing arts? 

What ya think?