As Lead Clinical Trainer for the past eight years, I have been dedicated to coaching our nation’s most productive dental practices using Reboot Practice Productivity Solutions, the best clinical training program in the dental industry. My dedication and hard work paid off last month when I was promoted to Director of Clinical Education and Training. This new opportunity to show up for you and your team has further fueled my fire to lead the charge in adding value to dental practices across the country.
Before accepting this promotion, however, I needed to cover a few bases. The first and most important step being a conversation with one of my best friends, my mentor and creator of Reboot Practice Productivity Training, Erica St. Pierre. Lead Clinical Trainer herself, I needed her opinion on if and how I could manage my time in this new role, and wanted some honest feedback on the shoes I would be filling. Like the true leader she has always been, Erica guided me into my new position and encouraged me to challenge myself, and the patterns of the past, in order to leave my thumbprint on the dental industry.
After some conversations and soul searching with Erica, about our shared enthusiasm with making a difference, she pushed me to realize that each day I ask myself the same type of questions I would ask your staff before a successful training:
- What kind of growth opportunities exist in your dental practice, or, in my daily schedule? Like me, I can’t imagine you want to stay stagnant or go backwards at this point in your career, so why should your staff?
- How do you keep your employees happy, or, how do I keep a smile on my face when I am looking into the eyes of adversity? I encourage you to get to know your team, just like I strive to get to know a new side of myself every day. We can’t fix who and what we don’t know.
- How do you keep your employees motivated, or, how do I stay moving in a positive direction when the industry trends want to bring my progress down? I teach you to ask your co-workers and team questions that give opportunities to be heard. I know I like when others pay attention to my ideas and opinions because I feel included, recognized and sometimes important.
I am extremely excited about being promoted to Director of Clinical Education and Training and I know there is some pressure to continue the success of a service that was developed by a true friend, mother and leader that I respect more than anyone in my professional career. Erica St. Pierre had a plan to help dentists improve the way they work, just as she has helped me plan the way I manage my time. She was the best at so much and I will never forget where I came from and how far I can go because of her – I hope to share our experience with the growth of your practice for years to come.
