Today is the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship, so I thought I would share a story rooted in my own basketball days.
Way back when I was in 8th Grade playing basketball on the School Team and I had a coach who said something that I still remember to this day (and probably the single most important sports phrase I learned growing up). The saying we put on our T-shirts, our Warm-ups, and even what we said in the Huddle before the game. Though it wasn’t an original quote and was probably widely used, to us it meant something. Pretty much everything we did was built around this phrase:
ATTITUDE IS EVERYTHING
And I believed it. Sportsmanship. Winning. Performance. No matter how good or bad the other team was or was expected to be, we went in believing we were going to win and we would do so dominantly and graciously.
Perhaps more important than how we played, was how we practiced. All out, all of the time with an attitude of being focused, determined, and deserving.
The coach would always say you earn your W’s on the Practice floor.
I could go on with the sayings and motivation. Instead I will tell you two secrets that, if you embrace them, you will never look at a day of dentistry or leadership with your team the same again … and your results, well they will become effortless compared to the drudge and grind that it is today, whether you admit it or not.
Secret #1:
I wasn’t the best on the team (that team or any team for that matter). I was never the best athlete when it came to pure talent or raw ability or even actual performance. But what I lacked in natural ability, I made up in attitude. And that’s why I was always voted Team Captain and why I was always a Leader, even though a quiet leader (believe it or not). I led with attitude and everyone else followed.
This was my greatest lesson. Now, as the leader and successful mentor, businessperson and consultant I am today began with attitude not with skill.
The success you will have daily with your patients and your team will begin always with attitude.
Secret #2:
You don’t get to practice.
Nope, not in real life. Only in sports do you get practice rounds. It’s funny how that works out. Every day is real, every visit counts, every patient matters.
There are no “do over” impressions, you don’t get a practice experience, you only get the real one that people engage with every single day.
This is why there is no excuse for poor, negative, disheartened, low energy attitudes – ever – period.
On the basketball team, football team, wrestling team, baseball team, or in my multi-decade career in the martial arts – I developed a philosophy and a reputation for never accepting bad attitudes.
In an instant, any person who was shaken, doubting, negative, destructive, unfocused was immediately called out; either to take the bench, sit, run, or to be given a friendly yet demanding wake up call that on this team – every person is reliant on each other, every team member has a role that must be filled and if one person doesn’t follow through or doesn’t give their best it will affect everyone else and that is unacceptable.
You are living in a professional organization, one of great significance, and if you start taking what you do more seriously perhaps your team will do the same and as a result so will your patients.
Having fun and laughing is the sign of a successful, dialed-in and happy practice – but only when it’s built on a foundation of expectations, positive attitude, high performance and success.
Attitude is everything in life and in dentistry. Every day you walk in take your temperature and make sure your team does the same. Ensure your attitude is ready for the day because it goes way deeper than this, but we’ll start right here, until next week.
To be continued.
