Renée Goodspeed, DDS, works with Alliance for Dental Care.

I needed to define the kind of practice that I want, which is different from the one my father built. Saltwater offered the kind of clarity I needed.

What drew me to The Saltwater Institute was the title of Tom Chappell’s book: Managing Upside Down, The Seven Intentions® of Values-Centered Leadership. I needed to learn how to be a leader in my dental practice, but I also wanted to be values-centered. An ongoing challenge for me is my professional relationship with my dad, who founded this practice. We are beginning a transition of leadership, and I will be taking over. He is 72 years old, and even though he has incredible energy and loves dentistry, we still have to plan for his retirement. I’ll have to create a partnership with the next associate, so I need to define the kind of practice that I want, which is different from the one my father built. During this time the staff can find it hard to work with two bosses, because we see things differently. I knew if I was confused, I would have a confused staff. Saltwater offered the kind of clarity I needed.

During the course, I wanted to take the time to list my core values and relay them to my employees. One of the first was communication, which led me to create a private office filled with objects that mean something to me. Before I took The Seven Intentions® we had no quiet, private place on site for meetings with staff, patients or a colleague—no place that would give the message that nothing was more important than our communication. Our work is fast-paced, and sometimes conversations happen on the fly. But not all communication should be that way. In the past we didn’t see it as important, because you can’t measure it in dollars. But to me it is very productive to communicate with people.

Another value of mine is a balanced life. Everybody here understands dentistry isn’t as precise as some other kinds of work, in that you have to finish what you’re doing. One of the first things I did after Saltwater was try to model balance through my own schedule, which is hard because we book out months in advance. But I now take a break from twelve to two every day.That’s when I communicate with my staff. For example, Monday is the office manager’s day, and on Fridays I meet with other doctors. Meetings like these are actually part of my new employee contracts. I also changed my day off to Tuesday to benefit my family, and every day I leave at three. I’m pretty rigid about this schedule, because I have to prove I’m going to do it. It creates a ripple effect and allows my assistants time for organizational tasks they can’t do with patients in the chair, and they can still get home at a reasonable hour.

Using The Seven Intentions® to clarify what was important to me helped me find a new associate.There was one candidate I really liked but decided against, based on my value of giving back to the community.When he told me taking Medicaid patients would be hard for him, I withdrew the offer.This community has made us successful, and I feel an uninsured person with pain hurts just as much as an insured person. I realized we had conflicting values. On the other hand, the associate I hired is from India, and he has seen great need. He doesn’t care how the patient pays; he gets the work done and treats everybody the same. I like that.

We have no official hierarchy here, which can make management tricky. One thing I did after Saltwater was to put our receptionist on salary. I wanted her to know that her job involves more than welcoming patients, but also includes a supervisory role. Although becoming a supervisor was scary for her, I’ve asked her to do the annual performance reviews for her team. No one was in a better position to assess and give feedback than she was. It took a great deal of trust, because until now I’ve handled that, but she can do it better.

If I want her to grow as a leader, I need to allow her to do this. When she makes mistakes, well, we’ll celebrate them. I’d be overwhelmed trying to do too many things, if I didn’t share this responsibility. She needs to grow to keep her job interesting. And I need the help.

Since The Seven Intentions®, making personal connections in my interviews has become more important to me. At first, I just want to get to know prospective employees personally. I have most people come to my house as soon as possible for a meal, coffee or whatever. Interviews don’t have to involve putting on a suit and sitting behind a desk. We have a fantastic staff, and I need to spend time with people to find out if they have that same good feeling.

The best part of The Seven Intentions® Program for me was being in a setting away from work with a group of people who were open and objective, good listeners and very encouraging. I came back happy and energized, inspired. Busy people don’t often prioritize this sort of work, but it feels good to get away and focus on values. I’m so glad I went, and I would definitely do it again.