A dentist’s vision is the most important aspect of his career, and it translates into how he manages his practice and his professional life.

I’ve seen many dentists without vision, and some who have lost their vision. Too often, we don’t spend enough time getting really clear on what we want, the kind of dentistry we want to be doing, the kind of patients we want to treat, our niche. I got lucky early on and was exposed to Dr. Baxter Perkinson and Dr. Pete Dawson, who helped me get focused on complex restorative, esthetics, and teaching.

The earlier you can lock on to your vision, the better. It becomes easier to make business decisions; you’re not trying to be something for everyone. The best way to convert vision into a practice is to a) become clear on specific purpose for your business and b) express your vision to your team so that they can understand and put it into practice, as well. The rest takes care of itself.