The Best Practices Show with Kirk Behrendt

What does it take to build a stronger team that can think, collaborate, and perform without the dentist stepping in for every decision? In this episode, Kirk Behrendt talks with Michelle Wakeman, ACT Dental coach, about why stronger leadership starts with self-awareness. They explain how your behavior affects team culture, the four leadership tendencies based on care and challenge, why clarity and accountability strengthen trust, and how pausing before reacting can help you lead more effectively.

Learn how to recognize your leadership patterns, give clearer feedback, and create a healthier, more accountable team — listen to Episode 1088 of The Best Practices Show!

Main Takeaways:

• Self-awareness requires understanding your strengths, shortcomings, and impact on other people.
• The leader’s behavior and emotional state influence the climate of the entire practice.
• High care with low challenge can lead leaders to avoid difficult conversations and over-function for their team.
• Low care with high challenge can reduce psychological safety and make team members afraid to speak up or make mistakes.
• High care with high challenge combines genuine support with clear expectations, honest feedback, and accountability.
• Pausing before responding under stress helps leaders choose a more effective response instead of reacting automatically.
• Consistent, proactive conversations prevent small performance issues from becoming larger cultural problems.

Episode Chapters:

00:00 Why stronger teams start with self-awareness.

01:03 Building a team that can think and work together.

02:31 Why self-awareness starts with understanding your impact on others.

04:00 Using assessments and coaching to better understand yourself.

06:29 Balancing care and challenge as a leader.

09:19 The four leadership tendencies.

20:26 The power of pausing before responding.

23:18 Identifying your leadership tendency and practicing accountability.

24:00 Kirk’s “today’s the day” leadership story.

29:00 Final thoughts on self-awareness and leadership development.

30:00 To The Top Study Club and closing remarks.

Guest Bio:

Michelle Wakeman, BSDH brings nearly 20 years of clinical dental hygiene, administrative, managerial and sales experience to the table. She has a passion for people and a natural aptitude for communication that has led her to develop meaningful relationships throughout her career in dentistry. As a coach, she seeks to help dental practices develop systems that enable them to enhance their patient experience, leading to better relationships among owners, team members and patients along with profitable outcomes.

In her off time, Michelle can usually be found at the ice rink supporting her son, Hunter in hockey, the ball field cheering on her son, Carter, or the gym, reliving her days as a gymnast with her daughter, Leighton.

Episode Resources:

• Radical Candor: https://www.radicalcandor.com/
• DISC Assessment: https://www.discprofile.com/what-is-disc
• To The Top Study Club: http://actdental.com/ttt

More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:

• Contact Gina to learn more about ACT: [email protected]
• The Best Practices Show: https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
• Smile Source Community Hub: https://www.actdental.com/community-hub
• Upcoming Events & Workshops: https://www.actdental.com/events/
• Smile Source: https://www.smilesource.com/
• Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com
• Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com

Are gaps in your schedule really a case acceptance problem, or are you simply not diagnosing enough of the care your patients need and want? In this episode, Kirk Behrendt and Metric Mondays co-host Miranda Beeson explain diagnostic percentage, why it is an important leading indicator for future production, and how inconsistent exams, assumptions about patients, and excessive “watching” can limit both care and opportunity.

You’ll learn how to evaluate diagnostic percentage by provider, create greater consistency in your comprehensive exams, and identify opportunities to better serve existing patients without turning treatment conversations into a sales process. To improve your diagnostic consistency and help more patients understand their options, listen to Episode 1087 of The Best Practices Show!

Main Takeaways:

• Diagnostic percentage measures the percentage of patients receiving an exam who are diagnosed or treatment planned with new treatment in the practice management software.
• A low diagnostic percentage can indicate inconsistent exams, incomplete documentation, communication challenges, or assumptions about what patients will accept.
• Practices should diagnose consistently and allow patients to decide whether and when they want to proceed with treatment.
• A strong clinical philosophy and standardized examination process help patients receive consistent information regardless of which provider they see.
• Reviewing diagnostic percentage by provider can reveal variations that should be explored rather than immediately judged as right or wrong.
• Miranda identifies 45% or higher as a useful benchmark while noting that percentages in the teens, 20s, or low 30s may indicate missed opportunities.
• Comprehensive exams for existing patients and regular review of conditions being “watched” can uncover changes in patient needs, wants, and appropriate treatment.

Episode Chapters:

00:00 Introduction to Metric Monday and diagnostic percentage.

02:53 Diagnostic percentage as a measure of consistent patient care.

05:51 Avoiding assumptions about a patient’s willingness or ability to pursue treatment.

07:00 Common causes of low diagnostic percentage.

10:18 How consistent standards support stronger diagnosis.

12:00 Helping patients plan proactively for future dentistry.

14:56 Reviewing diagnostic percentage by provider and using benchmarks.

17:21 Re-evaluating existing patients with comprehensive exams.

19:00 Using improved skills and technology to better evaluate patients over time.

20:00 Untapped treatment opportunities within the existing practice.

21:00 Closing thoughts.

Guest Bio:

Miranda Beeson has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.

Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.

Episode Resources:

The Wallet Biopsy: https://www.actdental.com/blog/the-procedure-to-always-avoid-wallet-biopsy

More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:

• Contact Gina to learn more about ACT: [email protected]
• The Best Practices Show: https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
• Smile Source Community Hub: https://www.actdental.com/community-hub
• Upcoming Events & Workshops: https://www.actdental.com/events/
• Smile Source: https://www.smilesource.com/
• Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com
• Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com

Hiring an office manager can add leadership and structure to a dental practice, but the title alone will not solve problems with communication, accountability, or culture. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt talks with Lorie Streeter, a longtime dental office management advocate and MaxAssist team member, about what practices need to have in place before adding an office manager.

They discuss when the role becomes necessary, the leadership qualities to look for, how to define decision-making authority, why regular communication matters, and how dentists can protect strong managers from burnout. To better understand what makes the dentist-office manager relationship work, listen to Episode 1086 of The Best Practices Show!

Main Takeaways:

• A practice should consider adding an office manager when greater leadership and coordination are needed between the clinical and front teams.
• A strong office manager needs leadership ability, business awareness, level-headedness, and the capacity to manage multiple areas of the practice.
• Longevity in a practice does not automatically qualify a team member to become the office manager.
• Dentists and office managers should have consistent business-focused meetings in addition to their daily patient and team communication.
• Dentists need to clearly define which decisions an office manager can make independently, which require discussion, and which remain the dentist's responsibility.
• Trust between the dentist and office manager should include appropriate oversight of KPIs, scheduling issues, unscheduled treatment, and other important business indicators.
• Office managers need support, communication, continued education, and clear boundaries to reduce the risk of burnout.

Episode Chapters:

00:00 What dental practices should know before hiring an office manager.

01:37 Lorie Streeter's background in dental office management.

05:19 AADOM and Office Manager Support

07:00 Why an office manager will not automatically solve practice problems.

11:20 Indicators that a practice may need an office manager.

13:08 Leadership skills and responsibilities of an effective office manager.

16:13 Office manager workload and the risk of burnout.

19:07 Communication rhythms between dentists and office managers.

21:52 Defining decision-making authority and responsibilities.

24:23 Managing communication in multi-doctor practices.

27:13 Balancing trust with appropriate oversight.

31:00 Qualities to consider in a prospective office manager.

31:04 Transitioning from clinical roles into practice administration.

35:00 How MaxAssist supports practice teams and tracks team activity.

38:00 Final guidance for dentists and office managers.

Guest Bio:

With nearly three decades in the dental industry, Lorie blends deep field experience with a passion for growth and connection. As a former dental office manager and past Vice President of The American Association of Dental Office Management (AADOM), she understands firsthand the challenges and opportunities practices face. Her focus at MaxAssist is to expand impact through relationship-driven strategy, smart technology, and a heart for office managers.

Episode Resources:

• AADOM: https://learn.dentalmanagers.com/
• Dental Assistant to Practice Administrator course from AADOM: https://learn.dentalmanagers.com/products/dental-assistant-to-practice-administrator-da-to-pa-curriculum
• MaxAssist: https://maxassist.com/lorie/
• https://www.instagram.com/loriestreetermaxedout/
• linkedin.com/in/loriestreeter
• https://www.tiktok.com/@loriestreetermaxedout

More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:

• Contact Gina to learn more about ACT: [email protected]
• The Best Practices Show: https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
• Smile Source Community Hub: https://www.actdental.com/community-hub
• Upcoming Events & Workshops: https://www.actdental.com/events/
• Smile Source: https://www.smilesource.com/
• Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com
• Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com

Dental marketing has changed significantly, but the goal is still to connect with the right patients and give them a reason to care. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt talks with Minal Sampat, marketing strategist, social media coach, dental hygienist, best-selling author, and founder of Marketologist, about what is working in dental marketing today.

You will learn how to use AI without losing trust, create content around patient outcomes, improve local and social marketing, track where patients actually come from, and evaluate your marketing budget based on your audience and competition. For practical ways to make your marketing more effective, listen to Episode 1085 of The Best Practices Show!

Main Takeaways:

• Marketing platforms and techniques continue to change, but effective marketing still depends on connecting with people and giving them something they care about.
• AI should be used as a tool rather than a substitute for human communication, and practices should be transparent when AI-generated avatars or content are being used.
• Dental content builds more trust when it shows the patient outcome of treatment instead of focusing only on procedures.
• Practices can expand their local reach by supporting nearby businesses and organizations and collaborating with them through social media content.
• Marketing budgets should be based on the competitive environment, the patients the practice wants to serve, and the activities that produce a measurable return.
• New patient forms can help identify the patient journey by allowing patients to select every marketing source that contributed to their decision.
• Internal marketing should emphasize patient appreciation and practice culture, while external marketing should create a consistent experience across reviews, social media, websites, ads, and patient communication.

Episode Chapters:

00:00 What is working in dental marketing today.

02:39 Minal’s background in marketing and dental hygiene.

05:40 Creating a Guinness World Record campaign.

10:11 How dental marketing changed after COVID-19.

13:26 The growing role of AI in marketing.

14:55 Using AI while maintaining trust.

17:00 Humanizing AI-generated communication.

21:05 Social media content and Google search visibility.

22:30 Creating dental content that builds trust.

28:49 A simple local marketing strategy for dental practices.

30:59 Combining ground marketing with social media.

33:11 Leveraging existing marketing to reduce unnecessary spending.

35:37 Understanding your target audience.

36:52 Marketing KPIs and tracking patient sources.

40:07 Internal versus external marketing.

42:29 Evaluating the potential patient journey.

44:15 Final thoughts on using marketing tools effectively.

44:47 Minal’s Exchange session.

45:43 Podcast Wrap Up

Guest Bio:

Minal Sampat, RDH is the bestselling author of Why Your Marketing Is Killing Your Business, And What To Do About It. She is the founder of Marketologist® - an online marketing strategy & training course & community, a renowned marketing strategist, sought-after speaker, and social media coach extraordinaire.

Minal is the founder of the popular CE on The Beach™ event! She hosts CE events & workshops on beautiful islands around the world. This event has sold out every single time!

Plus, she is the Co-founder of the Pediatric Dental Marketing Course & Pediatric Dental Growth Summit!

P.S. Many call Minal the "Marketing Therapist."

Episode Resources:

• https://www.minalsampat.com/
• https://ceonthebeach.com/
• https://marketologist.com/
• https://www.instagram.com/minalsampatllc/
• https://www.facebook.com/RealTalkWithMinalSampat
• HeyGen: https://app.heygen.com
• ChatGPT: https://chatgpt.com/
• Perplexity: https://www.perplexity.ai/

More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:

• Contact Gina to learn more about ACT: [email protected]
• The Best Practices Show: https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
• Smile Source Community Hub: https://www.actdental.com/community-hub
• Upcoming Events & Workshops: https://www.actdental.com/events/
• Smile Source: https://www.smilesource.com/
• Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com
• Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com

Provider production reports can reveal far more than which clinician produced the most. When production numbers are viewed without context around capacity, schedule utilization, experience, and procedure mix, they can create inaccurate comparisons and unproductive conversations. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt and practice coach Miranda Beeson explain how to evaluate production by provider as a management and coaching tool rather than a scorecard.

You will learn how to connect production with capacity, identify what is influencing each provider’s results, and use the data to create clearer expectations and better opportunities for your team to succeed. To learn how to get more useful information from your provider production reports, listen to Episode 1084 of The Best Practices Show!

Main Takeaways:

• Provider production reports should be used as decision-making and coaching tools rather than simple scorecards.
• Production comparisons should account for differences in schedule capacity, clinical responsibilities, experience, and procedure mix.
• Capacity measures how much of a provider’s available clinical time is actually being utilized with patients in the chair.
• Production and schedule utilization should be reviewed together to determine whether each provider has an appropriate opportunity to produce.
• Practice owners should investigate why providers or specific days perform differently instead of assigning blame based on production totals alone.
• Reviewing successful and unsuccessful days with the team can reveal scheduling, case acceptance, and service-mix opportunities.
• Clear expectations and collaborative review of production data can support provider development and associate retention.

Episode Chapters:

00:00 Intro

02:19 Why production reports matter

04:00 Evaluating associate production with schedule utilization.

06:15 Defining provider capacity.

07:58 What practices get wrong with production reports.

12:42 What healthy practices do differently.

15:57 A practical exercise for reviewing production and capacity.

18:00 Reviewing successful and unsuccessful days with the team.

19:00 Developing providers and supporting associate retention.

20:00 Closing thoughts.

Guest Bio:

Miranda Beeson has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.

Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.

More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:

• Contact Gina to learn more about ACT: [email protected]
• The Best Practices Show: https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
• Smile Source Community Hub: https://www.actdental.com/community-hub
• Upcoming Events & Workshops: https://www.actdental.com/events/
• Smile Source: https://www.smilesource.com/
• Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com
• Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com

Does your dental practice clearly communicate what makes it different, or does it look and sound like every other office in your market? In this episode, Kirk Behrendt talks with Carlie Einarson, dental practice coach, about a four-step process for creating a practice that reflects what you value and attracts the patients you want to serve.

You will learn how to differentiate your practice, define your core customer, identify your core competencies, recognize weaknesses, and align your team and patient experience around a clear strategy. To build a practice around what you do best and the patients you want to serve, listen to Episode 1083 of The Best Practices Show!

Main Takeaways:

• Differentiation starts with clearly defining what your practice stands for rather than relying on convenience, insurance participation, technology, or other features competitors can replicate.
• Practices should identify their core customers by examining the patients who value treatment, respect the team, keep appointments, pay their bills, and refer others.
• Involving the team in defining the ideal patient creates alignment and can reveal patient characteristics the dentist may overlook.
• Core competencies should be meaningful strengths that patients value and competitors cannot easily imitate, rather than equipment, general labels, or expected levels of service.
• Consistently communicating what the dentist and practice care about helps attract patients who share those values.
• Practices should identify weaknesses such as poor systems, limited team development, weak treatment presentation skills, or gaps in the patient experience and address them strategically.
• Staying focused on your own strategy, values, patients, and strengths is more useful than trying to compete with another practice's size, technology, hours, or services.

Episode Chapters:

00:00 Intro

02:51 Why branding matters

05:35 Differentiation as a strategy for standing out.

07:06 Trust as the real product

12:00 Identifying the core customer you want to serve.

17:19 Defining your ideal patient with your team.

23:00 Identifying and communicating your core competencies.

28:50 Consistently talking about what your practice cares about.

31:00 Identifying weaknesses with self-awareness and team feedback.

33:51Clinical development, systems, and treatment presentation weaknesses.

38:11Staying true to your core purpose and values.

40:00 Staying focused instead of competing with other practices.

41:00 The Differentiation Tool and Strategic Marketing Guide.

Guest Bio/Guest Resources:

Carlie Einarson is a lead practice coach who has a passion for helping others succeed in the dental field. She loves helping to create a stable foundation for practices so both professionals and patients have a great experience every time they walk in the door!

Carlie graduated from Utah College of Dental Hygiene. She has ten years of experience in the dental field, including clinical dental hygiene, front office, and leading teams.

In her free time, she enjoys spending quality time with loved ones, traveling, skiing, playing volleyball, and golfing.

Episode Resources:

• The Differentiation Tool: https://join.actdental.com/c/resources/differentiation-tool
• The Strategic Marketing Guide: https://join.actdental.com/c/resources/strategic-marketing

More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:

• Contact Gina to learn more about ACT: [email protected]
• The Best Practices Show: https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
• Smile Source Community Hub: https://www.actdental.com/community-hub
• Upcoming Events & Workshops: https://www.actdental.com/events/
• Smile Source: https://www.smilesource.com/
• Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com
• Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com

A dental practice can produce millions of dollars and still leave the owner wondering where the profit went. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt speaks with dental practice coach Courtney Dalton about the four financial gaps that determine how production becomes usable cash.

You will learn how to identify losses within adjustments, collections, overhead, and cash flow, along with the metrics and systems needed to improve profitability. Understand where your practice’s money is going and how to make informed financial decisions—listen to Episode 1082 of The Best Practices Show!

Main Takeaways:

• The effort gap is the difference between a practice’s full master fees and its net production after insurance and elective adjustments.
• Practices must enter full fees for every procedure so their production and adjustment data accurately reflect the dentistry performed.
• The collections gap measures the difference between net production and the money that reaches the practice’s bank account.
• Financial policies, accounts receivable systems, insurance follow-up, and payment options directly affect collection performance.
• The overhead gap represents the percentage of collections used for operating expenses across seven expense categories.
• The cash flow gap explains the difference between profitability shown on a profit-and-loss statement and the cash available after loans, taxes, owner compensation, and other outflows.
• Measuring and monitoring each gap gives practice owners the information needed to make targeted financial improvements.

Episode Chapters:

00:00 Why high-producing dental practices can still lack profit.

03:00 How production becomes profit within a dental practice.

04:24 The effort gap and the impact of adjustments.

05:44 Why practices must bill their full master fees.

09:26 How the effort gap affects APV, PPD, and PPV.

12:09 Why gross production does not determine practice value.

14:08 The collections gap and the 99% collection target.

16:04 Systems that improve collections and accounts receivable.

21:08 The overhead gap and seven expense categories.

23:04 Team compensation, staffing, and practice systems.

26:22 The cash flow gap between reported profit and available cash.

28:43 How loans and taxes affect cash flow.

32:49 Why earnings and profitability determine practice value.

33:20 The process of measuring, monitoring, and improving financial performance.

34:39 How the four financial gaps affect one another.

Guest Bio:

With an A.S. in Dental Hygiene from Manor College and a B.S. in Exercise Physiology from West Virginia University, Courtney blends her expertise in both healthcare and wellness to drive success.

As a member of the Business Development team, she is dedicated to helping doctors and practice owners realize their full potential by understanding the link between ownership, culture, and the health of the business. Courtney is all about building strong, thriving communities at home or in the office!

Courtney has been a part of the dental community since 2004 and is as passionate about patient care as she is about those who are providing it. Outside of ACT, Courtney enjoys exercising and spending time with her family.

Episode Resources:

• GAPS Calculator within the Community Hub: https://join.actdental.com/c/announcements-9fc6ae/financial-gaps-calculator
• https://www.actdental.com/free-resources/
• Smile Source Transform Membership: https://info.smilesource.com/smile-source-act-dental-transform-membership-1

More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:

• Contact Gina to learn more about ACT: [email protected]
• The Best Practices Show: https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
• Smile Source Community Hub: https://www.actdental.com/community-hub
• Upcoming Events & Workshops: https://www.actdental.com/events/
• Smile Source: https://www.smilesource.com/
• Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com
• Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com

A strong production day does not always mean a dental practice used its time efficiently. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt and Miranda Beeson, co-host of The Best Practices Show, explain why production per hour provides a clearer view of provider efficiency than production per day alone. You will learn how schedule design, procedure mix, capacity utilization, delegation, and provider hours influence productivity, as well as how to calculate and evaluate production per hour in your practice.

To better understand the efficiency behind your production numbers, listen to Episode 1081 of The Best Practices Show!

Main Takeaways:

• Production per day shows the total outcome, while production per hour reveals how efficiently provider time was used.
• A high-production day may still be inefficient when it requires extra hours, rushed appointments, fragmented procedures, or working through lunch.
• Intentional scheduling and an appropriate procedure mix can help practices maintain production while reducing clinical hours.
• Measuring schedule utilization helps practices identify lost production caused by unfilled provider and hygiene time.
• Comparing high-performing and low-performing schedules can reveal which procedures, workflows, and provider habits improve hourly productivity.
• Delegating tasks to trained team members allows dentists to focus on the clinical responsibilities only they can perform.
• Production per hour should be reviewed with curiosity and used to improve systems rather than punish or compare providers.

Episode Chapters:

00:00 Why production per hour provides a clearer view than production per day.

01:00 Introduction to Metric Mondays and production efficiency.

02:17 The difference between daily production and hourly production.

03:48 What inefficient production looks like in practice.

05:24 Why production per hour is the ultimate measure of efficiency.

06:34 Creating leadership time through more strategic scheduling.

07:26 What practices do differently when they measure time effectively.

09:22 Improving production through schedule and capacity utilization.

10:12 The financial impact of open hygiene appointments.

11:18 How to calculate production per hour.

12:01 Comparing provider schedules and procedure mix.

13:18 Delegation as a way to improve provider efficiency.

14:41 Asking the team how efficiently time was used.

15:17 Using production data to identify practice opportunities.

Guest Bio:

Miranda Beeson has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.

Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.

Episode Resources:

• Capacity Tracker: https://www.actdental.com/blog/data-snapshot-capacity-percentage
• Weekly Production Scorecard: https://www.actdental.com/blog/data-snapshot-production-per-visit

More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:

• Contact Gina to learn more about ACT: [email protected]
• The Best Practices Show: https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
• Smile Source Community Hub: https://www.actdental.com/community-hub
• Upcoming Events & Workshops: https://www.actdental.com/events/
• Smile Source: https://www.smilesource.com/
• Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com
• Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com

When every question, decision, and critical process depends on the practice owner, growth slows and the team becomes increasingly dependent on one person. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt speaks with Heather Crockett, dental practice coach, about the three leadership bottlenecks that restrict practice performance: information, approval, and knowledge.

You will learn how consistent communication rhythms, clearly defined decision-making authority, documented systems, and cross-training can help your team operate with greater ownership and consistency. To identify and remove the leadership bottlenecks holding your practice back, listen to Episode 1080 of The Best Practices Show!

Main Takeaways:

• An information bottleneck occurs when important knowledge and communication flow only through the doctor or practice owner.
• Daily huddles, weekly team meetings, and leadership meetings create consistent communication rhythms throughout the practice.
• Leadership teams must align on decisions and quickly cascade the information to the rest of the team.
• An approval bottleneck develops when the doctor becomes responsible for routine operational decisions that other team members could own.
• A function and accountability chart clarifies responsibilities and gives team members defined decision-making authority.
• A knowledge bottleneck exists when a critical system or process is known by only one person.
• Documented systems, cross-training, delegation, and repeatable onboarding reduce dependence on individual team members.

Episode Chapters:

00:00 Intro

01:54 The three leadership bottlenecks holding practices back.

03:14 Signs of an information bottleneck.

04:31 Communication rhythms that improve information flow.

11:32 Signs of an approval bottleneck.

13:49 Developing leaders and reducing decision fatigue.

21:39 Signs of a knowledge bottleneck.

22:47 Documenting systems, cross-training, and delegating responsibilities.

25:58 Final leadership takeaways and the Leadership Bottlenecks guide.

27:28 Leadership training at the To The Top Study Club.

29:00 Episode wrap up

Guest Bio/Guest Resources:

Heather Crockett is a Lead Practice Coach who finds joy in not only improving practices but improving the lives of those she coaches as well. With over 20 years of combined experience in assisting, office management, and clinical dental hygiene, her awareness supports many aspects of the practice setting.

Heather received her dental hygiene degree from the Utah College of Dental Hygiene in 2008. Networking in the dental community comes easy to her, and she loves to connect with like-minded colleagues on social media. Heather enjoys both attending and presenting continuing education to expand her knowledge and learn from her friends and colleagues.

She enjoys hanging out with her husband, three sons, and their dog, Moki, scrolling through social media, watching football, and traveling.

Episode Resources:

• Leadership Bottlenecks Guide: https://join.actdental.com/c/resources/leadership-bottlenecks
• Traction by Gino Wickman: https://www.amazon.com/Traction-Get-Grip-Your-Business/dp/1936661837
• To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt/

More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:

• Contact Gina to learn more about ACT: [email protected]
• The Best Practices Show: https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
• Smile Source Community Hub: https://www.actdental.com/community-hub
• Upcoming Events & Workshops: https://www.actdental.com/events/
• Smile Source: https://www.smilesource.com/
• Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com
• Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com

Miscommunication in a dental practice often begins when doctors and team members make assumptions instead of clarifying expectations. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt speaks with Dana Watson, a dental practice educator, consultant, and certified Five Voices of Leadership trainer, about how assumptions create inaccurate stories, unresolved conflict, and inconsistent systems.

You will learn how to establish clearer expectations, build reliable communication rhythms, prepare for difficult conversations, and improve communication with both team members and patients. To reduce assumptions and create greater clarity in your practice, listen to Episode 1079 of The Best Practices Show!

Main Takeaways:

• Team members create inaccurate stories when important information is missing.
• Clear expectations help teams understand and consistently perform the behaviors required in the practice.
• Morning huddles and regular team meetings provide structured opportunities to address communication gaps.
• Leaders build respect when they acknowledge their own communication mistakes.
• Clarifying questions such as “Help me understand” can uncover the facts behind frustration or confusion.
• Important systems, core values, and non-negotiable expectations should be documented in writing.
• Dentists should not assume that patients understand available services, treatment recommendations, or clinical terminology.

Episode Chapters:

00:00 The danger of assumptions in dental practice communication.

01:06 Dana Watson’s background in education and dentistry.

03:05 How missing information causes people to create stories.

05:58 Why communication systems require ongoing attention.

07:35 Dana’s Everyday Excellence non-negotiables.

10:47 Creating intentional opportunities for doctors and teams to reconnect.

12:39 Using “Help me understand” as a clarifying question.

14:13 Expectations, personality differences, and the Five Voices of Leadership.

17:05 Communication rhythms and morning huddles.

19:17 The consequences of leaving conflict unresolved.

21:19 Reinforcing communication through written systems.

23:14 Avoiding assumptions when communicating with patients.

24:32 The Exchange and CollaborCon

27:15 Closing thoughts.

Guest Bio:

Dana is an international speaker, author of Married to Dentistry, and a dedicated advocate for excellence in the dental field. After a decade of teaching high school science, she transitioned to dentistry to help her husband run his practice. With over 20 years of experience, Dana has developed a passion for empowering dental teams to achieve their best. Her speaking journey began in 2006 when she shared insights on Bettering Your Best with an international audience.

Dana says she did not “choose” to go into dentistry, but found it necessary to join her husband’s practice to help it improve. At first, she felt resentful, but she came to love it, and it ignited a great passion for working in the dental field.

Today, Dana inspires teams with her leadership, culture, and systems expertise.

Resources:

• Five Voices of Leadership by Jeremie Kubicek and Steve Cockram:
• https://www.amazon.com/Voices-Communicate-Effectively-Everyone-Lead/dp/1119111099
• Communication Code: https://www.amazon.com/Communication-Code-Strategies-Stronger-Relationships/dp/1394150539
• Dana Watson’s website: https://danaspeaksdental.com/
• The Exchange: https://smilesource.com/exchange
• CollaboriCon: https://www.collabriconcrew.com/

More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:

• Contact Gina to learn more about ACT: [email protected]
• The Best Practices Show: https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
• Smile Source Community Hub: https://www.actdental.com/community-hub
• Upcoming Events & Workshops: https://www.actdental.com/events/
• Smile Source: https://www.smilesource.com/
• Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com
• Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com