A Great Dentist is a Great Leader (Part 2)

Dr. Paul Uliasz, President & Clinical Director

How do you develop leadership?

There is a great deal of literature on leadership available. Every dentist should dedicate a portion of their personal library to leadership. Even if you are just starting your dental career or have just gotten your first dental job, it is still worthwhile to study leadership.

One helpful way to learn about leadership is to explore leadership styles. There are quite a few types or styles of leadership. You will want to develop a leadership style that fits with your personality and values. As a dentist you will be in different leadership positions with different team members in your organization. You will find that different styles are needed for different situations. Who you are as a leader will be different when you are responsible for a team of two people, a team of 12 people, and a team of 56 people. Here is just one overview of the different types of leadership styles: https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/10-common-leadership-styles. In our Southwest Florida dental practices, we encourage all team members, regardless of which dental job they hold, to develop their leadership ability.

At Blue Sea Dental practices, we follow the theory of leadership laid out in John Maxwell’s book The 5 Levels of Leadership. Even if practice ownership is not your dental career goal, I recommend that every entry level dentist read this book during their first year out of dental school. Maxwell describes how leadership grows from its lowest level of acquiring a “leadership title” (like at your first dentist job) through to identifying and mentoring potential leaders and all the phases in between. Click on this link to learn more about the levels of leadership https://www.johnmaxwell.com/blog/the-5-levels-of-leadership1/.

Leadership in practice

Becoming a great leader is a never-ending journey. It is like climbing a mountain that has no peak. If you make developing leadership a priority, you will grow into the higher levels of leadership with time and experience. As dentists, we know the importance of keeping our clinical skills up to date with continued education. It is equally important to devote time and effort to improving your leadership skills. By always working on your leadership skills you will be able to have a greater positive impact on the world around you. Your clinical skills empower you to improve your patients’ lives while your leadership ability will benefit your team members and all the people in your life.