How to Set and Achieve Goals in Dental Practice

As Dr. Dennis Hartlieb acknowledges in the beginning of this episode, plans change. However, knowing that plans change cannot be a reason not to plan! The most important thing as you consider goals for your dental practice is to both plan and to also pivot when that plan doesn't work out the way you initially envision. 

With that in mind, Dr. Hartlieb shares three main focal areas with us: 

• Continuing Education
• Running a Business
• Physical and Mental Wellness

In the episode, Dr. Hartlieb shares his thoughts about goal setting within each of these three focal areas. 

What are you planning to do during 2023 to enrich your professional development? Dr. Dennis Hartlieb shares about the importance of continuing education for dentists of all skill and experience levels.

 Dr. Hartlieb advises that we start out by considering what we're each like as a learner and then coming up with a plan. Once considering learning styles, Dennis suggests planning out your continuing education by topic. If you're not sure where to start, occlusion is always a great first topic to dive into after dental school.

Dennis shares, "You've got to plan it out. You have to figure out what [your next area of study should be]. Where's your weakness? Where is your weakness right now? What do you look at when you go into the practice?

"And it could be a great number of things. It certainly was for me. It was a long list, right? So figure out where you want to start. I would always recommend starting with occlusion. It is a basis for everything that we do. That's always my recommendation when I'm talking to young dentists when they are looking at the next thing after dental school. Learn occlusion." 

Dr. Hartlieb reminds us that there are many different ways to learn from in-person opportunities to on-demand online opportunities, but he encourages us to simply get started with our plan. 

Dennis states, "Figure out where it is you want to go, where you want to be, and work backwards and figure out how you're going to get there.

"Figure out your path. I'm a strong believer that dental school is just a starting point for our learning."

Finally, Dr. Hartlieb shares about the importance of having a balanced life as a way to get the most out of your career and to protect against burn out. Dennis also talks about how to both find more satisfaction in the dental work we're doing and also how to enjoy life outside of the dentistry.

About the clinical work itself, Dennis shares, "I think the thing is find what you love to do. And try and do more of it. I mean, I stopped doing extractions 25 years ago, maybe closer to 30 years ago. I was bad at it. It wasn't good. It took me too much time. I wasn't profitable at it. And I didn't enjoy it. So I stopped doing it. I referred it out, and it made room in my schedule for the things that I like to do.

"Think about the procedures that bring you joy. Do those procedures; do more of them. Help your team with that as well."

Dennis shares with us about how maintaining our mental and physical wellness outside of the office is vital to finding success and happiness within the practice. As we set goals for our dental practices in 2023, we need to give ourselves permission to make physical and mental wellness an important part of our goal planning and action steps. 

Dennis reminds us, "The most important thing - love what you do. Focus on the parts you love, and refer out the parts you don't enjoy."