In this issue:
My Transformational Journey as a Guiding Leader
Author
The 14 women dentists who participated in Guiding Leaders (from left to right in back row: Drs. Susan McMahon, Jill Frazier, Sat Kartar Khalsa, Larissa Figari-Goller, Nidhi Taneja, Danielle Dey, Stacy Spizuoco and Joy Poskozim; from left to right in front row: Drs. Shefali Shah, Keyla Springe, Ensy Atarod, Taylor Manalili, Mary Shields and Lan Chi Le) along with Glidewell Executive Vice President Stephenie Goddard (pictured in green).
In April 2019, I began an exciting yearlong journey as a participant in Guiding Leaders, a leadership development program for women in dentistry that was created by Glidewell Executive Vice President Stephenie Goddard. Over the past year, the program has provided 14 women dentists from across the nation with high-level training designed to cultivate our leadership skills and prepare us to be influencers in dentistry.
When I discovered that Guiding Leaders was accepting applications for its inaugural year, I was immediately intrigued. The new program sounded like a tremendous opportunity for women dentists who are interested in elite leadership training, which is rarely offered, even among the wide array of continuing education courses that are available on practice management.
In the mid-’90s, when I graduated from dental school, women represented less than 36% of dental school graduates. Now, according to the ADA, that number has increased to approximately 50%. However, this does not correlate to the number of women dentists in leadership positions, or on the podium at dental conferences. For women who are interested in pursuing these roles, Glidewell has provided a dynamic opportunity for us to groom our leadership skills.
In Missoula, Montana, I have the privilege of providing a full scope of general and cosmetic dentistry services at Missoula Dental Arts.
Even though Guiding Leaders sounded like it would be a fantastic experience I would not want to miss, I wondered where I would find the time to complete the application process while operating a busy dental practice. Yet as the deadline approached, I could not stop considering the benefits of this type of women’s leadership development program, nor the countless times throughout the years I’d had conversations with female colleagues who had faced similar professional challenges.
In other industries, women have attained great success within their respective fields. There are numerous bestselling books, such as “Lean In” and “Nice Girls Don’t Get the Corner Office,” in which the authors encourage readers to adopt management styles or communication techniques that have successfully worked for their male counterparts. However, in my experience, trying to employ these techniques has been counterproductive, especially considering the dynamic inherent within my dental practice, where I function in several capacities: boss, coworker and dental care provider. Due to the increasing diversity within our profession, there is a growing need for different leadership models.
Dr. Sat Kartar Khalsa (left) interacting with Dr. Taylor Manalili. During our Guiding Leaders courses, we had a variety of learning formats, including individual and group exercises and one-on-one discussions.
Therefore, I am extremely grateful not only that I prioritized the Guiding Leaders application process, but also that the committee selected me to embark on this amazing journey. The first day of the program started in Irvine, California, with a focus on developing and implementing an outward mindset. This two-day course was taught by the renowned Arbinger Institute, which has worked with organizations worldwide. During our sessions, we learned how to resolve challenges and achieve breakthrough results by applying a different way of thinking. The course demonstrated how our actions impact the performance of those around us and equipped us with practical strategies we could implement immediately to generate results in our dental practices.
In the following months, through online and classroom sessions, we continued learning invaluable tips and techniques from various industry-leading experts from companies like VitalSmarts, Eloqui and Glidewell, which utilized its Clinical Education department to teach a few classes. In a course on crucial conversations, our instructor provided us with practical tools that showed us how to master challenging situations and foster teamwork in our offices.
Our instructor Mike Foster, founder and CEO of Id8TE, taught us about the power of mindfulness at the Glidewell Clinical Education training center in Louisville, Kentucky. He showed us how we can implement this technique to strengthen and improve our critical leadership skills.
With insight from bestselling author Dr. Shawn Andrews, we began understanding the power of perception and how to examine barriers that contribute to the leadership gender gap. Her instruction was further enhanced by a DISC behavioral analysis that was provided by Glidewell’s leadership experts. The company’s in-house team showed us how to tailor our strengths to more effectively meet the needs of those around us. They administered an emotional intelligence assessment and began showing us how to cultivate the core competencies that high-level leaders possess.
To effectively lead in dentistry and receive invitations to speak, it’s crucial to develop an ability to deliver engaging presentations. To refine these important skills, we had the opportunity to be recorded on camera in different scenarios, and to evaluate those recordings while receiving feedback from the experts and each other.
During our session with Dr. Shawn Andrews (pictured in blue) at the Glidewell Clinical Education training center in Louisville, Kentucky, we learned how to examine barriers that contribute to the leadership gender gap and how to apply practical tactics to improve our practice.
Even though at that point we were less than halfway through the program, we had already learned so much that some of the women had begun accepting speaking opportunities where they could implement the strategies and skills that they were now honing.
By developing the Guiding Leaders program, Glidewell has demonstrated leadership in the field of dentistry by recognizing the importance of empowering a new generation of women leaders. They have created an exceptional platform for elevating women in dentistry to new levels. Participating in Guiding Leaders has been one of the most life-transforming professional opportunities I have experienced. Thanks to Glidewell, we are well on our way to being influencers in our practices, communities and dental profession.
