In this issue:
Book Review: Jim Glidewell's 'Constant Change'
Author
Jim Glidewell’s new book, “Constant Change” (published by Harriman House), is an enjoyable, 229-page work that approaches the reader on two very different levels. As a memoir of one of the most recognizable personalities in the dental industry, it’s a true American rags-to-riches story. But, viewed as a collection of business advice, it contains the lessons and wisdom accumulated over 50 years developing the largest dental laboratory business in the world. Most importantly, it captures the personality and the driving force behind an individual who changed the face of restorative dentistry.
In “Constant Change,” Jim starts his personal story with his family background. From his birth in Las Vegas when it was a quiet railroad town to his formative years with his grandparents in rural Kentucky, Jim introduces us to the people and personalities who influenced the principles that would later determine his business and life philosophy.
Sharing stories from his youth, he explains how his father taught him kindness and the ability to see the best in everyone. From his English stepmother, he also saw that people can look down on others simply because they are different. This recognition of ethnocentrism, and how it can cloud our judgment, would become an important part of his management philosophy.
His early years, including graduating from high school 328th out of a class of 331, did not presage his eventual level of accomplishment. But serving in the U.S. Navy, in the early years of the Vietnam War, gave him, for the first time, a set of rules to provide form and function to his life. It also provided him with an opportunity to reflect on his life and learn new ways of thinking. His deep dive into the writings of Ayn Rand caused him to arrive at the conviction that he alone would determine his future.
After leaving active duty at the age of 21, Jim was selling insurance when he reconnected with Rex, a high school classmate who had become a dental technician. Enamored of Rex’s ability to create something of material value that could improve people’s health and livelihood, he headed to community college to study dental technology. The details of his development of Glidewell Laboratories, from a one-man kitchen lab to today’s operation with more than 5,000 employees and a global footprint, provide a fascinating look at creating new processes, developing new products, and learning to manage the people and systems that make it happen.
In “Constant Change,” Jim Glidewell details the expansion of his company from a one-man kitchen lab to a global operation with more than 5,000 employees.
Sharing his successes and failures along the way, Jim provides a set of self-determined business principles that are the basis of his success. Most interesting to me, as an enthusiastic consumer of popular business books, is how widely Jim’s principles can deviate from the conventional wisdom of modern business.
For example, business experts tell us that the key to a successful startup is to create a virtual company, outsourcing all activities except your core competency. Not at Glidewell. Jim built his business around the concept of vertical integration, bringing the supply chain in-house along with every possible service. From cabinetmaking to graphic arts, Jim explains how taking on these noncore functions provides the control, speed and agility to make your business grow faster.
Conventional, just-in-time manufacturing principles dictate that businesses avoid excess inventories and manufacturing capacities. Not at Glidewell. Jim explains that business survival depends on growth, and if you’re actively trying to grow your business, you must have the excess capacity to serve those incremental customers. Better to have excess production capacity — including a few extra headcount — so you can serve those new customers at the highest level.
Jim’s book describes how bringing every possible service in-house provides the control, speed and agility to make your business grow faster.
Those of us in the fields of dentistry and dental technology will read this book because we know Jim Glidewell and want to take an up-close look at how he created his unique business. Entrepreneurs and investors will read it to learn the business principles that led to this phenomenal success. But everyone should read it to understand how a genuinely nice guy took his sincere belief in the value of every person he meets, and turned it into a way to make quality dentistry affordable to more people while developing the careers of thousands of individuals.
"Constant Change” is available from Harriman House and Amazon.
