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Fax:
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Email:jdt@nadl.org

Copyright © 2007
by the NADL
Journal of Dental Technology.
All rights reserved.

May 2008

More Than Playing Games

Ever play chess?  How about checkers? 

Think for a minute, and tell me, what is the biggest difference between the two games?

There does seem to be more complex thinking necessary to play chess. The strategy feels more complex. The pieces look different, more interesting. But think about the fundamental difference in operations. The pieces have different moves in chess. In checkers, you can treat all the pieces the same, because they all move the same. So individualization is not very important. In chess, the various pieces move differently so you have to use them based on their strengths and try to avoid weaknesses.

Great managers in dental laboratories do not treat everyone the same. They figure out what is unique about and individual and capitalize on it. This is different that leadership. Leaders figure out what is common to the group and capitalize on it. Leaders rally people to a better future. Martin Luther King spoke to the hearts and souls of a nation when he said, “I have a dream, that my four children will one day, live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” He rallied us to a better future by painting a clear and emotionally compelling picture. Management would make sure we executed the strategies, tactics and objectives well so we achieved our goal.

Mangers make sure we do things right. 

Leaders make sure we are doing the right things.

If we create exceptional efficiencies climbing a ladder that is against the wrong wall, we will ultimately fail. Not for lack of trying, but for not having the right direction, mission, vision and purpose.  And, if we have the ladder in a perfect location, but never figure out who should go first or how to climb efficiently, or what do when we reach the top, we still fail.

So which is most important for us in overseeing the our dental laboratories - management or leadership? Yes!

We need both skill sets to really have the success and growth of our laboratories, especially in times like these. We make decisions everyday about technology, staffing, material utilization, outsourcing etc., that impact the health of our businesses. We need to know where we are going and how to get there. Our mission and vision must be clear and we need operational excellence to achieve the goals and objectives set forth.

So too do we need management and leadership in our professional organization.  NADL’s board and membership have stepped up to the challenges and opportunities that change creates. Our future direction and the means to get there are in good hands. The recent offshore crisis (OK, that might have been too strong a word) has proven that. Our board and the NADL acted prudently, efficient and with design and forethought in responding to this event. Of course they did, they have led the discussions and proposed initiatives and legislation many in the same regards for years. It has been unfortunate that it has often fallen on deaf ears.

Traceability, documentation, disclosure, verifiable competency, material integrity, certification and other issues are still on the table. Great leadership and great management will help these strategic initiatives to move forward, but it is our choice where we will go and how we will get there. As a dental laboratory profession, we can decide who it is we want to be. Our future will be determined by our leadership and management of those choices. So choose well because between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space lies our greatest power as human beings, the freedom to choose our response. In those choices lie our growth and our happiness.

Mark Murphy is a featured presenter for National Dental Network and President of the National Lab Network.  He served as the VP of Operations for DTI until taking a position as Director of Professional Relations at The Pankey Institute until taking on his current role.  Mark is active on the NADL’s Business Management Committee and is the Dentist Representative to the Identalloy Council.