685: Dr. Andrea Ricci & Dr. Christian Coachman - The Non-Dental Aspects to Succeed as a Dentist

Do you ever wonder how things are going to get better in your practice or for you as a dentist? In this episode, Kirk welcomes two educators, Dr. Andrea Ricci and Dr. Christian Coachman, to talk about the non -dental aspects that can help you succeed as a dentist. They emphasize the importance of balance in life and the need to excel in multiple roles. Dr. Ricci shares his personal journey of personal growth and how it has positively impacted his dentistry. They discuss the importance of managing emotions, time, objectives, and communication. Dr. Ricci also introduces his Dentists in Evolution course, which focuses on merging technical skills with leadership and communication skills.

Episode Resources:

• Learn more about Dr. Andrea Ricci: https://www.digitalsmiledesignclinics.com/studio-ricci-firenze
• Follow Dr. Andrea Ricci on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dr.andrea.ricci/
• Follow Dr. Andrea Ricci on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_andrea.ricci.smile_/?hl=en
• Follow Dr. Christian Coachman on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christiancoachman 
• Follow Dr. Christian Coachman on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriscoachman 
• Learn more about Digital Smile Design: https://digitalsmiledesign.com 
• Register for DSD Residency 1: https://digitalsmiledesign.com/dsd-residency-1-on-demand 
• Subscribe to The Best Practices Show podcast: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
• Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
• See ACT’s Live Events Schedule: https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/act-dental-live-workshops-306239
• Get The Best Practices Magazine for free! https://www.actdental.com/magazine

Main Takeaways

• Balance in life is crucial for success as a dentist, as it allows for excellence in multiple roles.
• Personal growth and self-improvement are essential for becoming a better dentist and human being.
• Managing emotions, time, objectives, charisma, communication, and rapport are key tools for success.
• Understanding oneself and others is crucial for effective communication and building trust with patients and team members.
• The Dentists in Evolution course by Dr. Andrea Ricci focuses on merging technical skills with leadership and communication skills.

Segments

00:00 Introduction

03:29 The Importance of Balance in Life

10:08 The Pressure to Excel in One Aspect of Life

17:51 The Journey of Personal Growth

25:17 Asking "How" Instead of "Why"

27:14 Preparing for Life's Challenges

32:31 Tools for Success: Emotions, Time, Objectives, Charisma, Communication, and Rapport

39:20 Impact on Practice and Team

42:18 Dentists in Evolution Course

45:31 Summary and Closing

Quotes:

“In order to have a successful life, there is one keyword for a successful life. And it's not subjective. I think that we can all agree that the only way is to have balance. If you have balance in your life, you can be successful because - for example, let's say that we have three, four roles in our life. We are professionals like a dentist. Then we are a husband or a partner, father, sportsman, entrepreneur. We have different roles. Let's say I am a great father and I don't invest a lot of time and effort in my profession. Do I have balance? I do not have balance. What about the opposite? I'm a great clinician and we all know great lecturers, great clinician, great dentists that are struggling in their personal life because there is no balance. Very common.” (10:06 - 11:05)

“We need to go back to basics. We need to find loneliness. We need to find time to read. We need to find time to stay with no electronics around, like walking in a wood or walking in the night with no lights, go to the desert, go to the beach. Whenever you feel alone with no watch, no phones, you focus again on the basics. It is very useful. So we need to dissociate our consciousness from our body.” (15:16 - 15:55)

“When I started my courses, the first thing was to find your mission. One of the courses that I attended, at the beginning, was: find out what your mission is. And when you realize what your mission is, you have your North Pole, so you know where you're going.” (18:05 - 18:35)

“This is the question that I ask myself every day in front of my patients. How can I help you? How can I better understand you? Help me understand your needs. And I treat my patients asking myself how do I improve their life? How do I understand them better?”  (26:24 - 26:48)

“One of the most important thing is not to judge people because we never know what's behind that person, what drives that behavior, what drives that way of communicating with you. Maybe they're aggressive. Maybe they are depressed, maybe they are hungry. You don't know what happened behind that person. So never judge and listen with an open heart. And then if you focus on others, if they say something wrong, it's or that bothers you, it's not affecting you. There is nothing personal. Patients do not have anything personal with you, the dentist.” (32:45 - 33:27)

“When I improved my attitude, I was completely different with my team. I stopped evaluating my team. I stopped judging my team and I was a better communicator. I was a better motivator. And this starting with the team became a very successful attitude with the patient. I stopped judging patients and basically I spent more time communicating with the patient.” (39:04 - 39:35)

“If you really want to help dentists to improve their practice and find the balance, that is my objective, is to merge technical skills and other skills, whatever you want to call them - leadership skills and time management skills. And instead of having a life path that goes up and down every day, every minute, every hour, have a very high standard balanced life.” (44:53 -  45:27)