Murphy's Law: How Many Consultants Does it Take to Change a Light Bulb?
Sound familiar? My friend Greg Harris, now the general manager of Issaquah Dental Lab in Seattle Wash., says it was easier telling everyone else what to do as a consultant. Running the laboratory on a day-to-day basis is where the rubber hits the road. Those of you who know Greg will be happy to hear he is doing it quite well. My point is: It is easy to create strategies and plans, but the devil is in the execution.
An average strategy, well executed will always outperform a better plan that just sits in a notebook on a shelf.
I have worked with several dental laboratories over the years in a consultative role. From the $42 million dollars responsibility I had as vice president of operations at DTI to working with individual laboratories on strategic planning, marketing, profitability and growth, I have never had to stay behind and get the job done. I always got on a plane and flew home. If I had done my job well, there would be performance metrics in place, time tables, calendars and action items. Even then, I lacked the ability to do the work I had designed, detailed and planned to measure. The laboratory manager/owner or their designee would ultimately be responsible for making sure changes in behavior, procedure, material handling, pricing, reporting and such got done.
“Organizations face many challenges in today’s shaky economy — competitive battles, increased costs, decreased margins, and a host of other internal and external forces. In order to shore up their companies’ responses to these factors, today’s leaders must be able to take the goals they set for their organizations and turn them into results. Unfortunately, too many companies struggle to bridge the gap between goals and results — they create solid, logical, even bold plans, but are unable to execute properly.” Execution by Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan.
So here is some really good news!
Most laboratory owners and managers are excellent at execution steps. Given an activity to do, accomplish or see through, laboratory managers rock the house in getting it done. Quickly, efficiently and very accurately. So why the consultants joke at the start of this compliment and all the emphasis on execution and the discipline of getting things done you ask? Well, because as owner/managers we are often preoccupied with getting things done well without the full consideration for whether or not we are doing the right things.
“Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.” - Peter F Drucker
This fall at NADL University, several of the nation’s top laboratory professionals (including yours truly) will come together to teach managers and owners how to be more effective. I will guide a workshop as I have in the past on The Art, Science and Business of Leadership, Management and Metrics for Dental Laboratory Owners and Managers. It is an incredible week of learning and growth for the participants. Stepping outside of the technical and clinical roles we have as dental laboratory professional and being open to getting a start on a mini-MBA goes a long way in making sure we are doing right things. Consider attending NADL University this September (find out more at www.nadl.org) as a great place to start. I have come to make lifelong friends with participants at the week-long course.
I look forward to working with some of you to craft an effective strategy for your operation going forward. Marketing, vision and mission development, understanding your customer, driving client equity, customer retention, key performance indicators, pricing and more will be discussed. The development of these types of core competencies and skills within an organization can make all the difference. Thriving instead of surviving - even in today’s economic environment. Our profession of dental laboratory technology can be fulfilling and rewarding (both materially and behaviorally).
Check it out.