ASP Retreat I

Regarding "Attracting, Selecting, and Retaining High Achievers: A Hiring Program" November 25, 2012 Dear Bob and Angela, Sandy and I want to thank you for the enormous assistance you provided in helping us find an administrator for our Dermatology practice. Your formula to find an eagle to lead our office was a seasoned, systematic approach. It allowed us to identify and select a candidate that was a wonderful fit, taking into account technical abilities, aptitudes, experience and personality. During the process, we also learned a lot about ourselves, and as a result, how to better interface with this eagle. Working with you was also extremely enjoyable for us. Both of you were genuinely enthusiastic, friendly and fun to deal with during each step of the process. Our new administrator has now been with us for 3 months, which has given us time to assess her abilities and potential. We are very comfortable that you have helped us choose wisely, and that we selected an administrative leader who will help our practice grow and make our lives easier. We thank you very much for your committed, knowledgeable and kind help.

One of the best courses that I have ever attended in my career is Applied Strategic Planning. The ASP process taught us how to write a vision and mission statement as well as how to develop a self-managed, highly motivated team. We also learned how to use a very effective tool, the Integrated Action Plan, to accomplish our goals. I would highly recommend Dr. Bob Frazer and this course to anyone!

Since I had not experienced the 'vision' aspect (of Applied Strategic Planning) before, I found this to be the most helpful in determining what I want to do with the next 40 years. Articulating and writing down vision then mission really helped me get balance into my life which was one of my original reasons for attending the retreats. Vision, personal mission, and leadership information was most meaningful. The team enjoyed the visualization process and symbols and their meaning. For the office, getting a clear mission statement done and being able to refer back to it and hire new people was most helpful.

Years before Lucy & I attended your Applied Strategic Planning seminar you had been instrumental in helping me change my office from one in which I was a benevolent dictator to one in which everyone played a role in planning and carrying out shared visions and goals. The ASP Series gave Lucy & me the tools to complete the very important transition to retirement. It really took work to achieve our goals as we proceeded into retiring. Your whole process in the seminar truly guided us each step of the way and for this I will always been indebted to you. My office was truly grateful also. I wanted this to be a win-win-win situation for Lucy & me, for my staff (as many had been with me 25 – 30 yrs) and finally, for my patients. Your ASP Series was vital in me achieving these three goals.

I was extremely pleased with the quality and appropriateness of your course. The New Patient Experience Practicum has had a dramatic impact on us already in terms of how we see each other and how we are beginning to see our responsibilities and obligations to our patients. Over the last few months of intensely studying Bob Barkley's and now your work, I have begun to feel that it is my moral obligation to do this type of examination process, because it is truly the only way that I can adequately begin to understand the complexities of my patients' needs, wants and desires. The course has been clarifying and affirming to us all and has become one more critical step towards creating a truly values-driven practice. The Saturday clinical in-office session was particularly helpful; it allowed us to see how all the pieces fit together. We look forward to working with you and your staff in the years ahead.

Since Retreat I, we have had four staff meetings and the word dentistry has yet to be mentioned! Very powerful meetings! Tears, hugs, the whole nine yards. This Wednesday, I hope to progress to writing our personal mission statements. I can tell that when dentistry is approached by the team, it will have a different angle. They have already, almost unconsciously, begun to see answers to questions through the prism of their closely held values. This path is more difficult than I had imagined. And, I'm not referring to how we practice dentistry. I feel like an ancient sailor who has sailed from port not really understanding what will happen, but sure of our direction!

Written the first year after taking the Applied Strategic Planning Series: Bob, the changes here are truly phenomenal! We are now in our beautiful new office, production and collection has risen over 50% and I swear we are not working as hard. I just stopped to listen the other day, and it is simply wonderful to hear and feel this new energy. People should be standing in line for this experience. Thank you my friend!

We found the (co-diagnosis) tape immensely valuable in helping us to modify our co-diagnosis process to a more effective level. The first two co-diagnoses we did following the tape were large, complex cases, and they went beautifully. The people are scheduled to begin treatment.

I believe Applied Strategic Planning is a most valuable tool for practice development and team building. After all, I am back for a 3rd time, my 2nd with you. ASP has been an incredible tool for taking my practice from one level to the next. By working with my team to develop our personal visions and by sharing with one another, we build a foundation for creating a vision of our mutual future of choice. When such a group goes through this process of defining values and creating their vision, a very powerful sense of teamwork and mission is realized. This synergy has propelled my practice to new heights each time we have participated in the process. I cannot wait to see how quickly things change again. Thank you for creating such a great process for dentists to use in their practices.