ASP Retreat I

NSC is the place where all the learning has come together. The combination of beautiful scenery, wonderful and supportive members, and a curriculum based on the needs of the members creates the opportunity for breakthrough learning.

Your Applied Strategic Planning Series helped us get ready for a big transition as my soon-to-be partner, Todd Gruen, and I prepared to take over the practice of my partner at the time, Mickey Bernstein. As you know, Mickey has had a very successful practice and is President-elect of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. Todd and I were about to try to fill some big shoes. Your program helped us identify where we needed to focus and to clarify who WE wanted to be. The involvement of the whole team made this process so much more powerful. Thanks for all your help!

The Strategic Planning process gave me the opportunity and encouragement to focus on my mission and values and how I will express that with my goals. I have discovered that the course is just the beginning of an exciting, ongoing process.

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.

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.

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.

The Applied Strategic Planning with Dr. Frazer and team was one of the most meaningful things I have done with my team. Through the process, our team became much more unified and focused on what we really want for our office, our patients, and our lives. It was truly amazing, and I would highly recommend ASP for anybody, or any dental team, that really desires to create the life and practice of their dreams.

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!