ASP Retreat I

What a way to end a meeting!"..."Wow! Enjoyed immensely! Very helpful and practical information."..."Wonderful course! Makes you look into the areas where you emotionally lack good communication!!"..."He was very personable and love him as a person. Excellent speaker!"..."Nice speaking voice. Bob was very inspirational."..."Great speaker! Dr. Frazer kept me very interested."..."He's terrific at creating enthusiasm! Everyone, I mean everyone, needs to hear this!!

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.

“I have known Bob personally since the mid 1970's and have been a part of his Applied Strategic Planning series in the 90's and have continued to use Bob as a Mentor, being a part of his National Study Group for the past eight years. I can highly recommend him for his incredible expertise in helping you to Know and Truly Understand Yourself, Your Team and Your Personal Life. He has provided a web of intriguing ideas which have virtually transformed my life since I began working with him. And this is not to mention the people he has exposed me to, whom I would have never crossed paths with had I not known Bob. I place Bob at the same level as The Pankey Institute in changing the paradigms of my life and practice.” June 10, 2010

The Applied Strategic Planning process has given us and the rest of the MDA staff the opportunity to see where we need to go in the future. I speak for the entire staff when I state that we are excited about what is in store for the future of the MDA. Thanks for your superior work to provide this plan to lead the Association forward.

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!

For me, the overall A.S.P. Series was a process that was long overdue for the USA Section. As I stated at Retreat II, this planning technique was entirely different from the others I was involved with. With our continued diligence, I have great faith that this will be of enormous benefit to the Section. In addition, it was a great learning experience for me personally. I believe this will make a difference to me in my practice and in the way I conduct my life.

My involvement in the Environmental Scan was most meaningful part from the retreats. Such work! However, what I learned about everything that will have an effect on the College, the profession of dentistry, and me personally was incredible. That and working with such an energetic, professional committee was a great reward.

For the College, this process set an agenda with a mission and goals for us to proceed in a productive and efficient manner. As we proceed, the Section should gradually strengthen and rise in prestige and influence. For me personally, it helped me to align and realign my life’s priorities. Professionally, it became a method of reexamining the way I conduct my practice and my professional goals.

The first retreat was a great intro to the ASP process and how it differed from other SP processes. It tied together the books we had read by Covey and Sinek, as well as the Organizational Health Survey and other resources you provided us to make sense of what we were going to do and to inspire us to exert the energy to get it done. The Values audit helped us define our core values and how to create a new Mission for the Section.

As we proceeded from the first retreat forward, it was exciting to take all our work and formulate a strategic business model, and then the integrated action plans to give us an actual roadmap and timetable for achieving our goals.

Thanks, Bob, for a wonderful life experience. I believe it will be valuable for the Section and for me personally.

Applied Strategic Planning has been the most beneficial investment of time, energy and money we have ever made! Without it, I can't imagine what the future might look like. This powerful process and your leadership brought clarity to who we are, what we want to be and how to go about getting there. It made us create our future on purpose rather than just letting it happen. It focused us on a target and plan. At the same time it brought energy, enthusiasm, commitment and ownership to all participants. The words "Thank You" are not strong enough for all you have done for us!

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.