How seriously do you take leadership as a dental entrepreneur? I went into the U.S. Navy straight out of high school. I spent 6 years in the Military and then ended up in optometry as a vision technician. I was a vision tech for about 3 weeks before being promoted to practice manager. I then spent about 6 years in that optical group managing 35 locations. I became a director of operations, opening de Novos on the East Coast before moving into dentistry in 2012 in my first role was as a VP of Operations for Great Expressions. I moved from vision tech to CEO within 10 years.  

Taking Extreme Ownership of My Own Future 

It was a fast rise, but I got one of my biggest lessons about leadership when I joined Hero Practice Services, a full-service pediatric dental group. The year prior to my joining, Hero had an EBITDA of $13 million. The CEO before me had taken the company’s value from $13 million to $6 million in 11 months. In addition to that, they had a turnover rate in providers of 70% for the previous 12 months. I walked into a dismal, disheartened team and company environment. So I did what I had trained to do as a leader in the Navy.  

I started cleaning out latrines with my soldiers. I put on scrubs and started taking out the trash, cleaning operatories and asking the teams how best I could support them. My actual question to my teams was, “how can I support you while you support the boss?” Some looked at me quizzically, asking, “aren’t you the boss?” And my response was always, “Our bosses are the 5 year-olds walking through our doors every day needing our services and care.”

To me, that is the definition of extreme ownership as a CEO.  I was willing to do any and all jobs to get us back on track and instill a sense of pride, ownership and stability in my teams, no matter how many practices I had to walk into.

Careless Leadership Leads to Care-less Teams 

It’s very easy to get caught up in labels, hierarchy, power, etc. and if you’re not careful, as a dental entrepreneur and leader in your dental practice you can inadvertently create a culture of those kinds of qualities and values. One of the aspects of my job at Optimize Practice Alliance is executive coaching our doctors to help them understand that it’s perfectly fine to be wrong, but it’s not fine to be wrong and blame other people or power-trip them, etc.  

Turning Extreme Ownership into Real-World Results 

Back at Hero, we went from about 40 practices to around 70 and grew our revenue from roughly $60 million to about $140 in a 28-month period. We more than doubled the valuation. We also expanded into 2.5% of the national Medicaid market and sustained that growth until about December 2021 when I left the company to help found OPA. So, what that tells me is we parlayed that cultural shift, always asking “Who’s the real boss?” into hard numbers and a solid increase in market share and company valuation.  

As a CEO, I am constantly seeking ways to enhance my leadership skills and drive our organizations toward sustained growth and innovation. When I read Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin I saw in that book the embodiment of my values as a leader and how I teach and coach those principles for our dental entrepreneurs. This book provides profound insights into leadership that are both transformative and practical for dental entrepreneurs. So, I want to share some of my insights here.  

Understanding Extreme Ownership 

There are many great themes in this book, but the central tenet is the concept of extreme ownership, which posits that leaders must take absolute responsibility for everything in their domain. Harry Truman, the 33rd president of the United States, kept a sign on his desk that read, “The buck stops here.” For me, this quote encapsulates the essence of extreme ownership.

This principle is rooted in the experiences of Willink and Babin as Navy SEAL officers, where the stakes were, quite literally, life and death. By taking complete ownership, leaders can effectively guide their teams toward success while instilling a culture of accountability and resilience. And complete ownership for these leaders, means owning the good decisions (not the credit) as well as the bad ones. The buck stops here. Following are the themes I extracted and wanted to share you with you here.

Key Lessons for Leaders

1. No Bad Teams, Only Bad Leaders: One of the most striking lessons from the book is the idea that team performance is a reflection of leadership quality. Willink and Babin recount how changing the leader of an under-performing team led to a dramatic turnaround. For dental entrepreneurs, this underscores the importance of developing strong leadership throughout their organization and not shying away from making necessary leadership changes when needed. 
2. Decentralized Command: Effective delegation is critical. The book emphasizes the need for leaders to empower their subordinates to make decisions and take ownership of their roles. This decentralization not only fosters a sense of ownership at all levels but also ensures that decisions are made closer to the action, increasing agility and responsiveness. For dental entrepreneurs this is crucial for a well-running front office, buzzing operatories and happy hygienists.
3. Prioritize and Execute: In high-pressure situations, the ability to identify the most critical tasks and focus resources on them is crucial. Willink and Babin’s approach to prioritization helps leaders manage multiple competing demands without losing sight of the primary objectives. For dental entrepreneurs, this means clearly defining priorities and ensuring that the entire organization is aligned with these goals. For instance, if you’re in the middle of scaling your organization while still working chairside, you need to prioritize and execute while your teams do the same. This is crucial to your scaling success.
4. Simplicity: Complexity can be the enemy of execution. The book advocates for simplifying plans and communication to avoid misunderstandings and ensure clarity. In the business world, this translates to clear, concise strategies and communication that everyone in your dental organization can understand and rally behind. For a dental entrepreneur, simplicity not only translates to greater execution, it ensures safer and better patient outcomes.

Implementing Extreme Ownership as a Dental Entrepreneur 

Implementing the principles of extreme ownership requires a shift in mindset and culture. I’ve put together a short list of practical steps you can take to start integrating these lessons into your dental organization. This list is by no means exhaustive, but it is a solid start with minor shifts in your thinking, processes and accountability as a dental entrepreneur:

• Model Ownership: Demonstrate extreme ownership in your actions. Acknowledge mistakes openly, take responsibility for failures, and share credit for successes. 
• Empower Your Leaders: Train your leadership team in these principles, ensuring they understand and embrace their roles as owners within their domains. 
• Simplify Processes: Review and streamline your organization’s processes and communication channels to enhance clarity and efficiency. 
• Encourage Open Communication: Foster an environment where feedback is welcomed, and information flows freely up and down the chain of command. 
• Read the Book: This book is a quick read and the stories are fascinating. Take some time to read it and digest this invaluable information. It can’t hurt and it will most definitely have a profound impact on you as a leader and enhance your skills as a dental entrepreneur.

A Blueprint for Transforming your Dental Culture 

Extreme Ownership is more than yet another book on leadership; it is a blueprint for transforming organizational culture and guiding exceptional performance. As dental entrepreneurs, adopting these principles can help us build more resilient, accountable, and agile organizations. Whether you are navigating a turnaround in your practice, scaling for growth, or simply looking to refine your leadership approach, the lessons from Willink and Babin offer invaluable guidance. Embracing these principles will give you the tools to lead your organization to profound success and realize your vision. 

Support for the Dental Entrepreneur Starts with Clear Direction 

High-performing leaders move fast, but the best ones don’t move blindly. Unlimited leadership potential isn’t unlocked by speed alone; it’s unlocked by clarity of purpose, alignment around values, and a clear direction for where you’re taking your team.

That’s why we created the Extraction GPS. This tool helps dental entrepreneurs clarify what they stand for, define where their practice is today, and map out where they’re going, so execution is driven by intention, not chaos. When your vision is clear, your team can move faster, make better decisions, and execute with confidence.

Leadership becomes simpler when everyone knows the destination. Trust increases. Accountability strengthens. And momentum becomes sustainable.

Ready to lead with purpose, clarity, and conviction?