Be a Rookie

I’m just back from presenting at the ADA Conference on the New Dentist. It was a great day filled with the enthusiasm and thirst for knowledge that the young dentists from all over the country brought to the meeting.

As I looked out over the audience, I was reminded of the attributes of a ROOKIE: Eager, enthusiastic, hard working, positive-minded, optimistic, and willing to do whatever it takes to succeed. About a year ago, I spent a day with Jerry Rice, most recently of “Dancing with the Stars” fame and the NFL before that. Jerry shared that if there was any one attribute that helped him in professional football, it was that he took on the attitude of a rookie each season no matter how successful he had been the season before. In other words, he tried out for his position every year, just as if he were a rookie again.

No matter your tenure in the profession, it might be time to go back and be a rookie again. Adopt those attributes. “Try out” for your position again. If you were hiring for your position, would you hire you based on your current performance? One of my favorite quotes from author Brian Tracy says, “What kind of company would my company be if everyone in it were just like me?” Do you exemplify the positive attributes of a rookie? Do those attributes positively influence your entire team?

So go ahead. Be a rookie again. It will be good for your practice and good for your team. After all, if you don’t, someone will eventually come along in your market that will want your position more that you do, will be willing to work for it, and will probably get it!