This year marks the 40th anniversary of the first Stars Wars film, A New Hope, and life hasn’t been the same since. That one movie kick-started a billion-dollar industry of movies, merchandise, books, comic books and games. It’s estimated that Star Wars has generated $42 billion and counting in revenue.
I don’t consider myself a Star Wars geek, but even after four decades, that first movie still resonates. Populated with such iconic characters such as Obi-Wan Kenobi, Han Solo, Princess Leia and Luke Skywalker, A New Hope was not only a thrilling sci-fi adventure story, but it was also the best film ever made about dentistry. Just kidding. As you know, there’s not a dental mention in the entire movie, though Jabba the Hutt could definitely benefit from a couple of implant-retained dentures.
Still, there’s plenty of wisdom in A New Hope for dentists. Here are four Star Wars quotes to guide your practice by:
1) “Your eyes can deceive you; don’t trust them.´– Ben Obi-Wan Kenobi
Your practice can seem to be doing well. There can be a general sense of busyness, which gives the impression that your office is growing. But you can’t gauge performance by appearances alone.
Look at your practice’s key performance indicators (KPIs). Your office could be super-busy, but if you’re not collecting enough, then you got a problem. Your schedule could be poorly constructed, making it seem that you’re busier than you are, even though production is declining.
As a practice owner, you need to use a variety of tools to monitor performance––not just your eyes and your gut, but also the numbers.
2) “Traveling through hyperspace ain’t like dusting crops, boy!” – Han Solo
With Imperial warships bearing down on the Millennium Falcon, Han is trying to set the coordinates for the jump to hyperspace while dodging enemy fire. The inexperienced Luke offers some unsolicited advice when Han snaps back with this salty retort.
The point here is that there’s experience and then there’s experience. All the dental school training in the world can’t prepare you for everything you will face as a practice owner. It helps a lot, but there are some things that you won’t find in any textbook. Fortunately, other resources are available, including study clubs, seminars, books and articles, training courses and consulting programs.
3) “Stay on target.” – Gold Five
A squadron of rebel X-wing Starfighters attacks the Death Star. Their mission is to blow up this powerful enemy ship. Their goal… an exhaust vent that leads to the ship’s reactor core. If they hit this target just right with a torpedo, the massive Death Star will implode.
Hopefully, nothing that dramatic is going on in your practice. But staying on target is critical as we enter the last four months of the year. Stay focused on hitting your annual targets. Watch out for the obstacles and the distractions. If you run into performance issues, make adjustments to get back on track.
4) “Do. Or do not. There is no try.” – Yoda, Empire Strikes Back
I cheated a little on this one. The first three quotes are from the original movie. But how can you talk about Star Wars quotes without referencing Yoda, the master of twisted grammar and the wizard of nonsensical wisdom, who doesn’t appear until the second film?
Over the years, I’ve met too many dentists who said they were in the process of doing something––renovating their office, implementing new systems, adding new services, etc.––but little, if any, work had been done on these projects. If you’re gonna do something, you eventually have to get to it. But I understand, too. Big projects take time, planning, and resources, including money. Still, if you’re not happy with how things are, find a way to make changes––even incremental ones––can have a huge impact over time.
Conclusion
That first Star Wars movie was about trying to make the universe a better place. That’s one of the reasons George Lucas titled the film, A New Hope. Use these four quotes as inspiration to do the same for your practice.
Additional Resources
Read “Where Are You Going? And How Will You Get There?”
Need help with your epic practice journey? Check out consulting resources here.
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