How to Stay Committed to Your Dental Practice Vision When Things Get Tough

By Sarah Beth Herman, CEO of Dentistry Support®

Every dental leader eventually faces a season where keeping the vision alive feels harder than ever. The schedule slows down. The team energy dips. Or something happens behind the scenes that makes you question if you can keep pushing forward with the same fire you had at the start.

That moment — the one where you could easily say, “Maybe it’s time to walk away” — is where leadership begins to show its real strength. At Dentistry Support® we train dental teams around the world to build cultures that last, systems that support growth, and leadership that doesn’t crumble under pressure. And this week’s free training is for the practice owner, office manager, or team member who needs a reminder of why staying committed matters, especially when things get tough.

Our upcoming No Silver Spoons podcast episode releasing Monday will share a personal story that brings this lesson to life. But before you listen, this training is where you’ll learn how to build endurance in your dental practice — and how to lead with integrity through the hard seasons.

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The Truth About Leadership in Dentistry

Leadership in a dental practice isn’t about how loud you speak or how many goals you write on the wall. It’s about how you respond when things stop going as planned.

• The new hire who seemed perfect suddenly quits mid-week.

• The schedule that once overflowed is now filled with cancellations.

• The insurance claim backlog triples overnight.

• Or maybe you, the leader, just feel tired from being “on” all the time.

Those moments reveal what kind of leader you are becoming. Every dental office eventually experiences them. The key is whether your systems and your mindset are built to stay the course.

At Dentistry Support®, we teach that the foundation of every thriving dental office includes three things:

1. Consistency in communication – Every team member must know what’s expected, what’s changing, and why.

2. Clarity in systems – From billing to eligibility to phones, systems exist to protect the team from chaos.

3. Care in culture – Culture is not an event; it’s how you treat one another every single day.

When these three are in place, your office can weather anything — even a hard week that tests your patience and your purpose.

The Difference Between Quitting and Recalibrating

One of the biggest lessons we teach inside Dentistry Support Academy® is how to identify the difference between quitting and recalibrating.

Quitting means you’re done. You’ve disconnected emotionally, mentally, and spiritually from the mission. Recalibrating, on the other hand, means you’re adjusting. You’re re-centering the vision so it can carry you forward in a healthier way.

For example, maybe you’re a dental leader who’s feeling overwhelmed by team turnover. Instead of thinking, “I can’t do this anymore,” a recalibration might look like:

• Reviewing your onboarding SOPs and asking, “Are we setting people up for success?”

• Checking your own workload and asking, “Am I leading from overflow or exhaustion?”

• Hosting a brief team check-in and saying, “I know it’s been a tough month, but I believe in us. Let’s figure out what needs to shift.”

That’s leadership — not perfection, not burnout, not giving up. Staying committed doesn’t mean standing still; it means realigning without walking away.

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The Science Behind Staying

Our brains are wired to avoid discomfort. When something feels hard, uncertain, or emotionally charged, the instinct is to pull back. In neuroscience, this reaction is driven by the amygdala — the part of the brain responsible for detecting threat and triggering “fight or flight.”

In a dental office, that looks like:

• Avoiding a difficult conversation with a team member.

• Hesitating to change systems that desperately need improvement.

• Delaying decisions that feel uncomfortable but necessary.

But the part of the brain that handles logic, reasoning, and composure — the prefrontal cortex — activates when we pause, breathe, and choose intentional action over reaction.

Every time you choose to lead calmly through a storm, you’re rewiring your brain (and your team’s culture) for stability. You’re showing your staff that professionalism doesn’t mean pretending things are perfect — it means staying consistent, even when things are not.

That’s why Dentistry Support Academy® training always combines both: the science of leadership and the structure of dentistry. Because leadership isn’t only about what you do; it’s about how your brain and body learn to stay grounded in the face of pressure.

How to Lead Through Hard Seasons

If your dental practice feels like it’s in a “hard season” right now, here are five simple, teachable steps to bring your team back to alignment.

1. Revisit the “Why” of Your Practice

Every team needs a purpose statement that means something beyond production. Ask your team:

“Why are we here — really?”

Write the answers on your whiteboard. You’ll be surprised how re-anchoring to your “why” brings clarity when the “how” feels heavy.

2. Address Tension Early

When tension lingers, morale declines fast. If two people aren’t getting along, call a calm meeting and guide the conversation with respect. Dental practices thrive when small issues are resolved before they become cultural cracks.

3. Protect the Patient Experience

Even when you’re short-staffed or tired, your patients can feel your energy. Make the waiting area clean, calm, and welcoming. Smile when you answer the phone. Speak to patients like they’re your favorite person that day. The discipline of caring well even on the hard days is what separates average offices from extraordinary ones.

4. Prioritize Leadership Self-Care

The truth? You can’t pour from an empty cup. Schedule your own rest the same way you schedule a team meeting. Go for a walk before you answer a tough email. Pray, meditate, journal — whatever helps you return to yourself.

5. Keep Learning and Investing in Development

At Dentistry Support®, we believe continued education keeps your practice healthy. Whether it’s our courses, mentorships, or digital products available through our free training site, learning consistently is the best way to stay ahead without burning out.

Training Challenge: Rebuild One System This Week

Here’s your practical takeaway from this week’s free training: Rebuild one system that has been causing you stress.

Maybe it’s your eligibility workflow. Maybe it’s billing follow-up. Maybe it’s something as simple as your morning huddle.

Follow these quick steps:

1. Identify the one area that makes you sigh every time you think about it.

2. Write down what’s not working and why.

3. Ask your team for one improvement idea each.

4. Commit to testing one small change for two weeks.

You’ll be surprised how taking ownership of one frustrating area can restore your motivation across the board.

When you rebuild systems with clarity, you reduce stress, restore confidence, and set your entire practice back in motion. That’s the kind of staying power that matters most.

What “Staying” Really Means in Dentistry

When we talk about staying in the dental world, it’s not about staying in toxicity or chaos. It’s about choosing integrity when quitting would be easier.

It’s staying patient-focused when distractions rise. It’s staying committed to systems even when shortcuts tempt you. It’s staying kind when criticism shows up.

Staying doesn’t mean being silent — it means standing tall in who you are as a leader, a team, and a practice.

This is exactly what we’ll unpack in Week 5 of the No Silver Spoons Podcast, releasing Monday. That episode takes this concept and brings it to life through a story that will remind you why integrity always outlasts ego.

Explore the Digital Products That Support This Training

If you’ve been following the Keep Going series, you already know that each week has a matching digital product designed to help you apply what you’re learning.

You can browse all available resources at DentistrySupport.com.

Here’s how these digital products can support your practice right now:

• Printable affirmation cards and screen savers – for your front office, breakroom, or personal reflection space.

• Team worksheets – helping your staff align on communication, accountability, and leadership habits.

• Mini-courses – guiding dental managers through culture building, delegation, and patient experience transformation.

These are the same tools we use when training dental offices one-on-one, now available for you to implement at your own pace.

Your Leadership Matters

If you take only one thing from this training, let it be this:

A thriving dental practice isn’t built by people who never face challenges. It’s built by people who stay committed when things get tough.

Staying doesn’t mean settling — it means believing your purpose still matters even when things get uncomfortable.

This week, challenge yourself to look at your practice with fresh eyes. Ask:

• Where have we grown complacent?

• Where can we communicate better?

• Where do I need to stay instead of walk away?

Because sometimes, the next breakthrough is waiting on the other side of a moment you almost gave up.

Coming Monday on No Silver Spoons

Join me, Sarah Beth Herman, for Week 5 of the Keep Going Series on No Silver Spoons. I’ll be sharing a true story about what it means to stay when it’s hard — and how that decision shaped the leader I became.

You’ll hear what it looks like to hold your ground, protect your integrity, and lead with heart when circumstances could have convinced you to quit.

This episode will inspire you to re-evaluate your own leadership journey and remind you that you’re not walking it alone.

Final Encouragement

If your dental practice is in a season of pressure, change, or growth — don’t rush the process. Stay grounded in your values. Lead with clarity. Train your team well. And remember, the difference between a practice that survives and a practice that thrives is often found in one simple decision:

They stayed committed to the vision even when it got hard.

Keep leading. Keep believing. and above all — keep going.

References

American Dental Association. (2024). The importance of leadership and culture in dental practices. Retrieved from https://www.ada.org

Cameron, K. S., & Spreitzer, G. M. (2012). The Oxford handbook of positive organizational scholarship. Oxford University Press.

Clark, D. (2021). Resilience and the neuroscience of leadership: How the brain adapts to pressure. Forbes Coaches Council. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com

Dweck, C. S. (2016). Mindset: The new psychology of success. Ballantine Books.

HBR Staff. (2023). How great leaders build trust during uncertainty. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved from https://hbr.org

Institute for Dental Practice Management. (2024). Leadership development and team alignment in modern dentistry. Retrieved from https://www.idpm.org

Kouzes, J. M., & Posner, B. Z. (2017). The leadership challenge: How to make extraordinary things happen in organizations (6th ed.). Wiley.

Lencioni, P. (2022). The advantage: Why organizational health trumps everything else in business. Jossey-Bass.

McKeown, G. (2020). Effortless: Make it easier to do what matters most. Crown Publishing.

National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research. (2024). Workforce wellbeing and leadership in the dental industry. Retrieved from https://www.nidcr.nih.gov

Rock, D. (2008). SCARF: A brain-based model for collaborating with and influencing others. NeuroLeadership Journal, 1(1), 44-52.

Sinek, S. (2019). The infinite game. Portfolio Penguin.

Stanford Social Innovation Review. (2024). Resilient leadership: Training the prefrontal cortex response. Retrieved from https://ssir.org

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Disclaimer:

To learn more about Sarah Beth Herman, the author of all free training content you can read her bio here. These materials are intended to provide helpful information to dentists and dental team members. They are in no way a substitute for actual professional advice based on your unique facts and circumstances. This content is not intended or offered, nor should it be taken, as legal or other professional advice. You should always consult with your own professional advisors (e.g. attorney, accountant, or insurance carrier). To the extent, Dentistry Support ®has included links to any third-party website (s), Dentistry Support ® intends no endorsement of their content and implies no affiliation with the organizations that provide their content. Further, Dentistry Support ® makes no representations or warranties about the information provided on those sites. You can view our privacy policy and terms and conditions by clicking those pages in the footer of our website