Keep Going: Why Your Circle Shapes Your Success Inside the Dental Office and Beyond

By Sarah Beth Herman, CEO of Dentistry Support®

Stepping into Week 10 of the Keep Going series means you and I are nearing the finish line of a twelve week journey that has been intentional and steady. In my podcast, No Silver Spoons, I talk about what it means to become the woman or man God has called you to be. Before you listen to that episode, I want to give you this free training written especially for the dental community. This is for dental owners, team members, office managers, and anyone trying to grow from the inside out while running or supporting a practice.

So many dental offices tell me the same thing. They are busy, they feel stretched thin, and they are trying their best to keep integrity, excellence, and patient care at the center. But the truth is that the environment around us shapes us more than we realize. Your circle matters in your personal life, and it matters inside your dental office. The people you bring close will either help you rise or quietly pull you away from who you are meant to become.

Today’s training is meant to prepare you for the episode coming next on No Silver Spoons. It will also set the stage for what the new year will require of you as a leader, a dentist, a team member, or an owner. This is not heavy. This is purposeful. It is written to help you breathe, think clearly, and make decisions that support the future of your practice and your own growth as a human being.

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The Dental Industry Runs On People, Not Perfection

After nearly twenty five years in the dental field, I can tell you that dentistry has never really been about teeth. It has always been about people. Every schedule, every insurance claim, every patient walk-in, every upset call, every benefit breakdown, every billing conversation. It is all people. And people require healthy circles.

Research shows that emotional climate influences performance, communication, and wellbeing in professional environments. A study published in the Journal of Applied Psychology found that high trust teams experience better problem solving, stronger communication, and more aligned decision making compared to low trust groups (Breuer et al., 2016). That means the team you keep around you affects everything from production numbers to case acceptance.

Your circle affects your outcomes. That is true in your personal life and inside your dental practice.

When Circles Become Crowds: Why Bigger Isn’t Always Better

I tell a story in the podcast about a time when I pursued belonging so hard that I ignored what my intuition was trying to tell me. In dentistry, the same thing happens. Offices often believe they need more people rather than the right people. More assistants. More front office staff. More leadership voices. More opinions. More everything. But sometimes more only creates noise.

Psychologists call this triangulation, a behavior pattern where conflicting messages, gossip, subtle competition, or fractured communication silently shape culture. The American Psychological Association explains that triangulation creates insecurity and a false sense of loyalty based on who is against who, instead of who is for each other (APA, 2020).

You might be experiencing this inside your office without even realizing it.

You hear one assistant talk negatively about another.

You hear the front office team feeling blamed for everything clinical cannot complete on time.

You hear tension over insurance.

You see cliques forming.

You sense someone shrinking because they do not feel supported.

Healthy practices are built on alignment. Not crowds. Not noise. Not circles that demand you perform. Alignment.

When You Outgrow The Room You Are In

There will be seasons where growth feels lonely. There will be times when you become more focused, more intentional, more grounded, and suddenly the people around you do not quite fit anymore. This happens in life. It also happens in dental teams.

Maybe you are the dentist who is ready for the next level of leadership, but your manager is stuck in old habits. Maybe you are the office manager who is trying to elevate culture, but your team does not want accountability. Maybe you are the assistant who wants to grow in skill and responsibility, but your environment discourages initiative.

Stanford University research shows that when individuals step out of misaligned groups, clarity, confidence, and cognitive performance measurably increase by up to 40 percent (Stanford Behavioral Lab, 2019). That means your brain works better when your environment supports who you are becoming.

If you have been shrinking who you are to avoid conflict or to keep the peace, this is your reminder that you do not have to fit into every room. You were never meant to.

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The Dental Office Version Of “Becoming Her Or Him”

Becoming the person God designed you to be is not about matching routines or 5 AM morning rituals. It is about identity. Inside the dental office, that identity shows up in how you lead, how you communicate, and how you hold boundaries.

Here is what becoming her or him looks like in dentistry.

1. You stop explaining your value.

Leaders with clarity communicate differently. They do not argue for their worth. They live it.

2. You stop allowing unhealthy dynamics to guide culture.

A team is only as healthy as its most tolerated behavior.

3. You stop giving your brilliance away to people who do not honor it.

Your ideas, your experience, your strategies are valuable. Protect what you build.

4. You stop shrinking around people who feel threatened by your growth.

A strong dental practice requires strong people.

5. You start building systems and partnering with support that aligns with your integrity.

This is where Dentistry Support® becomes a lifeline for practices who want better culture, smoother admin processes, and healthier patient experiences.

My team is human. Not automated. Not transactional. Not cold. They bring compassion, accuracy, and integrity to every insurance eligibility check, claim follow up, billing task, and phone conversation. Your dental team deserves support that reflects who you are becoming.

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Why This Matters Going Into The New Year

You and I both know dental offices feel the weight of the year near the end of fourth quarter. There is pressure to close treatment plans. Pressure to run insurance processes correctly. Pressure to finish strong after a long year.

But next year will ask something different from you.

It will ask you to become the version of yourself that no longer tolerates circles that drain you. It will ask you to lead from spiritual grounding, emotional intelligence, and discernment. It will ask you to build a team rooted in clarity instead of chaos.

If you want a healthier practice, you must start with a healthier circle. One aligned with values, purpose, and the future God is shaping for you.

A Practice Exercise For This Week

Choose one person in your office who has been a steady presence for you. One coworker who has made your days lighter instead of heavier. One person who has held integrity when no one was watching.

Send them a message or write a card that says: Thank you for being a safe place in a hard world.

Affirmation builds identity. Identity builds culture.

Your Next Step

This training is only the beginning. The full story, the deeper lesson, and the encouragement you need for this season are waiting inside Week 10 of No Silver Spoons. After you finish reading this, go listen to the episode.

And if your office needs a healthier foundation, my team at Dentistry Support® is here to help with:

• Virtual dental billing

• Insurance eligibility verification

• Phone support

• Virtual admin systems

• Leadership development resources

Your office deserves support that matches the growth God is calling you into.

References

American Psychological Association. (2020). Triangulation and group conflict. APA Dictionary of Psychology. https://dictionary.apa.org

Breuer, C., Hüffmeier, J., & Hertel, G. (2016). Does trust matter more in virtual teams? A meta analysis of trust and team effectiveness. Journal of Applied Psychology, 101(12), 1527 to 1547.

Stanford Behavioral Lab. (2019). Identity clarity and group belonging: Cognitive effects of social alignment. Stanford University Press.

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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