The Questions Great Leaders Ask Before They Try to Fix Anything: Why Better Questions Lead to Better Dental Practices

Sarah Beth Herman
Jul 2
6 min read

By Sarah Beth Herman, MBA, Founder & CEO, Dentistry Support®

Abstract

Leadership in dentistry is often measured by a leader's ability to make decisions quickly and solve problems efficiently. However, the most effective dental practice leaders rarely begin by searching for answers. They begin by asking better questions. After more than 25 years in dentistry, I have found that many of the challenges practices struggle to overcome are not caused by a lack of effort, intelligence, or commitment. More often, they stem from solving the wrong problem. This free training explores why curiosity is one of the most valuable leadership skills in modern dentistry and how asking stronger questions can improve patient communication, treatment acceptance, team development, operational efficiency, and long-term practice growth.

Introduction

One of the greatest misconceptions I've encountered throughout my career is the belief that great leaders simply have better answers. I don't believe that's true anymore. In fact, after more than twenty-five years in dentistry, building companies, consulting with practices across the country, and leading teams around the world, I've come to believe that great leaders ask better questions. There's an important difference.

When something isn't working inside a dental practice, our instinct is usually to fix it. Production decreases. Treatment acceptance slows. Phones aren't being answered consistently. Insurance claims begin aging. The schedule has holes. Team morale starts slipping. We immediately move into solution mode. That's understandable. Leaders are problem solvers.

But what if the problem we're trying to solve isn't actually the problem at all? That question has changed the way I approach leadership. It has changed how I consult with dental practices. It has changed how Dentistry Support partners with clients. And it has changed the conversations I have with business owners every single week. The first explanation is rarely the complete explanation.

Leadership Begins With Curiosity

One of the greatest gifts a leader can develop is curiosity. Not curiosity because you lack confidence. Curiosity because you recognize that every challenge has layers.

I've worked with practices that believed they had a staffing problem. What they actually had was inconsistent systems. I've worked with practices convinced they needed more new patients. After looking deeper, they had a retention problem. I've worked with offices that believed insurance companies were creating their biggest frustrations. In reality, internal processes were creating unnecessary delays long before claims ever reached the payer.

Those situations all have one thing in common. The visible problem wasn't necessarily the real problem.

That's why curiosity matters. Curiosity slows us down just enough to investigate before we prescribe solutions.

The Danger of Solving Symptoms

Imagine walking into your medical doctor's office with a fever. Your physician immediately hands you medication to lower your temperature without asking additional questions. The fever improves. The underlying infection continues.

We would never call that quality healthcare.

Yet in business, we often do something similar. We solve symptoms. Not causes.

A schedule with open appointments becomes a marketing problem. Delayed insurance payments become an insurance company problem. Lower collections become a billing problem. Higher turnover becomes a hiring problem.

Sometimes those assumptions are accurate. Many times they are incomplete.

The longer I've worked in dentistry, the more convinced I've become that surface-level problems deserve deeper investigation.

Five Questions Every Dental Leader Should Ask

Over the years, I've found myself returning to the same questions whenever a practice is struggling.

These questions don't guarantee answers.

They simply help uncover better ones.

1. What problem are we actually trying to solve?

This sounds obvious.

It rarely is.

Let's say treatment acceptance has declined.

Before implementing new financing options or additional follow-up systems, ask:

What specifically changed?

Did patient volume change?

Did staffing change?

Did communication change?

Did scheduling change?

Did doctor availability change?

Did leadership change?

Understanding what changed is often more valuable than immediately deciding how to fix it.

2. What assumptions are we making?

Assumptions save time.

They also create blind spots.

One of the healthiest habits leaders can develop is asking:

"What evidence supports what we believe?"

Not because we distrust our instincts.

Because our instincts are influenced by our experiences.

Every leader sees the world through a unique lens.

Great leaders recognize that lens may not tell the whole story.

3. Who experiences this challenge differently than I do?

This may be one of my favorite leadership questions.

Doctors experience dentistry differently than office managers.

Office managers experience dentistry differently than insurance coordinators.

Insurance coordinators experience dentistry differently than patients.

Patients experience your practice differently than your team.

When leaders intentionally seek different perspectives, hidden opportunities often emerge.

One conversation can reveal an obstacle that months of meetings never uncovered.

4. What part of this process creates unnecessary friction?

Every business develops friction over time.

Steps get added.

Processes become more complicated.

Communication becomes inconsistent.

Technology changes.

People compensate by working harder.

Eventually hard work begins replacing efficient systems.

At Dentistry Support, we spend considerable time evaluating operational workflows because sustainable growth rarely comes from asking people to work harder.

It comes from helping systems work better.

Systems should reduce stress, not create it.

5. What would success actually look like?

This question is surprisingly overlooked.

Many practices know what they don't want.

Few clearly define what success looks like.

Do we want faster insurance reimbursement?

Higher patient satisfaction?

Improved treatment acceptance?

Lower accounts receivable?

Reduced stress for the team?

Improved communication?

Without defining success, it's difficult to measure progress.

Clear expectations create clear decisions.

Strong Practices Build Strong Questions

Throughout my career, I've observed that thriving practices share something in common. They aren't obsessed with appearing perfect. They're committed to continuous improvement.

That mindset creates healthier conversations.

Instead of asking, "Who's responsible?" they ask, "What can we learn?"

Instead of asking, "Why isn't this working?" they ask, "What are we missing?"

That shift changes culture. People become less defensive. Innovation increases. Communication improves. Learning accelerates.

Systems Before Solutions

One of the reasons Dentistry Support emphasizes systems so heavily is because systems create consistency. Consistency builds trust. Trust creates confidence. Confidence supports growth.

Whether we're assisting with insurance eligibility verification, dental billing, accounts receivable management, patient phone support, scheduling assistance, or administrative operations, our objective is never simply completing tasks. Our objective is helping practices develop repeatable systems that continue producing results long after individual problems have been resolved.

Good systems don't eliminate challenges. They make challenges easier to navigate.

Leadership Is a Daily Practice

Leadership isn't found in major decisions alone. It's found in hundreds of smaller decisions made every week. It's choosing curiosity over assumptions. Listening before responding. Investigating before concluding. Learning before defending.

These habits rarely create dramatic overnight transformation. They create something far more valuable. Consistency. And consistency is often what separates growing practices from struggling ones.

Final Thoughts

If there's one lesson I hope you take from this free training, it's this: The quality of your leadership is directly connected to the quality of the questions you're willing to ask.

Not every problem is what it first appears to be. Not every solution addresses the real issue.

The most effective leaders I've met are not necessarily the smartest people in the room. They're often the most curious.

This week, I want to challenge you to pause before solving the next problem that lands on your desk. Ask one more question. Seek one more perspective. Look one layer deeper. You may discover that what looked like the problem was simply pointing you toward something much more important.

Next week on No Silver Spoons®, we're going to take this conversation one step further. We'll explore why people often struggle to change their minds, why information alone rarely changes behavior, and what neuroscience can teach us about leadership, communication, and human decision-making.

If today's free training encouraged you to ask better questions, I think Monday's conversation will help you better understand the people answering them.

References

Argyris, C. (1991). Teaching smart people how to learn. Harvard Business Review, 69(3), 99-109.

Clear, J. (2018). Atomic habits: An easy & proven way to build good habits & break bad ones. Avery.

Kahneman, D. (2011). Thinking, fast and slow. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

Senge, P. M. (2006). The fifth discipline: The art and practice of the learning organization (Rev. ed.). Doubleday.

Stanier, M. B. (2016). The coaching habit: Say less, ask more & change the way you lead forever. Box of Crayons Press.

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