Matter by Iain M. BanksMy rating: 5 of 5 stars I love to dip into a Culture novel every now and then. A galaxy-wide imagination, 40 separate species of alien, the astonishing Shellworld and a story-line that grips to the end. Action, humour, drama. Pure escapism of the very best kind. View all my reviews

It is 20 years since I first walked through the door of a dental practice and asked “how can I help?” I’m still doing the same this year. I’ll be doing it until I drop. The problems haven’t changed very much – same stuff, different year. Dentistry has become a more complex profession AND business but
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Back in the 80’s…. Financial management in dental practice often consisted of a phone call to the bank on a Friday afternoon to check the balance. Accounts arrived once a year, months after the year end, with a narrative from your accountant to prepare you for a forthcoming tax bill. The Dental Payments Board sent
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So last week I pitched up for the 08:30 daily huddle at The Smile Spa (as per normal) and said my “hello’s” to the team. As I listened to the conversation, it dawned on me that they had made some changes to the questions asked around the room. With their permission and with huge thanks
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During a recent practice visit I produced a bag full of 100 £1.00 coins – much to the surprise and curiosity of the team. Before the meeting I had analysed the existing management accounts of the practice, to see exactly what was being spent in every key area of the business, including lab, materials, associates
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The 60’s American sales trainer, Joe Gandolfo, penned the following: Successful business is 98% understanding people, 2% product knowledge. You need 100% of the 2% but its the 98% that makes the difference So nothing has changed. I’ve enjoyed my first week back at work so much – meeting with lovely people who are building
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We live our lives “connected” to the web (if not fully connected to each other as a consequence). We PULL data to keep us informed on things we need to know and to entertain ourselves: train times football fixtures ferry and airline schedules tube maps the news travel locations and directions the weather traffic conditions
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I’m predicting the extinction of the land line in 21st Century communication.   Imagine dental team members with individual iPhones and iPads who can take calls direct and handle any enquiries.   New patient calls to TCO’s.   Appointment enquiries to a concierge team.   Other questions to those who are best placed to answer.
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The Enemy by Lee ChildMy rating: 5 of 5 stars My first Jack Reacher novel, inspired so to do by watching the Tom Cruise movie. Every holiday needs a page-turning action story – and this was it for me. I decided to read the novels in chronological order (not publication) and this is Reacher’s first
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Canada by Richard FordMy rating: 4 of 5 stars So much of 20/21 Century American fiction seems to be about the desolation of life in rural communities in the mid-west. Steinbeck described the depression, Cormack McCarthy the plight of the modern cowboy and here, Ford takes a look at 1960’s Montana and Saskatchewan – all
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