I have an email this morning from a client asking why I haven’t written a blog entry for a few days – ooops, sorry.
I took the weekend off to visit family and then straight into a heavy week of travel – must try harder.
Sunday afternoon I drove down to Birmingham to meet for the first time with our Mastermind Group for 2007 – 18 principals who will meet quarterly for a working dinner and then a full day of coaching.
Some were old friends who have met at The Dental Business School workshops and others who have met on our Intensives.
The energy in the room was electric – a truly inspiring day.
They have in common:

• Ownership of a dental practice
• At least one year of DBS membership.

When we first created MMG’s 4 years ago I mistakenly believed that I would be required to come up with sparkling new “advanced” material to engage their interest.
But we quickly discovered they they had heard “the basics” but not implemented them all.
So the MMG evolved as an environment for implementation of the standard stuff they had heard me present on the core programme.
After an initial group introduction on Monday morning, we split into 2 groups – one working with myself, the other with Simon Hocken.
The format is to spend approximately 30 minutes helping each client to deal with specifics – facilitated by the coach but helped by all the other people in the room.
Themes yesterday were:

• I need to employ a full-time business manager
• I need to do the Patient Journey basics
• I need to do the marketing basics
• I’m still overwhelmed and my task list just gets longer

We agreed that, in fact, there was only 1 “to do” on their “to do” list.
The only “to do” is to to employ people “to do” the “to do’s” on your “to do” list.
Delegate to a business development manager, do dentistry, communication and leadership and let others do everything else.
My favourire comment of the day (from a client) – “have you noticed that there is a tit in the middle of practitioner?”
Mental week ahead – DBS workshops in Watford (today) and Cobham (tomorrow) – one to one client coaching on Thursday and my own day at The Strategic Coach Programme on Friday.
This morning I am sat answering emails in the Watford Hilton reception at 6.30am and a voice calls “fancy meeting you here” – my old friend Guy Levine is checking out on his way to a gig – and we share stories about the hopeless check in team at this hotel last night.
I’m a Diamond VIP card holder with Hilton and, last night, the check-in team made me feel like a £20,000 a year rep.
Finally, I have to thank Sital Ruperalia for taking me into Stanmore last night for a traditional Indian meal – I loved the vegeterian mild curries we enjoyed – but not the “Pan” he ordered to clear our palates after the meal.
A “Pan” (I discovered) is a leaf dipped in sweet oils and enclosing a variety of spices and nuts.
It tasted like a toilet block.
The waiters were very amused at my facial expressions.