Lessons from Taylor Swift

I’m a low level Swifty. My daughters were a certain age when Taylor came into our lives and we’ve maintained an off and on again relationship with each album. I spent this afternoon at The Eras Tour movie.

If you’re a male reader, don’t stop reading!

We missed out on tickets to the actual concert next year, however, ever thoughtful Taylor thought of disappointed fans around the world and released a movie of The Eras Tour concert which was screened around the world this week. That’s a lesson in accessibility right there.

Now returned home and I have a newsletter to write.

There is a lot we can learn from Taylor’s career.

Resilience for example; coming back from the Kanye incident at the MTV awards when she was only 19. She has faced some adversity during her career and instead of being a victim, she has used the experience to grow and devleop. Whether notoriously using a break up as a topic for a song or re recording her albums to reassert her ownership of songs she had written, she uses adversity as a fuel.

Takeaway Dentistry is a tough game and there will always be days that are better than others. There will be times when you may be dwelling on a procedure that didn’t work out the way you planned or an unhappy patient. Developing resilience to manage these situations is an essential skill.

Showing appreciation and building and maintaining relationships. Taylor has a tight support network. Her parents are heavily involved in her management and life and she has a tight group of friends, her squad. Taylor is generous to her fans and works hard to maintain a relationship with them. She certaingly does not take them for granted. In return, they remain loyal and support her as she continues to develop as an artist.

Takeaway Having a supportive personal network helps manage the inveitable ups and downs of a dental career. Developing positive relationships with your patients will make them more forgiving if something untoward happens. You will also notice that over a long period of time your patients will notice your development and changing skill set and be proud to have been part of that your journey. This is a great reason to stay in a practice for a long period of time as the dentistry becomes more rewarding and less stressful as these relationships develop.

Growth and development. There are plenty of country music stars that are still country music stars. Taylor however has grown and developed and never been afraid to try new things. She works hard at her craft and has a highly developed work ethic.

Takeaway Developing a growth mindset to learn and develop at every opportunity is a hallmark of a true professional. This doesn’t necessarily mean you have to be continually attending CPD. It can be as simple as critically appraising your work; being mindful of every step of a procedure and executing in the best possible way. Taking time to reflect on your skills set and developing a strategy for your development with five year goals may be a good staring point.

Taylor has a strong personal brand and a strong business mindset and her business supports her brand and does not detract from it.

Takeaway As a dentist your personal brand is important and I think this is where a few dentists get things wrong. This isn’t necessarily about showing off on Instagram or over promising on cosmetic solutions. It’s about being authentic with your patients and team, accepting and owning your mistakes and making things right. Forming strong relationships with the people, who every day, give you permission to operate in a very personal space.

Having fun. Taylor genuinely looks like she is enjoying herself when she is working.

Takeaway If you’re not enjoying your work as a dental professional, then take some time to identify what is happening, what you can change or how you need to develop in order to enjoy your work. Life’s too short.

And remember..

Have a great week

Rosie