Takeaways from Alone Australia

I’ve been catching up on Alone Australia and I think there’s some things we can take away from the series.

I wasn’t sure I would like this series and have not viewed any of the previous iterations. But I gave into it and got hooked (which is more than the contestants managed!).

Without going into detail, there seemed to be two approaches to surviving/ winning.

Working with nature or harnessing technology to master nature.

One contestant was like a character from the Flintstones and fabricated a collection of items: fishing poles, fishing nets, a canoe, traps for mammals, a gutting bench (optimistic as it turned out), even a stylish camping chair. Their goal was to win and outlast the other contestants. He was very busy.

His main competitor was protrayed as working with nature. A simple fishing pole sufficed, not a complex matrix of interconnected static lines. A focus on creating a warm welcoming shelter; patience and a flexible approach, building a relationship with the environment and its inhabitants. Their goal was to be part of their environment.

Dentistry is much the same. We can purchase and use all sorts of technology; or be envious of practices that look swish and stylish. We can be focussed on the task and short term outcomes and treatments.

Or we can focus on building real relationships and working with our team and our patients, guiding them and being there for the long haul. Not to win.

In the end, there wasn’t much difference between the outcomes of the contestants and you could argue that it was luck that played a part in determining the winner.

In a world of high interest rates and perhaps some tightening of family budgets, catching fish might become harder for our profession.

Maybe the successful practice is one that uses technology but doesn’t lose sight of the big picture and puts people and service at its heart.

Have a great week in dentistry and help a dental friend by sharing this newsletter!

Rosie