At a recent event here at the Spear Campus I ran into Dr. Zane Khan, an oral surgeon I know. He's the leader of one of our Spear Study Clubs and he was here at an occlusion workshop with one of the GP members of his group. He's from Florida, which as we all know is a state that has seen some significant economic hardship in recent times, so I asked how things were going for him.

"Fantastic" was his answer. He told me how much he loved working with his referring dentists, and how much he was enjoying the study club experience. He also told me about the fun he was having since he had taken up kickboxing with his kids and how he was enjoying life in and out of the practice more than ever. When I asked how the practice was doing economically, he said he had just had his best revenue year ever – with an overhead of only 45 percent. He just couldn't stop raving about how well things were going in every part of his life.

We talked some more and he told me he loved the concept of the study club; the idea of working together on implementation strategies and how he loved coming to events like this with them so they could learn together and bond together. His enthusiasm was obvious, and so was his sense of drive and commitment.

As we spoke, I realized something. The irony was that if any practitioner could afford to take it easy and settle into a "comfort zone" for a while it was Dr. Khan. He had achieved the life he always dreamed of in his profession. But here he was, back for more with one of his study club colleagues, eager to explore more opportunities.

Meanwhile, I see dentists out there who are really struggling to overcome the effects of an economic downturn and who really need to break through to the next level, but they're not doing much more than playing around the edges when it comes to creating an agenda for change. They are in a comfort zone, but without the comfort.

And this is the irony of success. Often those who need it most can't be motivated to pursue it with passion.  And those who already have it can't be persuaded to stop pursuing it.

Dr. Khan's passion and commitment to improve didn't diminish one bit after he had achieved the success he had always wanted. If anything, it was amplified. Success has that effect on people. I just wish more people would get to experience that effect and know that the only way to get there is to go all-in.


Post a Comment

Comments

Commenter's Profile Image John Sweeney
February 21st, 2013
Perfectly Said Imtiaz. I commend Dr. Khan for taking the time and money to attend an Occlusal workshop with his study club. Becoming the best in any profession definitely requires a constant drive and eagerness to grow and improve. I like to use examples from some of my favorite athletes over the years. When we think of Jerrry Rice, Micheal Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Derek Jeter, you always hear their peers talk about how crazy their work ethic was. Most people say they worked harder than any of their peers throughout their career, which is precisely why they were better than everyone else. These guys did everything they could to reach their potential, even when they could have gotten into a comfort zone and been fine. Moving out to years after their career we still see their drive to grow. Some are sports commentators, others are owners of professional franchises. I'm sure financially, they don't need to do these things. They could sit back with their millions in the bank and coast through retirement. But, they are not built that way. They have instilled discipline and committment to be the best and it has become a way of life. Now they are just applying this off the court/field in other areas, still having an impact on their respective sports. They were successful not because they were the most talented. They were successful because they made a committment to be the best, they worked harder than everyone else, they loved their profession, and they were not aftraid to take chances, which would allow them to be great. It sounds like Dr. Kahn has some of the same qualities leading to his success.......