What type of frog are you?

How do you boil a frog?

There are two options

A.          Drop it in boiling water

B.          Put it in cold water and turn the heat up

If you drop a frog in boiling water, it will jump out immediately and survive, so that doesn’t work.

 However, if you put a frog in cold water and gently turn the heat up the frog, being cold blooded would become acclimatised to its surroundings and as the temperature rises so does its blood temperature and before long it would be boiled alive.

 

As I visit dental practices and meet dentists all over the UK and Europe I am struck by how like the principals are to either frogs in hot water or a frog in a pan of cold water that is gently heated.

The principals that are like frogs in boiling water are rapid responders, they pay attention to their environment, the economic climate, the wants and need of their patients, legislative changes, their staff and make rapid and decisive decisions and take action. This type of principal will be courageous forward thinking, bucks trends, spend time learning from trainers and coaches, decisive and successful and they invariably seek professional counsel from coaches, trainers, accountants tax advisors and other consultants.

The principals who are like frogs in cold water that is gently heated are slow responders, they adapt to their changing environment and make the best of a bad job. This type of principal puts up with a lot of stress and strain because they don’t want to upset anyone, they are unlikely to know what their options are because the seldom attend training programmes, obtaining their information from hearsay and gossip, decisions are slow to be made and influence strongly by other people’s expectations, and action is taken even more slowly. the consequence is that they and their practice experience a slow and painful death, increase financial problems, fewer and fewer patients, lower quality staff, decline of and increasingly old fashioned clinical skills. It is not uncommon for this type of principal not see the warning signs until it is too late, bank loans being recalled, mass walk out of staff, completely empty books, complaints and maybe a GDC hearing etc. This type of principal will never seek professional counsel only do mandatory CPD, because they believe they know best and have no concept of all that they don’t know. In short their ignorance will kill them.

 What type of frog are you?

 If you have noticed that you are in hot water and want to get out before you boil alive, call me on 07989 757 884 or e mail Jane@IODB.co.uk to discuss how I can help you.