Atlanta Mirrors Don't Lie

Atlanta Mirrors Don’t Lie

So it’s been a while since I’ve spent some quality hours at Atlanta’s Airport Marriott and a training day or two across the street at Jay Geier’s Scheduling Institute.

And the Scheduling Institute tag doesn’t really do justice to everything happening inside. There’s way more than scheduling going on and the service, furnishings, and planning are more in line with the Ritz Carlton than the Ritz Institute.

Before I ever acted upon the stream of “Scheduling Institute” emails I received almost every day, I envisioned the joint as some kind of monolith with bars on the windows that kept frustrated dental front office peeps from escaping and using their unfilled appointment books as semi-dangerous weapons.

It wasn’t until I actually saw Geier in the flesh that we immediately signed up for some training.

I had had a total epiphany years earlier when I realized how much I loved serving others. Looking back, nothing had been more fulfilling than helping out my parents; being their health advocate and being there as a source of love, reassurance, and support when they really needed it. No one has ever called me a quick study and basically, I had to lose everyone closest to me before I could look back and figure things out.

Since 2010, my trips to Atlanta have transformed dreams into distinct possibilities and if I get out of the way…realities. I’ve actually learned how to save money. I’ve even been fitted with training wheels on how to give my wonderful team the structure they need; I’ve gulped…and finally provided my team the latitude to take on more responsibility and grow. We know how to hire people who are just the right fit for adoption into our family and I’ve actually delegated that responsibility. Courtesy of Geier, who walks the talk, I’ve been given the tools to create a road map to an ideal and the means to make that ideal a model…and I’ve always realized the only obstacle is me.

This time around, the double play combination of Atlanta International-to-Marriott-to-Geier was all about a mirror. And if you’ve never drawn up your life story on a large clean piece of paper mounted on an easel, I highly recommend the art work.

We were armed with markers and erasers and some technology. The technology printed out instinctive behavior and natural strengths. And the image in the mirror wasn’t THAT ugly…but it sure was crystal clear. That mirror unmistakably revealed who I was…and what was holding me back ...as well the people I love and serve.

I’d like to think I’ve left a few things on the second floor of the Scheduling Institute in Atlanta. Fear, doubt, and lack of accountability weren’t even a glimmer when it came to what I needed to do for my parents. And if I truly serve the people I love, including co-workers and patients alike; and if I truly see them all in the context of family…it’s really time to learn from the past, leave it there, and grow up and be the man I was for my mom and dad.

Driving home on Highway 105 out of LAX, I thought back to a conversation I once had with Walter Hailey, a Texas millionaire mentor who basically inspired me to remain in dentistry. Walter called me one afternoon just to see how I was doing; I replied, “I’m doin’ great, what about you Walter?” “Jack, I’m drivin’ down the road but I’m feelin’ so good I can’t even feel the tires touchin’ it.”

Major thanks to Jay and the crew, looking forward to next month and another learning trip to possibilities and Atlanta.