"I've been a Sterling client for six or seven months now."The consulting that I'm getting from Sterling is very good. My consultant is trying to keep me on track. I was already doing very well in my practice when I went to Sterling for the training. My main objective was to become a better executive. I understood my numbers well; I've been careful over the years to keep my overhead very low. I wasn't doing everything that Sterling recommends, but I wasn't really looking for big numbers or changes or that kind of thing, which I think many doctors are. I already had that; I just wanted to know how to keep it going and where to go from here. That was what I was looking for. In that regard, I think I was a little different than the average doctor looking for some big upturn in production.

"What I wanted was staff management skills. My consultant keeps me honest and makes sure that I'm not letting anything slide. I've been taught what to do. I just wanted to get a handle on those things where I didn't have the control I would like to have had.

"With the Sterling training I have an understanding of how to go about handling the situation in terms of overall trends in the business. I know now when, if I'm doing well, what I need to do to maintain and keep doing well. I understand the basic principles behind that.

"On the staff side, as far as picking up on what people are going through emotionally, I have a better understanding of what they are doing and how I may be able to resolve any particular situation that comes up. The biggest thing, of course, is having to actually deal with those problems when they come up.

"My consultant is willing to help me with that. I know those things do come up on occasion. It is nice, too, to have somebody else to run things by who can say, 'Yes, that is what you need to do,' or, 'You don't have to feel bad about that.' It's great to have someone to back me up. At least I don't feel like I'm out there all by myself being the mean old person in charge.

"I think the Sterling Program has excellent basic principles and knowledge, and it is just a matter of implementing it. From what I've seen they have a lot of success. Personally, I know a lot of dentists who do not have things quite running well in their practices. It would be nice if they could get their act together - if they could just get it pulled together and run with it. It's easier said than done, because we're not taught any of this stuff professionally.

"The more I've looked at the Hubbard management technology, I've found that it really is based on very basic sound principles. The man knew what he was talking about.

"When I went to Sterling the first time, my staff were very, very concerned. I think they thought I was going to come back and fire them all. One thing I have to give Sterling credit for, is that they create a very, very positive environment. I was impressed with that. You really can't do anything wrong, all they'll do is redirect you or get you to think something through in a different manner.

"Likewise, unless you really have somebody that they can tell is being a negative influence on your practice, they want to work with the people you already have there. They don't want to cause any chaos in your office by changing everybody. I liked that because some of the management courses I've taken in the past weren't that way.

"Where I've run into problems before, and where I've been slow to implement things, is where some of my staff have been through other consulting systems with other doctors. For example, my hygienist has been in practice 27 years and had been through many different consulting courses with different doctors she'd worked with previously. She really didn't have anything good to say about any of them. That didn't help any! My staff were all petrified that I was going to fire them all. So, the first thing I did when I came back was to tell them they were all fine, nobody was going to get fired and, boy, were they relieved!

"I really have to credit a lot of my success to my staff, because they are what makes a doctor. You've got to do your part, but they have to be there behind you or you won't make it!"