At Dentist Partner Pros, we do not just talk about leadership, we practice it. One of the ways we grow as a team is through our monthly book club, where we challenge each other to think bigger, question limiting beliefs, and apply what we learn.

Recently, we read The Power of One More by Ed Mylett. What started as a casual review of chapters turned into a powerful discussion about leadership, growth, and how to push beyond comfort zones.

Here are 12 lessons we pulled from both the book and our team reflections. These insights matter not just for us, but for every dentist leading a private practice.

1. Reset Your Thermostat

We all have an internal “thermostat” that regulates how much success we allow ourselves. Some of us hit financial or performance ceilings not because we cannot do more, but because our identity tells us we have hit “enough.” Growth begins when we recognize the thermostat and push past it.

2. Challenge Core Beliefs

Our deepest beliefs, often formed in childhood, shape the limits we accept. One teammate shared how a need for approval influenced his adult decisions. Mylett reminds us that to grow, we must uncover, challenge, and upgrade those beliefs.

3. Confidence Comes from Promises Kept

Self-confidence is not just a personality trait. It is built. Mylett writes, “Self-confident people keep the promises they make to themselves.” When we keep commitments, momentum builds. When we break them, trust erodes.

4. Persistence Pays: One More Try

Breakthrough often comes one try after most people quit. Our own team saw this with DPP’s early growth. After months of grind came a sudden surge in momentum. Do not stop swinging at the piñata before the candy falls.

5. Master Your Mornings

How you spend the first 30 minutes sets the tone for the day. Replace reactive scrolling with intentional practices like prayer, meditation, or journaling. John Wooden put it best: “If you don’t have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it again?”

6. Surround Yourself with the Right People

Associations matter. One teammate described how leaving a toxic work environment unlocked new growth. Mylett reminds us that the people you spend time with either reinforce your excuses or raise your standards.

7. Ask Better Questions

Mylett defines thinking as “the process of asking and answering questions to yourself.” Poor questions like “Why me?” lead to poor outcomes. Better questions like “What can I control now?” lead to better actions and better leadership.

8. Use Emotions as Fuel

Fear, doubt, and frustration are not weaknesses. They are signals. Mylett teaches that emotions, reframed, can be powerful motivators. Instead of resisting them, ask: How can I use this feeling to grow?

9. Dream Beyond History

“The happiest people operate out of imagination, not history.” Children dream without limits and we should too. When leaders dream bigger, teams follow. Vision creates energy that the past cannot supply.

10. Raise Your Standards

What if your minimum standard was simply higher? Excellence is not about occasional big wins. It is about raising the daily bar. One more higher standard in how you lead, serve, and show up shifts everything.

11. Rewire Your Habits

Habits either reinforce your limitations or expand them. Mylett calls us to install “one more habit” that aligns with the future you want. Morning routines, intentional planning, and daily reflection are small habits that create big shifts.

12. Multiply by Leading Others Higher

Great leaders are not just achievers, they are multipliers. By modeling high standards, keeping promises, and persisting one more time, you raise the level of everyone around you. Leadership is contagious when lived authentically.

Bringing It Back to Dentistry

For private practice owners, these lessons matter deeply:

  • Your thermostat sets the tone for your practice.
  • Your team mirrors your beliefs and habits.
  • Your culture rises or falls with the standards you model.

The power of “one more” shows up in every moment.
One more promise kept.
One more intentional morning.
One more brave conversation.
One more try.

That is how leaders grow. And that is how practices thrive.

At Dentist Partner Pros, we help dentists not just hire better, but lead better. Because the greatest growth in your practice starts with the growth inside yourself.

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