Do yourself a favour and read Rick Rubin's The Creative Act: A Way of Being. I'll admit upfront - hip hop, pop, and the gangster rap genres that made Rubin one of the most celebrated producers alive have never really been my thing. But Red Hot Chili Peppers are one of my favourite bands, and Rubin helped shape them. And the way he works with artists is nothing short of extraordinary.
He doesn't say much. He sits with a leg folded up on the couch, stroking his beard, eyes closed, nodding along to the music - completely present, listening for where something could be sharpened, or where it's already right. He doesn't try to reshape the artist into his own image. He creates the space for them to discover their own version of themselves, and to bring that into the world.
That's stayed with me, because dentistry is a people's business too. Not just a business for people - a business by people. It's easy to forget the second part.
When the culture in a practice is one of respect and genuine enjoyment - when the team actually likes working together - patients feel it the moment they walk in. It shows up in small things. The occasional cake in the staff room. Sushi on a good week. The little rituals that have nothing to do with production numbers and everything to do with people wanting to be there.
None of that happens by accident. It comes from surrounding yourself with people who care about the same work, and who feel safe enough to give honest feedback - not just our team to each other, but our patients to us too. We want to hear it when something isn't working, just as much as when it is.
It reminds me of something my Under-15B rugby captain once said, in the thickest Afrikaans accent, moments before one of the biggest matches of our season: "Teamwork make a dream work."
That's community. People who can openly and respectfully disagree without it becoming personal. People who enjoy the time they spend together. People building something bigger than any one of them. Not because they agree on everything, but because they keep showing up for each other anyway.
For people. By people.