Dear Practice: Leadership Lessons for Owners and Managers in 2026
The day is inspired by Gareth Southgate’s “Dear England” but this is not a football seminar.
You won’t need to know the offside rule and I won’t be analysing formations.
We’ll be taking the underlying leadership themes – values, culture, courage, dealing with pressure – and applying them directly to your practice.
Across the full day we will:
- Clarify who you are as a leader
You’ll draft your own “Dear [My Town]” letter, describing what you want your practice to stand for, then identify the specific behaviours you need to model if you want people to take you seriously.
- Take an honest look at your culture
You’ll complete a simple “dressing-room audit” of your practice and, in mixed-table syndicates, build a practical Stop / Start / Continue list to improve trust, standards and day-to-day working life.
- Learn to have braver, cleaner conversations
We’ll unpack the Karpman Drama Triangle and how it plays out in dental teams, then work on adult-to-adult conversation scripts for the real issues you’re currently avoiding.
- Leave with a 90‑day leadership plan
You’ll complete a one-page Leadership Scorecard: one clear leadership focus, the weekly behaviours you’ll commit to, a small scoreboard to track progress, and a short “Dear Practice, over the next 90 days…” statement you can take back to your team.
The format will be familiar: short presentations from me, followed by masterclass-style table work with other owners and managers from The Extreme Business 100.
You will leave with a workbook full of your own notes, decisions and commitments – not theory.
If you want 2026 to be a year of stronger leadership, calmer cultures and fewer unresolved dramas, this day is designed for you.
