What nobody tells you about leading a Dental Practice : A guest post by Mark Topley

Most practice managers aren’t struggling because they lack confidence — they’re struggling because no one ever gave them a leadership framework.

There’s a pattern I see time and time again with practice managers.

They think the problem is them.

Not confident enough. Not assertive enough. Not the right sort of person to be leading a team.

You hear it in the way they describe their days:Firefighting. Drowning. Just trying to keep their head above water.

But here’s the truth I come back to in almost every conversation:

The problem isn’t you. The problem is that nobody ever taught you how to lead.

Most practice managers were promoted because they were good at the job. Organised. Reliable. Calm under pressure. Someone who got things done.

Then, almost overnight, they’re responsible for culture, conflict, morale, performance, and keeping the whole practice from wobbling.

And nobody hands them a roadmap.

The myth of “natural leadership”

We’ve been sold a story that some people are just natural leaders. That leadership is a personality trait. That you either have it or you don’t.

That’s rubbish.

Leadership is a skill. And like any skill, it can be learned.

The practice managers who look confident aren’t winging it on personality. They’re working from structure. They know what good looks like. They know what they’re responsible for.

They know the next right step.

That’s what gives them clarity.

And clarity is what most teams mistake for confidence.

What actually changes things

Over the past few years, I’ve worked with more than 200 practice managers. Different practices. Different pressures. Different personalities.

But the ones who move from chaos to confidence all tend to do the same things.

T

hey lead themselves first.They recognise that they can’t pour into a team if they’re running on empty. They manage their energy, build self-awareness, and stay encouraged.

They give the team a clear message.Not a wordy mission statement that lives in a drawer. A simple creed that answers three questions: who we are, what we’re here to do, and how we behave when it matters.

They build culture on purpose.Not through pizza Fridays or posters on the wall, but through what they celebrate, what they challenge, and what they role-model every single day.

They communicate what matters.Regularly. Clearly. They remind people why we’re here, where we’re going, how we’re getting there, how we’re doing, and what each person’s role is in all of it.

They balance high standards with high support.High challenge with low support burns people out. Low challenge with high support creates drift. Strong teams need both: clear expectations and proper backing.

They delegate authority, not just tasks.Handing over tasks creates followers. Handing over authority creates leaders.

The difference structure makes

When you have structure, you stop second-guessing yourself.

You know what to do when culture slips.You know how to approach a difficult conversation.You know when to step in — and when to step back.

Your team feels it straight away. There’s less friction. Less confusion. More shared understanding of what matters and what’s expected.

And you stop feeling like you’re making it up as you go.

Most practice managers are winging it because nobody ever showed them the system. But once you learn it, everything shifts.

You stop firefighting.You start leading.

The work doesn’t necessarily get easier — but it gets clearer. More purposeful. More like you’re building something, rather than just holding it together.

That’s what structure does.

It gives you the confidence to lead well — not because you’ve changed who you are, but because you finally know what to do.

Join the free webinar

If this resonates, I’m running a free live webinar next Tuesday, 20 January, where I’ll walk through the core leadership structure that helps practice managers move from overwhelm to calm, confident leadership.

It’s practical, down-to-earth, and designed for real practice life.

You can register for free here.

Chris, thanks for the space — and for shining a light on the conversations practice leaders really need to be having.