Last January, my wife Olga and I attended the 132nd annual meeting of the Manitoba Dental Association (MDA) in Winnipeg. Counting the 1964 meeting we attended while I was a fourth-year dental student, it was our 53rd meeting. The interesting factor is that for the bulk of all those 132 years, the meeting has always been scheduled for the end of January. No longer living in Manitoba, we now call the annual Winnipeg trip our “winter holiday”. For those not familiar with MDA happenings, the question often arises, “Why the end of January?” The reason is pretty basic. It’s called attendance. Throughout over a century of meetings, the regular attendance of registered dentists attending some part of the MDA annual has exceeded over 90 per cent. That is a figure not matched by very many dental organizations and also, if it’s consistently 90 per cent, why would you want to change the date?
Of course, we really enjoy meeting former classmates and friends from throughout the years and one of the interesting aspects is the traditional MDA response of “Never Better” when asked “How are you?” or “How are things going?” Never better has been the Manitoba norm for many years. It all started in 1969 when Ross McIntyre was taken on as MDA executive secretary – the first non-dentist in that very important role. Apart from his exceptional management style, Ross’ ‘never better’ response was perpetually indicative of his outgoing friendly manner throughout his entire 42 years of service. And it remains within so many of us Manitobans to this day.
Thinking of life in general, isn’t Never Better the role all of us should be thinking about as we make our way through family, society and our daily working tasks? It’s an approach day-by-day where you don’t settle for mediocrity but strive to make happenings around you to go another step forward to be better.
And that is what Professional Advisory and its dedicated contributors strive for issue after issue, year after year, to make the practice of dentistry Never Better. Mark McNulty in managing My Mother’s Portfolio step-by-step outlines a Never Better approach to financial stability. David Chong Yen and Louise Wong’s Estate Planning: Anticipating Hidden Liabilities warns that you don’t want to fall short of a finish line but strive for Never Better planning to successfully cross the finish line. How To Get Out Of Your Lease requires a thorough understanding explains Ian Toms as he outlines four Never Better approaches of getting out of a tenancy before the term end.
How about the Legal Matters When Purchasing a Dental Practice? David Rosenthal outlines a carefully formulated 17 point Never Better legal checklist to consider when at this point of decision. Should I Stay or Should I Go is what David Lind considers when selling a dental practice and he carefully deals with the various practice components that contributes to a Never Better conclusion. Purchasing a dental practice is never simple and Ron Weintraub outlines a Never Better strategy when Retaining a Newly-Acquired Patient Group and Team to Justify the Significant Purchase Cost.
Life is never simple, nor are the various components of dentistry, but learning and striving with a Never Better attitude can only improve the joys of living within a better world.
