Have you ever heard of the book Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill? Of course you have. It's a classic, published almost 100 years ago. In it, Hill talks about the importance of developing a mastermind group—a group of like-minded individuals coming together to support each other in becoming better at their craft.

There are plenty of these groups out there today. But most of us dentists don't really form them. We may have study clubs, but do we have a group that we're truly intimate with? A group where we share everything?

Twenty-five years ago, my good friend Greg Toback told me about a group he was in. He called it a study group with a bunch of young periodontists—guys like Mark Nevins, Diego Velazquez, Todd Shire, George Mandeliris, and Chris Richardson. They were in their early 30s, their careers hadn't fully developed yet, but they were hanging around with some really good people.

I thought that was pretty cool. I said to myself, maybe I should form one of those.

So, I talked to Bob Levine, my brother in periodontology. We got a few other colleagues together—Bobby Butler, Jeff Canales, Brad McAllister, Jeff Thomas, and Bob Fiella. All of us periodontists. We started this group close to 20 years ago, and today, we're still together. We meet once a year at the AAP, and once a month online.

This group has been a source of immense strength for me and every member. As our practices grew and we brought in associates, the group expanded to about 17 or 18 of us.

The true power of this group became glaringly obvious during COVID. Nobody knew anything. We thought the world was closing down. We didn't know about PPE, finances, or government help. But in our group, everybody had an area where they soared. My partner, Ray Ma, was great at getting PPE. Someone else handled finances, another marketing. We met every Monday, and they were a source of great strength.

If you're not a member of a mastermind group, I strongly recommend you put one together. Choose people willing to share. When I formed our group, I wanted total openness. To join, members had to bring their last year's tax return and a P&L statement, and put them on the table. We didn't really scrutinize the tax returns; it was a symbol. It signified: "I am going to be open and honest with this group."

I've learned more from this group than almost any other, especially about paradigms and running a business. Today, as the senior member, it's a gift to pass down the wisdom we've accumulated over 40 years to the younger members. I watch their careers jumpstart—people in their 30s and 40s who are way ahead of where I was at their age.