ASP Retreat I

I have to add my name to the list of those who sing your praise! The two-year experience of working with you on Applied Strategic Planning has been one of the truly great experiences of my time in dentistry. I believe that one of the highest titles that can be given to an individual is "teacher". You certainly have the right to that title, and we deeply appreciate what you have taught us!

The NSC is such a big part of my life and things will never be the same. The world is opening up in such a beautiful environment and I am so grateful.

Great news!!! The Applied Strategic Plan passed unanimously and without debate!!! Your address and support played a major part of our success. The delegates were truly impressed and excited after your speech. As I ventured through the Caucuses, I could feel the energy and excitement. The Delegates got it. Change can and will take place. The most rewarding part for me was the acknowledgment by the Delegates that a certain amount of trust was needed on their part in order to take the next steps.

For me, the overall A.S.P. Series was a process that was long overdue for the USA Section. As I stated at Retreat II, this planning technique was entirely different from the others I was involved with. With our continued diligence, I have great faith that this will be of enormous benefit to the Section. In addition, it was a great learning experience for me personally. I believe this will make a difference to me in my practice and in the way I conduct my life.

My involvement in the Environmental Scan was most meaningful part from the retreats. Such work! However, what I learned about everything that will have an effect on the College, the profession of dentistry, and me personally was incredible. That and working with such an energetic, professional committee was a great reward.

For the College, this process set an agenda with a mission and goals for us to proceed in a productive and efficient manner. As we proceed, the Section should gradually strengthen and rise in prestige and influence. For me personally, it helped me to align and realign my life’s priorities. Professionally, it became a method of reexamining the way I conduct my practice and my professional goals.

The first retreat was a great intro to the ASP process and how it differed from other SP processes. It tied together the books we had read by Covey and Sinek, as well as the Organizational Health Survey and other resources you provided us to make sense of what we were going to do and to inspire us to exert the energy to get it done. The Values audit helped us define our core values and how to create a new Mission for the Section.

As we proceeded from the first retreat forward, it was exciting to take all our work and formulate a strategic business model, and then the integrated action plans to give us an actual roadmap and timetable for achieving our goals.

Thanks, Bob, for a wonderful life experience. I believe it will be valuable for the Section and for me personally.

Dr. Bob Frazer's Applied Strategic Planning changed my prosthodontic practice and my personal life from hopeless to hopeful. I learned specific tools from a master dentist and teacher who lives and breathes what he teaches. I was able to take the information back to my staff and use the information immediately. Since working with Bob, I sleep soundly at night, because I know the professional and personal decisions I make are right for me, my family and my team. Since taking your courses, every other speaker I hear, clinical or motivational, makes more sense. I don't leave any class feeling sad, because I don't know how I'm going to make the information I learned work for me! Since ASP, I know how to implement what I want. It has taken all of your courses and these years of practice to completely fit the entire puzzle, called life, together. Thank you!

Dr. Bob Frazer was outstanding. I announced during his introduction that, in an effort to get more members to stay through Friday, I had saved the "keynote" for Friday. I could only hope that his presentation would provide the "Wow!" factor I needed to finish out the meeting. Everyone was tired, low on energy, and ready to go home, and then Bob started speaking. Within the first 30 minutes of his three-hour presentation, Bob had our energy levels back up, we were re-energized, and everyone was on the edge of their chair and participating. After another 15-20 minutes I left briefly to go to the restroom, where another Schulman Group member commented, "Have you noticed how the energy level in the room has spiked?" We both laughed and rushed back to the room so we wouldn't miss too much of the presentation. I can't tell you how pleased everyone was with Dr. Frazer's presentation; they were overwhelmed. Please accept my sincere gratitude for recommending Bob!

We have come a long way since March! One of the greatest opportunities of this (Organizational Applied Strategic Planning) process was the chance to get to really know you and appreciate you in many different ways. We did a lot of work and there's more to do, but we should all be proud of what we have accomplished. Your participation was powerful and important. For that I acknowledge you on behalf of the Missouri Dental Association. Know that through your vision and thoughtfulness, you and other members of the committee have set a path for the MDA to follow for the next five years.

One of the best courses that I have ever attended in my career is Applied Strategic Planning. The ASP process taught us how to write a vision and mission statement as well as how to develop a self-managed, highly motivated team. We also learned how to use a very effective tool, the Integrated Action Plan, to accomplish our goals. I would highly recommend Dr. Bob Frazer and this course to anyone!