“The power of knowledge”. By Davide Accetto of Byrnes Dental Laboratory

“The POWER of knowledge”

By Davide Accetto I Byrnes Dental Laboratory

It becomes power only when, and if, it is organised into a definitive plan of action, and directed to a definitive end.

Iwas 21 years old, working for a family run Dental Lab in Rome, where I have basically spent all of my youth since the age of 14, by casting plaster and processing jobs for the senior technicians in both departments of C&B and Prosthetics.

God only knows how much I have loved that place but as the time was passing by, my frustration was escalating with my age - I wanted more, I wanted to learn more, I wanted to be able to finish the jobs, and not just be processing them and passing into someone else hands.

I was stuck, busy, too young maybe… but I was determined, and I will never forget that day of July.

“Luigi?!”

He was my manager.

“When will you teach me how to finalise the work?” “Before I will get retired” he said.

“Why you said that?”

“Because If I teach you everything you will leave me”

He was wrong, I would never have left. However, from that moment I sadly understood that the only way to acquire more knowledge was to leave, but I couldn’t do it without a definite plan of action.

It took me nearly 2 years to gain the experience and the courage to leave Luigi. Without his knowledge, every Saturday I was working for free for another Lab just to learn enough to feel confident in myself.

I have met many “Luigi’s” in my career. All of them failed to build a successful team, by neglecting to foster knowledge to those who are eager to learn and enhance their skills. Maybe for fear of losing them once the “power” had been given to their hands, or maybe just to avoid an uncomfortable pay rise. In any case they lost many valid and talented people.

The same goes for Team members that are not sharing their knowledge with other colleagues. It can be even worse for a team than a “Luigi", as it will create fractures between colleagues and a lack of trust which can passively destroy a team that is not well-bonded.

FOR THE TEAM

Invest in your knowledge: Your brain is the most profitable asset you will ever own and the one that will never stop paying you back.

Read books, magazines and listen to podcasts: Nothing is better than starting to build your knowledge by studying books, reading magazines or listening to some podcast. It will help you to achieve your goals, improve your skills and develop your mindset.

Go to conferences and courses: Conferences and expos are a great place to meet professionals and learn from them. The purpose of these events are not just based on marketing, but also to share valuable information and experiences. Courses are what you need to sharpen your skills and refine your techniques.

Use your own time: I really want to focus on this aspect. We all are busy in many ways - hobbies, friends, family, children and so on - but if you are not committed to do that extra mile or spend at least one hour a day of your free unpaid time for yourself to be learning and focusing on your personal growth, guess what? You probably will never achieve your goals and will slowly give up on them.

I recently started training some of my colleagues into Digital, and my goal and happiness is to see them succeed. They are all at different ages and experience, and I am honestly really impressed to see them committed to learn by staying later or coming in earlier for training in Digital.They are not paid extra for that time, it is their choice and this is their right path for successful results.

FOR THE MANAGERS AND LAB OWNERS

Reward who is giving more I am quite sure you all have a member of your team who is always ready to do that extra mile for your business. Do not forget to appreciate their work. I am not just talking about bonus and pay raise (which are important) but most of all recognise their hard work with compliments and sincere appreciation. We are all waiting for that magic moment when your boss says “well done, you have done a great job”. American philosopher William James said: “The deepest principle in human nature is the craving to be appreciated”.

Unfortunately, sometimes we are only called out when we have done something wrong. As the old couplet says: “Once I did bad and that I heard ever. Twice I did good, but that I heard never.”

Invest in your team Your team is one of the main reasons for your business success. I have been working in some places where the main concern was where to cut expenses, even on the milk and tea for the staff... It is right to not waste resources but do not forget to invest in your team by offering courses, materials and equipment. Ask their opinion and take time to listen and consider their requests. Obviously there is a limit to anything - if tomorrow I asked my boss to pay for me to attend a 3 day course in New York, he would probably choke while drinking his tea (but I am sure he would consider if the course would be worth the cost).

Take time for yourself Do you remember the last time you had a break form work to take part in a course for sharpening your managing skills or your business knowledge? As for the team its fundamental for the superior to keep their managing and mindset skills up to date.

Time is money, nothing is truer than this in business, but don’t forget to take time off for yourself and literally turn your brain off from work, especially when you are at home.

Having a business to run and provide everything it needs to run smoothly is an endless challenge, this could drain you, and sometimes ruin your work-life balance.

Delegate more. Building trust with your team will make you feel safer to be away for few days and will improve your team’s managerial responsibilities and problem solving skills.

Just ask yourself: How long could your business run without you? If the answer its only few months, you might should delegate more.

CONCLUSION

The purpose of this article is not to make you leave your workplace, don’t take me the wrong way, but a continuous search for knowledge is key to helping you reach your career goals. For managers & lab owners, it’s about how to make all of this happen too, as most of the time you are the reason of our success, sadly sometimes our failure.

If you are feeling stuck doing something you are not really enjoying, or maybe desiring to move into a different department, I wish you well in finding your path and remember that it is better for you to start thinking about a definite plan of action now, that will take you there.