058: Why DSO Executives Need to Get Back on the Floor | Brandi Carter

Servant leadership in dental DSOs starts with a simple question: do your employees dread seeing you walk in, or are they excited when you do?If your organization is more focused on KPIs and metrics than the people earning them, this episode makes the case for why that approach eventually costs you both your culture and your bottom line.Brandi Marzolino, a 20 year dental industry veteran and leadership coach, sits down with Brandi Carter, a DSO and dental group executive known throughout the industry for building cultures so strong that team members have moved states just to keep working with her.They unpack Simon Sinek's leaders eat last philosophy, why so many DSO executives have lost touch with what's actually happening in their practices, and why building your own support system as a leader is just as important as building one for your team. This is a candid, personal conversation about what it really takes to lead with humanity in an industry increasingly driven by numbers.You’ll learn:Why servant leadership, not KPIs, is what actually keeps dental teams loyal and reduces costly turnover.Why leaders eat last, a philosophy from Simon Sinek's research on the military, changes how teams perform.Why leaders rarely get checked on themselves, and why that creates quiet resentment that hurts culture.How building a personal village of support helped Brandi keep pouring into her team without burning out.Why DSO executives need to spend real time on the floor listening before making decisions that affect patients.How fitness and self care became non negotiable tools for showing up as a better leader.Why some of Brandi's team members chose to move states just to keep working for her, and what that says about culture.🔗 Join the community and submit your anonymous questions:https://www.therealtalkofdental.com🔗 Learn more about The Empowered LeadHERship Program for Woman in Dental:https://leadhershipexperience.com/🔗 Boundary Boss GPT:https://leadhershipexperience.com/boundarybossWe talk about:00:00 Do your employees fear you or love seeing you04:16 Why connection matters more than KPIs in dental teams06:22 Why leaders rarely get checked on themselves09:44 Why culture always has to come before the business11:16 The leaders eat last philosophy from Simon Sinek14:35 Why every leader needs their own village of support18:36 How fitness became her form of therapy24:35 The moment she decided to prioritize her health28:00 How grief and loss reshaped her purpose36:47 Why DSO executives need to get back on the floor38:44 What listening to your team could do for revenueConnect with BrandiLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandi-carter-41122420a/Connect with meLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandimarzolino/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brandi.marzolino/https://courageandjoyatwork.com/https://leadhershipexperience.com/Phone: 616-682-6222#ServantLeadership #DSOCulture #DentalLeadership #EmployeeRetention #DentalTeamCulture #LeadersEatLast #DentalExecutives #WomenInDentistry #DentalPodcast #SelfCareForLeaders #DentalIndustry #TeamCulture #DentalCoaching #BootsOnTheGround #RealTalkOfDental