Karl Jobst

Karl Jobst On the Far-Reaching Impact of Exceptional Leadership in Dentistry

Surely there has been plenty of discussion regarding the importance of establishing a wholly positive and pervasive culture in a dental practice, particularly since each patient usually deals with multiple staff members and assistants before even having the opportunity to meet with the dentist. This means that the team members that make up the dental office are often most responsible for shaping the first impression of each and every patient, which has an obvious effect on the practice’s reputation in the community as well as the perception of the overall treatment experience of the patient.

Dentists who are already capable leaders are most likely to be best equipped to cultivate a positive office culture that has an impact on every aspect of the practice. Of course, not all dentists are natural-born leaders, nor is it the case that a single leadership style is effective across all circumstances. Leadership is a skill all dentists must consistently work on, and I, Dr. Karl Jobst, have outlined several strategies for improving any dentist’s abilities as a leader and the resulting culture that is ultimately established because of the leadership within the dental practice.

The single-most important leadership quality is the ability to clearly and effectively communicate with both patients and staff members. In offices in which the lines of communication are open and clearly understood amongst all team members, it is simply more likely that a strong culture will be quickly established and turnover rates drastically reduced.

I also advocate for a hands-on approach during the hiring process to ensure that those potentially joining the staff are properly qualified for the open position and also have a comprehensive understanding of the expectations associated with their position upon joining the dental practice, thereby easing the transition for the new staff member and maintaining a consistently exceptional level of customer service.

Finally, it is essential for dentists to lead by example and to be aware that they must consistently practice what they preach. There is no quicker way for a dentist to undermine his or her authority than by setting a poor example or expecting team members to abide by a different set of rules than the dentist. Applying each of these leadership strategies will go a long way toward creating an exceptional office culture that ultimately ensures patients have access to a truly outstanding dental treatment experience.

Four Weirdly Delicious Pizza Combinations

It’s easy to find yourself in a rut when it comes time to order a pizza. After all, most people tend to stick to familiar toppings and rarely express any willingness to try something unique or daring. While there is certainly nothing wrong with ordering a pepperoni pizza one week and extra cheese the next, it is also a surefire way to get bored with one of the most convenient and affordable dining options around.

The shame in all of this is that the potential combinations of toppings are seemingly limitless, meaning there is absolutely no reason for you to continue to suffer through a pizza order that seems increasingly bland. So when we asked our friends at Virtual Financial Group to step out of their comfort zone for weird pizza combinations they would be willing to try, we were impressed by the four options they came back with.

The Breakfast Pizza

The Breakfast Pizza should not be confused with the leftover slice that you eat cold the morning after your weekly pizza night. Instead, this type of pizza is a delicious option that combines some of the more common breakfast options -- bacon, scrambled eggs and potatoes -- with traditional pizza elements. Most pizzerias will be more than happy to whip one up for you as long as you don’t call during the peak of their dinner rush. Of course, this is a pizza that is well worth the trouble of learning how to make at home.

Deep Fried Pizza

Since pizza is not exactly a healthy option to begin with, why not go for broke by choosing a deep
fried pizza? A slice from this pie will remind you of everything you love about mozzarella sticks along with everything you love about pizza. Besides, every food tastes so much better when it is deep fried, so this pizza is absolutely worth a shot.

Indian Pizza

While it may come as something of a surprise, a lot of Indian-style food works incredibly well as
toppings on a pizza. With a ton of options, Virtual Financial Group recommends the Tandoori Chicken-style pizza to start out with, especially when the marinara sauce is flavored with the uniquely Indian garam masala.

Plum Tomato and Basil 

A more traditional option than the others that have been previously mentioned, the sweet plum tomatoes and fresh mozzarella offer a bit of a twist on the traditional pizza. With fresh-cut basil and parmesan cheese, there are few things more satisfying than a slice of this classic option.

Michele Frazier's A Traveler’s Guide to Pizzerias

A Traveler’s Guide to Pizzerias

Whether it is for business or pleasure, Michele Frazier’s frequent travels have given her the ability to

develop a comprehensive philosophy with regard to innumerable subjects. Of those subjects, one of the more interesting has to do with her advice on finding the best pizza in any city, with some of her recommendations coming as something of a surprise. As a pizza connoisseur, I find her insights absolutely fascinating and believe they are worthy of sharing. So if you travel often and can appreciate a good slice of pizza, the following advice will likely serve you quite well the next time you find yourself in unfamiliar territory.

On Finding the Right Local Pizzeria

According to Frazier, the best pizzerias are almost always the small family-run restaurants that are not so easily found by visitors. In order to find out which hole-in-the-wall pizzeria is really a hidden treasure, Frazier suggests asking several locals for their opinion. Everyone has different tastes and some people have odd preferences, so arriving at a consensus among the locals is the best way to guarantee a great slice. Obviously, anyone who suggests a national chain should be dismissed, but it is important to remember that if most locals agree that such a chain is best, they are really trying to tell you that the local pizzerias are not anything worth writing home about.

On the Cities Famous for Pizza

When traveling to New York and Chicago, it seems natural to seek out a slice of pizza that is true to the tradition of the city. This does not mean, however, that every pizzeria in Manhattan is outstanding, so Frazier suggests seeking out the establishments that have been around the longest. There are several pizzerias in Chicago that have been around for decades, and any one of these is a safe bet for a great slice.

While it may seem counterintuitive, Frazier offered an interesting idea when it comes to these famous pizza cities: If there is a New York-style pizzeria in Chicago, then there is a fairly good chance that the proprietor has quite a talent for pizza considering the level of hubris required to open a New York-style shop in a city that is so loyal to its own style. She also noted some off-the-radar cities for pizza, including New Haven and Portland, both of which have unique pizza options that are just as good as anything you might find in New York or Chicago.

Success in the Pizzeria Business Requires a Clearly Defined Identity

When you look at the man wearing an apron covered in flour and marinara sauce as he stands behind the pizza counter to take your order, you probably don’t envision that same man taking frequent vacations to Italy or spending his weekends sailing up and down the coast. That’s understandable, but the truth is that there is a lot of money to be made in the pizzeria industry. With relatively low overhead and startup costs that are far from prohibitive, opening a pizzeria in the right location is an opportunity worth considering.

Even if you do not have any previous experience working in a pizzeria, learning the ropes is not terribly difficult. With the right teacher, you can learn how to make dough, toss pizzas and cook them to perfection in a single day. Of course, there are certain subtleties that take more time to learn, but spending a month in a working pizzeria is really all that is necessary to gain an accurate understanding of the basics. It is, however, incredibly important to deeply consider the pizzeria’s identity before entering the industry, as a clearly defined identity is absolutely critical to the success or failure of the pizzeria.

According to Hugo Sebastian Hirsch, the identity of a pizzeria should be based on several different factors. Of those factors, the first to consider is location. Outside of New York, Chicago and New Haven, most regions are without a traditional style of pizza, so a new pizzeria should research the styles of pizza available in the area. In most cases, these pizzerias offer standard fare, focusing on making pizzas that have the broadest possible appeal in order to reach as many customers as possible. If this is the case, Hirsch believes that there is a lucrative opportunity available in opening a restaurant that provides specialty pizza options.

A specialty pizzeria can focus on providing the deep-dish pizza found in Chicago, the thin-crusted slices found in New York, or even the charred Neapolitan “apizza” common to New Haven. While these are viable options that will attract a loyal base of customers, Hirsch recommends a different approach by instead creating a restaurant that treats pizza with a greater deal of reverence. Using fresh, unique ingredients while taking a more gastronomic approach, gourmet pizzerias are able to attract a wide range of customers who are looking for a new way to enjoy something incredibly familiar.

On the Joys of Making Pizza at Home

As a frequent traveler, I come across many people who believe the pizza originating from their hometown is always best. This goes for some of the more obvious destinations, such as New York, Chicago and Naples, but I have also encountered plenty of others who are willing to vehemently argue the fact that Portland or New Haven or some other surprising location has the best pizza.

Whenever the topic of “Best Pizza Anywhere” comes up, it is almost a certainty that the speaker will eventually mention how difficult it is to find good pizza outside of their home, with some going as far as to bring a box of pizza as their carry-on luggage for their returning flight. For transplants to other cities, this can result in a bit of a melancholic feeling with regard to local pizza, but David R. Gray Jr. believes he has a simple solution.

According to Gray -- and despite the protestations of New Yorkers everywhere -- the quality of the pizza has nothing to do with the local water supply or the specific weather conditions of a particular region. Instead, it has everything to do with style, and any style of pizza can be easily replicated in the home. Gray says the process may be a bit more complicated if the dough is made from scratch, but it is worth learning to really create a regionally accurate pizza.

I believe it is always best to control every aspect of the process, and that includes making the dough. If the dough is bought at a supermarket or a pizzeria, you have no say over whether the baker should use olive oil or sugar in the dough to add flavor, nor will you be able to control the consistency of the crust, since the amount of yeast added at the time of mixing has an influence on how the pizza will bake in the oven.

As for creating the actual pizza, pounding the dough is often where people encounter the greatest difficulty. Gray suggests that first-time pizza makers invest in several pounds of dough (one pound typically makes a single large pizza) on which to practice. After adding enough flour to cover the dough ball, most pizza makers work from the edge of the ball to the center. Once the dough has been pounded out and stretched, adding the sauce, cheese and toppings is all that remains.

By making pizza at home, transplanted New Yorkers will be able to make a traditional thin-crusted pie that is perfect for folding, and Chicagoans can make a deep-dish pie that tastes every bit as good as the pizza they would find at home.

Straddling the Line In the Pizza Debate Between Chicago and New York

In the long-running debate between New York and Chicago, no clear winner has been identified as the owner of the best pizza in the United States. Obviously, Chicagoans favor the thick, deep-dish pizza that comes with tomato sauce atop the cheese, and New Yorkers ridicule anyone who thinks that a pizza that can’t be properly folded is better than the thin-crusted slice that can be found on just about any city street corner.

Outside of New York and Chicago, the debate tends to be a bit more civil since the emotions that typically arise when defending one’s home do not often play a role in a discussion held elsewhere. Whatever side someone falls on is generally accepted as a matter of personal preference rather than geographic allegiance, but pizza lovers nationwide tend to be quite surprised when someone not only has no opinion on which is better, but claims to enjoy both equally.

In the experience of David Kravitz, this is the position that most frequently leads to arguments outside of Chicago and New York, though not necessarily in an unpleasant kind of way. Instead, there is frequently a demand for the uncommitted party to decide one way or another, as if it is unfair to all of those who have staked a position alongside the residents of a city they may have never even visited. For some reason, the idea that a person could happily enjoy both kinds of pizza and have no preference is, at best, difficult to understand, and, at worst, completely unacceptable.

After learning this, I wondered why this was the case and set out to uncover the reason. As a former resident of Chicago, I had always sided with notion that the deep-dish pizza with the flaky crust is best. In order to fully understand the other side of the argument, I avoided Chicago-style pizza for a full year and instead opted for a New York-style thin crust each time I had a craving for pizza. This was difficult, but given the importance of the subject, I was willing to struggle.

At first, I had no problem in continuing to claim Chicago as best, but over time I began to develop an affinity for the folded slice with the thin crust that seemed so increasingly perfect. Eventually I realized that both styles were appealing in wildly different ways, and the only reason anyone has a preference is simple familiarity. Now, I count myself among the rare few that believe both are equally delightful.