The Importance of the Why

I have referenced Simon Sinek's noteworthy work, "Start with Why," numerous times over the years. For those who may be unfamiliar with this book, it is Sinek's one-man inspirational mission to encourage people to perform with a stronger belief in their work and what they are doing in order to achieve ultimate success. It defines how starting with the end result in mind—and a belief in that result—also helps to inspire people around you, as it has for many great leaders. After the book's release, Sinek emphasized those concepts during a "Ted Talks" speech, focusing on the concept of how great leaders inspire action; that became the series' third-most viewed episode of all time. If you are not one of the more than 25 million who have seen it, you are not too late.

I have used Sinek's speech to open lectures several times over the years, and I use the "Why?" phrase very often in my development and evaluation of the reasoning for our actions. As an example, why do you attend educational events? The simple answer is education, but perhaps the deeper answer is because we believe that our work will improve. We believe that the information is valuable and may help to move our mission forward. Why we do what we do should be based upon the belief and desire that we may become the best versions of ourselves, and that in the process, we can learn to choose the best options while being steadfast in our work and knowledge.

Understanding the "Why" can help us to improve our choice selections as it challenges us to have more answers. If someone asks you what you do, you can always give them a simple answer defining your work, but how you do what you do, and why you do what you, should be more significant. During the diagnostic process and through the esthetic drive of our field, the process of choosing materials with a focus on why we choose each material is critical to our success. There are essentially four basic categories of materials in the selection process: 1. Metal Ceramics; 2. Zirconia; 3. Lithium Silicate and Disilicate; and 4. Nano Hybrid Materials. Each material presents its own challenges, and why we choose them should be based upon our knowledge of their functional and esthetic properties. Today, to our advantage, each of these materials can be produced manually and digitally. Our ability to select which materials we use for a particular case should be based upon a better understanding of the different values that they offer to achieve the most desirable result for each patient. So, keep in mind and remember that each time you or your clinical partner select a material, we must ask ourselves why we are choosing a particular material and what needs it will serve to achieve the most desirable functional and esthetic result for the work and the desire of our patients.

Peter Pizzi, MDT, CDT
Editor-in-Chief
peter.pizzi@broadcastmed.com