1048: Metric Mondays: Burnout Is a Business Signal, Not a Personal Failure - Ariel Siegel

Burnout can feel like a personal failure, but it often shows up because the business isn’t operationally aligned. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back coach Ariel Siegel to explain why burnout is a business signal, what numbers reveal the real problem, and which metrics to track so your schedule, profitability, and energy feel more sustainable.

You’ll learn how days worked, write-offs, and margin create (or relieve) pressure — and what to start measuring right now to regain control. Listen to Episode 1048 of The Best Practices Show!

Main Takeaways:

• Burnout often feels personal, but it is typically a signal that something in the business is not working.
• Adding more hours, skipping lunch, and squeezing in patients can increase effort without delivering proportional financial relief.
• Days worked and write-offs have risen significantly post-COVID, creating instability and stress when margin becomes inconsistent.
• Recovery is a requirement for success, and time away from the practice must be built in, not “earned” later.
• Dentists must track the true number of clinical days worked because most don’t know the real number from the prior year.
• Margin matters more than production because it shows what is left after overhead and debt, and it reveals profit leaks.
• Write-offs must be understood by source so you can see how many days you are effectively working “for free” and build a plan to improve.

Snippets:

00:00 Metric Monday Intro

01:35 Burnout Is A Signal

03:36 When It Goes Wrong

04:56 Post COVID Metrics Shift

06:16 Margin Stress Spiral

08:26 Getting It Right

09:51 Track Days And Margin

13:15 Busy But Not Profitable

14:55 Action Step Write Offs

16:47 Resources And Wrap Up

Guest Bio/Guest Resources:

Ariel has a master’s in healthcare administration and several years of dental experience in all aspects of the administrative roles within the dental office. Her passion is to work with dental teams to empower team members to realize their full potential in order to better serve patients, improve office systems to ensure a well-functioning team/office, and to help everyone have fun in the process!

Guest resources mentioned in this episode:

• PPO Freedom Course: https://www.actdental.com/free-resources/ppo-roadmap/

More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:

• The Best Practices Show: https://www.actdental.com/podcast/
• Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
• Upcoming Events & Workshops: https://www.actdental.com/events/
• Smile Source: https://www.smilesource.com/
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