Case Study: Dr. Christine Karapetian

Changing a Practice Culture to Be Empowering

Changing the leadership within a practice is not an easy step, which Dr. Christine Karapetian found especially true after purchasing her periodontal practice outside of Washington DC. She found that the previous leadership style was successful in his own way, but also self-limiting, and she had different dreams for the practice. Her ultimate goal was to create a team that was empowered with a practice that met both their professional and personal goals. As a mom, Dr. Karapetian wanted to be able to have a good work/life balance, and in order to do this realized that she needed to begin utilizing her team to a much higher level. She wanted to transform her practice into something it had never been.

After hearing Bob give a presentation in Washington DC, Dr. Karapetian contacted him asking for his help with this goal. At this point, she was deep into practice and student loan debt, and in order to get out from underneath her debt and reach her goals, she had to start making more than the previous doctor had, and she needed to do so quickly. Her office was unorganized and sporadic. Work was not being delegated efficiently, and she was drowning in her own paperwork. Their schedule was inefficient, and they were consistently missing lunches and staying late. She knew her team had the ability to perform higher and knew that the leadership model Bob was teaching would be their pathway to do so.

Bob came in and started at the basics, teaching Dr. Karapetian a new form of leadership. He taught her how to delegate more efficiently, systematizing the load of paperwork in her office and making it easier to manage for everyone. It became clear Dr. Karapetian’s Office Manager had too much on her plate, so they hired someone on to help. Bob redesigned their schedule so it would work with them and eliminate the frustration. And he worked with the team to flip their mindset from "command and control" to "energize and empower".

Since working with Bob, Dr. Karapetian and her team have been able to accomplish 50-60% more in the same amount of time. Their profitability is matching up with their goals, they are looking into building a new facility to allow her to even surpass her current patient numbers, and they have the goal of bringing in a new associate down the road. In the end, Dr. Karapetian is working toward the lifestyle she wants, has decreased stress, and a more efficient team.