Book Title: Dear England: Lessons in Leadership
Author: Gareth Southgate
Link: View on Amazon
Introduction
As anyone who knows me will attest, sport has always been central to my life—and sporting lessons, especially about leadership, have consistently shaped how I approach my work in the dental field. Gareth Southgate’s “Dear England: Lessons in Leadership” instantly grabbed my attention. Having witnessed his turnaround of the England football team from a fractured, underperforming side into one with resilience, clarity, and high achievement, I knew his book would offer lessons relevant far beyond football.
During his eight years as manager, Southgate led England to two major tournament finals and a quarter-final, achieving more than the so-called “golden generation” had managed over decades. His story offers practical strategies any dental practice leader can adapt.
Five Lessons for Dental Practice Owners
1. Build the right culture – on purpose
Southgate identified a fractured culture within the England team—cliques, unclear values, and a lack of shared purpose. He led a cultural reset by involving the whole team in defining identity, vision, and values, and then role-modelled these daily. Real culture change is intentional and requires active effort at every level.
Action point: Evaluate the culture in your dental practice. Does your team share clear values and purpose? Involve everyone in defining these, and review them regularly to keep them at the heart of your team’s actions.
2. Let data drive your decisions
I found it fascinating how much detailed data analysis they did to help inform them in making decisions and developing strategies. A primary example of this being taking penalties. Firstly, the data that showed them how important penalty shoot outs would be for any team to win a major trophy. Then the data on everything involved in taking penalties. They did everything they could to turn penalties from being seen as just down to luck into feeling like they had prepared everything to make it as likely as possible that they succeeded. It became a strength.
Action point: When making decisions for your dental practice look at the data, not just what your gut is telling you. For example, you may feel that your conversion rates are good, but what evidence is there and does this back that up? What does the evidence tell you about your treatment outcomes? Get the data and use it to inform your decisions. This will help you avoid common cognitive biases in your decision-making.
3. Treat every person as a unique individual
The book describes Southgate’s commitment to understanding each individual—players, coaches, and staff—and adapting his approach accordingly.
Action Point: Spend time getting to know every individual on your team. From nurses to associates, it doesn’t matter. Treat them as a unique individual with empathy and compassion no matter what the situation.
4. Plan Meticulously—But Stay Flexible
Preparation underpinned every aspect of Southgate’s management, from training to media engagement, to conversations with players. At the same time, he acknowledged that things rarely go exactly to plan, so reflection and adaptability were vital.
Action Point: Be intentional and plan. Take time to plan and not just to wing it. This is something that I believe is really lacking with dental practices. Is there a clear plan ahead? Does everybody know the plan? When will you reflect and review the plan? There may be a clear plan for that specific clinic session but what is the overarching plan for your clinic?
5. Evaluate and develop team talent
Southgate worked relentlessly on player development, providing regular feedback—even when difficult—and focusing just as much on character as on skill.
Action Point: Assess the strengths and development needs of every member of your dental team. Prioritise both performance and ongoing feedback, and don’t shy away from honest conversations. Coach your people. Remember, if you want different results, development must be intentional and continuous.
Conclusion: Leading Your Dental Team
Southgate’s leadership journey demonstrates that sustainable success comes from cultivating culture, data-driven decision-making, empathy, planning, and a commitment to development. These principles are reflected in the HEART of Leadership framework, which underpins all my accredited Level 7 leadership programmes for dental practices.
If you’re ready to build an intentional culture, drive performance, and create a truly empowered dental team, explore our Certificate and Diploma in Dental Practice Leadership at the Academy of Fitting Leadership.
