Meryl Streep has been nominated for an Academy Award a record 18 times. She also holds the record for Golden Globe nominations and has received countless other awards, prizes and rave reviews over the course of her celebrated career.Meryl Streep brings a level of star power to any project she is involved in. Her value in Hollywood has increased with every successful movie and every award-winning performance. She has come to be recognized—by audiences, critics and her peers— as an outstanding performer and that has created incredible momentum in her career.
There is no denying that Meryl Streep is a naturally gifted actor. However, there are a lot of gifted actors out there and many of them are waiting on tables. To survive beyond the stage of "cattle call" auditions, frequent rejections and bit parts requires not just talent but a keen sense of focus and purpose. Meryl Streep deserves her success because she worked hard at the craft of acting, committing fully to each role and demonstrating a remarkable work ethic that has led her to her success. Her career has been shaped by her sense of purpose.
The same concepts apply in just about any profession, including dentistry. Dr. Frank Spear, for instance, has always been a gifted clinician but it was his sense of purpose that ultimately drove him to be a leader in the field. He began recording his more interesting cases early on, using his love of photography to document each success and sharing these case studies with colleagues. One success led to another, and before long he became a well-respected and recognized leader in the industry. Clinical talent was a large component of that; without a larger sense of purpose he would have remained a great dentist that few people knew about.
The lesson here is that it is not enough for only you to know what your talents are. Be sure to recognize your greater purpose with every case you do and each success will become a springboard to the next success. Not only will your team will take notice, but so will your patients – and in return, they will accept more and become enthusiastic ambassadors for your practice. Keep making your value obvious to those around you and you will see the results of having that "star power" level of influence.