I’m in Las Vegas this week for the Academy of Dental Practice Management Consultants and the ADA Annual Meeting. This morning’s distinguished speaker was Sir Richard Branson the founder of the Virgin Group of companies. Sir Richard has not only founded over 250 companies within the Virgin brand, he guides them all under a single vision and mission. I’ve been a fan of Branson’s for years and use examples of his business philosophy in The Practice Renewal System. What a thrill to see him speak and see what a humble, even shy man he is. Sir Richard shared that he believes there is no reason to go into business unless you are going to make an enormous difference. That has been the umbrella philosophy that brings companies as diverse as airlines, soft drinks, music, mobile phones, wine and bridal wear under the same brand.

What’s your vision, your brand? It’s not about what you are obviously doing. For vision to drive your success it must be bigger than the obvious. Otherwise, you could just say “We fix teeth” but don’t you really do so much more than that? There is great power in knowing how to focus on what you really do and helping your team to embrace the difference you want to make in your corner of the world.