AADOM DISTINCTIONcast – They’re Not Lazy – They’re Unled: Leading the Next Generation to Show Up Fully
Today’s workforce is more diverse than ever, spanning multiple generations with different communication styles, values, motivations, and expectations. Yet many leaders find themselves frustrated, labelling younger team members as disengaged, entitled, or lacking work ethics. What if the issue isn’t a lack of commitment—but a lack of leadership?
In this engaging and thought-provoking course, Tito Albino, MAADOM, shares practical leadership strategies designed to help dental leaders better understand, connect with, and inspire the next generation of team members. Drawing from personal experiences, leadership successes and failures, and real-world dental practice examples, attendees will learn how to move beyond assumptions and create environments where team members feel valued, empowered, and motivated to contribute at their highest level.
Participants will explore the impact of generational differences, communication gaps, accountability, coaching, culture-building, and emotional intelligence. This course challenges leaders to shift from managing behaviors to developing people, creating stronger teams, healthier workplace cultures, and more sustainable practice growth.
Attendees will leave with actionable tools to foster trust, increase engagement, improve retention, and lead with greater intention—helping every team member show up fully and perform at their best
Learning Objectives:
- Understand the key characteristics and motivations of today’s multi-generational workforce.
- Identify leadership behaviors that unintentionally create disengagement and turnover.
- Develop communication and coaching techniques that build trust and accountability.
- Create a culture where team members feel seen, supported, and empowered to grow.
- Implement practical leadership strategies that improve engagement, performance, and retention.
AADOM Members log in HERE to watch the full recording and earn .5 CEU.
Read the Transcript Now!
Chavelle: Hi, everyone. My name is Chavelle. I am the Director of Membership and Education here at AADOM. And today’s DistinctionCast is” They’re Not Lazy, They’re Unled: Leading the Next Generation to Show Up Fully.”
So, I’m super excited to introduce you to our presenter for today. Tito Albino’s journey is one of resilience, determination, and the relentless pursuit of excellence.
Born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Tito overcame humble beginnings and early challenges with an unwavering drive to create a better future. Starting his career as a medical assistant, he soon discovered his passion for dentistry, a field where he could make a profound difference in patients’ lives.
Over the past 16 years, Tito has gained experience across community health centers, corporate dentistry, university faculty practices, and private practices, mastering both clinical and administrative roles. His leadership skills and dedication to building strong, patient-centered teams propelled him from dental assistant to clinical coordinator, and ultimately office manager, where he thrives today.
In 2024, Tito was honored as the AADOM Office Manager of the Year and achieved his Mastership Distinction, MAADOM, a testament to his influence and commitment to advancing the profession. Known for fostering positive team culture, streamlining systems, and championing professional growth, Tito continues to inspire others in the dental community.
His story is a reminder that with hard work, passion, and perseverance, it’s possible to overcome obstacles, seize opportunities, and achieve extraordinary success.
Please welcome Tito.
Tito: Thank you so much, Chavelle. That seems like a whole lot going on, but I guess with 16 years of experience in the dental field, it makes me feel a little bit older. But I still feel very young at heart. But thank you for that intro.
Chavelle: You’re so welcome. We’re happy to have you.
Tito: Thank you. Thank you. I’m super excited to do this, and ready to dive on into it.
Lead, Don’t Blame
Good afternoon, everyone. So, I do wanna start off with a question. How many of you have ever said something like, “Hmm, they just don’t wanna work anymore,” or, “Nobody has work ethic. This generation is lazy,” or, “They spend too much time on their phones than helping patients”?
Now, be honest, most of us have either thought it or some of us have even said it out loud.
And I get it. I’ve spent nearly two decades in dentistry. I’ve led teams ranging from brand-new assistants to seasoned professionals.
I’ve managed single-location practices and multi-location organizations. I’ve hired people, I’ve coached people, I’ve terminated people, and for years I found myself asking the same question: Why don’t they care as much as I do?
Then one day I realized something. The problem wasn’t always the employee. Sometimes the problem was the leadership.
Because what I was causing laziness was often confusion. What I was calling entitlement was often lack of direction. And what I was calling disengagement was often lack of connection.
The truth is, most people don’t wake up wanting to fail, right? Most people don’t walk into the practice saying, “I hope I disappoint my team today.”
People want to belong. People want to succeed. People want to feel valued. And when they don’t, we often blame the person before examining leadership.
Today I wanna challenge a belief. Maybe they’re not lazy. Maybe they’re unled. And if that’s true, then the greatest opportunity in our practice isn’t fixing people, it’s developing leaders.
So as you’re watching today, I encourage you not to think about the difficult team member that you’re currently frustrated with. Instead, think about the leader you want to become, because this isn’t a presentation about fixing people, it’s about developing leaders.
Where it All Began
Before I talk about leadership, I think it’s important that you understand where my perspective comes from.
I spent nearly two decades in dentistry. I’ve worked my way from clinical side to management. I’ve led teams of every age group, every personality type, and every experience level.
And like many leaders, I’ve spent years frustrated. I thought people weren’t motivated. I thought people lacked initiative.
Then I realized something. The common denominator in every team I led was me. That realization changed everything.
Now this is the house that I grew up in. It is my grandmother’s house. She’s no longer with us, but my grandfather resides in the house. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to go into this house since her passing.
But I grew up in North Philadelphia, and where I came from, showing up wasn’t optional. It was expected. You didn’t ask if you felt like giving 100%. You just gave it because it’s what you were taught.
That mindset followed me into my career. So when I stepped into leadership, I expected the same from everyone else.
The Why Behind My Leadership
Before I go into the presentation, I want to share with you guys my why. Here I have my, my two dogs. Chase is my big golden doodle. Funny story, when I first adopted him, he was supposed to be a mini golden doodle, only up to thirty-five pounds. He’s almost sixty pounds now. And then I have our Shih Tzu poodle, Jackson, and he is six years old.
This is our rescue parrot. He is Petey, and Petey was going to be let free into the wild when his owner passed away from cancer, and he went into a foster system, thankfully, and we fostered him here in Florida, or adopted him here in Florida.
And this is my beautiful family. My husband and I have been together for sixteen and a half years. Just this past weekend, we celebrated our twelve-year wedding anniversary. And this is our wonderful son, Preston, who just turned nine in May.
And you’re probably wondering what this picture is here with a table set up, and it says Urban Jungle by Plant Papi. I am now known in the plant community as Plant Papi ’cause I ventured off into my own little small business where I own a plant nursery here in the state of Florida.
It’s become a specialty and a passion of mine. I don’t know how I’m doing that amongst everything else that I’m doing in this world, in dentistry, in life, in parenting, in being a dog parent, a parrot parent, all the things, but it has brought me so much joy, and I have learned how to tie my plant journey into leadership, and you’ll see a little bit of that in our presentation today.
Leadership Has Changed
So, reality check. Take a moment and think about your own leadership journey, right? Uh, most of us didn’t wake up in the morning and decided that we wanted to lead people. We became leaders because we were great assistants, great hygienists, great treatment coordinators, or great office managers.
Someone noticed our performance and promoted us. The challenge isn’t that being great at dentistry doesn’t automatically teach us how to lead people. Leadership is an entirely different skill set.
If you’re anything like me, think about where most of the energy goes during a typical workday. It’s probably not the procedures or scheduling. It’s probably not even insurance. It’s people.
People challenges, people communication, people expectations, and that’s because leadership isn’t about managing tasks. It’s about leading people.
And here’s the truth that I had to learn. Work ethic didn’t disappear. It just evolved. And if we’re leading like nothing has changed, we’re going to keep getting frustrated.
Boomers were all about loyalty, right? Gen X were all about independence. Millennials were all about purpose, and Gen Zs are all about meaning and feedback.
So, let’s talk about the elephant in the room, the next generation, Gen Zs. These are the young professionals entering dentistry. Many leaders say they don’t work like we did, and you’re right, they don’t. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
They just grew up differently. They communicate differently. They learn differently. They value different things.
Many of us were taught we work hard, keep your head down, and don’t question authority. Now, this generation, they ask all the things. They ask why. They want purpose. They want feedback. They want mentorship. They want transparency. And if we’re honest, those really aren’t unreasonable requests.
What they don’t need is another manager. They need a leader, someone who teaches, someone who develops, and someone who invests. The best leaders adapt their communication without compromising standards. Standards stay high, but leadership evolves.
The workforce that we grew up in is not the workforce we’re leading today. This generation isn’t afraid to ask “Why?” They’re not impressed by titles, and they won’t give 100% to something they don’t feel connected to.
What’s Really Missing?
The gap isn’t generational. The gap is communication.
And I’ll repeat that again.
The gap isn’t generational. The gap is communication. And here’s where the disconnect happens. We’re managing like it’s 2005, but expecting 2026 performance. When we see someone who’s disengaged, missing details, showing little initiative, or simply performing at the level we expect, our minds often jump to conclusions.
We automatically label the behavior. They’re lazy, entitled, unmotivated.
But what if those labels are preventing us from identifying the real issue?
When we see someone struggling at work, our first instinct is often to focus on the person. We ask, “What’s wrong with them?”
But effective leaders learn to ask different questions. They ask, “What’s missing?” Because many times what looks like laziness isn’t actually a leadership gap.
So, think about it. A new dental assistant misses important details, treatment coordinator, they’re not hitting goals, front desk team members lack initiative, or hygienist seems disconnected from the practice culture.
We immediately want to address the behavior. But before we do that, we need to identify what might be missing.
Unclear expectations. The first thing that is often missing is clarity. Many leaders believe they’ve been communicating expectations simply because they’ve said something once. But hearing something and understanding something are not the same thing.
As leaders, we often have to live with information every day. We have to provide that every day. It’s a given. We know the standards, we know the goals, we know the priorities. Our team doesn’t always have the same perspective.
So if someone doesn’t know what success looks like, how can we expect them to achieve it?
Connection Builds Commitment
Confusion often gets mislabeled as laziness. Inconsistent accountability. The second thing is often missing a consistent accountability.
Notice I didn’t say accountability, I said consistent accountability. Many leaders either avoid difficult conversations or address problems when they become severe.
When accountability is inconsistent, employees become confused. One person gets corrected, maybe another doesn’t, or one person is held to standard while another gets a pass. Eventually, people stop taking expectations seriously because they don’t know what actually matters.
Consistency creates trust. Inconsistency creates frustration.
Now, not having connection. One thing I’ve learned over the years is that people don’t perform their best for organizations. They perform their best for people.
People want to know that they matter. They want to feel seen. They want to know that leadership cares about them beyond their production numbers and job descriptions.
That doesn’t mean that we become best friends, right? It means that we become human.
The strongest teams I’ve ever led weren’t connected by policies. They were connected by relationships.
Now, no mentorship. The final thing that is missing is mentorship. Many organizations hire people and immediately expect performance.
But growth requires development. We hire someone with potential and then become frustrated when they don’t consistently, instantly perform like someone of 10 years of experience.
Potential without guidance leads to disappointment. Potential with mentorship creates growth.
Every successful person can usually point to someone who invested in them, someone who saw that they can become before they become it.
I was in that position before. I didn’t know that I had the capability to be the leader that I am today, but someone saw that in me before I could even become it. So as leaders, we have the opportunity to become that person for someone else.
Leadership is Like Gardening
This is where my love for plants have taught me one of the biggest leadership lessons of my life.
When a plant is struggling, I don’t immediately blame the plant. I don’t walk into, like, my greenhouse and say, “Wow, that plant is lazy.”
Instead, I start asking questions. Is it getting enough light? Is it getting too much water? Are the roots healthy? Does it need support? Is the environment helping it thrive?
What if we approach leadership the same way? What if before labeling people, we examine the conditions around them? Because sometimes what’s missing isn’t effort. What’s missing is leadership. And that’s the moment leadership stops being about judging people and starts about growing people.
What Teams Really Need
So, what if what looks like laziness is often a leadership gap?
Then the next logical question is, what do people actually need from us?
Because let’s be honest: Most people don’t wake up in the morning thinking, you know, “How am I gonna disappoint my team today?” Most people want to succeed. Most people want to contribute. Most people want to feel like they’re making a difference.
The challenge is that many employees are trying to navigate their role without a roadmap. They’re trying to grow without support. They’re trying to stay motivated without purpose.
And when that happens, performance suffers, not because people don’t care, but because they don’t have what they need.
Creating the Right Conditions
This is another lesson that I’ve learned from growing plants in my home.
No plant grows because I yell at it. No plant grows because I demand it to grow faster. No plant grows because I tell it what it’s doing wrong.
Growth happens when the conditions are right. I provide the right light, the right water, the right nutrients, the right environment, and people are no different. As leaders, our job is not to force growth. Our job is to create the conditions where growth can happen.
And those conditions come down to five things.
Sometimes when we talk about culture, engagement, or accountability, people think it means we’re getting soft. Now let that sit for a second.
That’s not what this is. This isn’t about lowering our standards, and I wanna be clear about that. It’s about raising our leadership.
So what does that actually mean? Because high standards without leadership, that turns into pressure, maybe confusion, even burnout. I’ve been there.
But high standards with strong leadership, that creates clarity, growth, and ownership.
Clarity Comes First
There was a time in my leadership where I thought holding a standard meant just expecting more or pushing more.
But what I realized was if my team wasn’t meeting the standard, I had to ask, “Did I lead them clearly?”
So that leads us to clarity. People need clarity. They need to know what success looks like.
Not what success means to you, what success looks like specifically. What does a great day look like? What does excellent customer service look like? What does accountability look like?
The clearer the expectation, the greater the likelihood of success. Because confusion creates hesitation, clarity creates confidence.
So we take that into action. Create a simple checklist for each role. Not be a team player, but what does that actually look like day to day?
Give dental examples. What are your examples? How do you want your morning huddle to run?
What are the scheduling expectations? Outlining it in clear detail.
What are your treatment acceptance goal? Outlining it in clear detail.
What are your case presentation standards? Again, you have to be clear and define what that looks like.
People Matter Most
People need connection.
One of the strongest misconceptions in leadership is believing people work hardest for companies. In reality, people work hardest for people. They wanna feel valued. They want to know that they’re more than just a number, more than production, more than a schedule.
Connection creates trust, and trust creates commitment.
This doesn’t need to be complicated either.
Think about five minutes a day. One question, consistency.
So, for example, do your weekly check-ins, have birthday recognitions, celebrating wins no matter how big or how small. Ask about life. Do simple things.
Let’s not forget about the fact that we are humans outside of work. In work, outside, we’re just humans, and those little simple things go a long way.
Coach, Don’t Correct
People need coaching.
One of the biggest mistakes leaders make is assuming that because someone isn’t performing, they don’t care. Sometimes they simply don’t know how.
Think about your own career. None of us got to where we are today by ourselves, right? Someone taught us, someone corrected us, someone encouraged us, someone invested in us.
The next generation needs that same investment.
So instead of saying, “Do this this way,” why don’t you try saying, “Walk me through your thinking?” Because that’s how growth happens.
Share your favorite coaching questions. Think about those coaching questions, right? Like, what are you—when you’re coaching, what are the things that you’re saying?
Because I recently have found, like, switching that around to getting them to think of being involved in their own way. ,So asking them when something goes wrong, “What do you think happened?” Getting them to acknowledge and owning up to what they think happened.
“What would you do differently, and how can I support you?” Again, they wanna feel supported, and asking those simple questions are gonna change things around by making them feel supported.
Consistency and Recognition
People need consistency.
Imagine trying to care for a plant if every day you change the rules. One day, you decide to get sunlight. The next day, it sits in pure darkness. One day, it gets water. The next day, nothing. The plant wouldn’t know what to do or how to thrive.
The same thing happens with our teams.
When expectation consistently changes, people stop trusting the system. Consistency builds psychological safety. People perform better when they know what to expect.
People also need recognition. One of the simplest leadership truths I learned is this: what gets recognized gets repeated.
Recognition isn’t about trophies, it’s about acknowledgement. It’s letting people know their effort matters. It’s not… It’s noticing progress, it’s celebrating growth.
Even plants show this lesson. The area we intentionally nurture are the areas that flourish most.
Leadership That Inspires
When these five things exist, something incredible happens. People become more engaged, more accountable, more confident, more invested, not because leadership got easier, but because leadership got better. And that’s the shift that we’re talking about today
Moving from expecting people to figure it out on their own to intentionally creating an environment where they can succeed.
I want to be very clear about something before we move forward. Everything I just talked about is not about lowering standards, like I said before. It’s about the actual opposite.
Because great leadership doesn’t remove accountability. Great leadership makes accountability possible. So let’s talk about that.
Compliance happens because people have to. Commitment happens because people want to.
Huge leadership lesson, right?
Compliance happens because people have to. Commitment happens because people want to.
The C.A.R.E. Model
So up to this point, we’ve talked about what’s broken and what’s missing. Now I wanna give you something practical, something that you can actually take back to your office and implement immediately.
It’s the framework that I use in my leadership every day. Now, I didn’t use this before, and I’ve noticed a difference from my previous leadership style to using this model, and I call it the C.A.R.E model because if you want commitment from your team, they have to feel like you actually care.
So let’s go into that.
Most performance issues are not about attitude problems. They’re clarity problems. We assume people know what great looks like, but we’ve never actually defined it.
So we think about it in this way. We want them—we’re expecting them by saying, “Be more productive,” right? We’re making that statement and we come in and say, “We need you to be more productive.”
But how are we giving those clear expectations?
Clear expectation is we greet patients within 10 seconds, we have eye contact, we smile, and we use their name. That’s clear expectation.
What does great look like?
They should know what should be done, how should it look, by when, and how will it be measured? Again, outlining those clear expectations because people don’t rise to the expectations that they don’t understand.
Accountability.
Accountability is where most leaders struggle, not because they don’t believe in it, but because they’re inconsistent with it.
So think about it like this, right? Accountability equals clear expectations plus consistent follow-through. Common mistake is letting things slide just once leads to that becomes the new standard, and we don’t want that to be the new standard.
So, think of an action tool. I have a 24-hour rule in my management style. If an issue comes up, I address it within 24 hours. I keep it calm, direct, and very specific.
If anything festers for more than 24 hours, it becomes a bigger issue than it needs to. So have that 24-hour rule, address it right away, and keep the accountability, because what you tolerate will become your culture.
Relationship.
This generation will not give their best to someone they don’t feel connected to. You don’t need to be their best friend, but you do need to be their leader.
Connection builds trust, buy-in, and retention. So, remember, have those five-minute weekly check-ins.
Ask simple questions. What’s going well? What’s been frustrating? How can I support you? Again, they want to feel like you’re listening, they’re being heard, and that you’re supporting them. Because people don’t leave jobs, they leave leaders, and I’ve seen that to be very true.
If you want people to care more, you have to involve them more. So, disengagement happens when people feel unheard, decisions feel top-down, or their voice doesn’t matter.
So involve them in solutions. Instead of saying, “Here’s what we’re doing,” start saying, “What do you think would improve this process?” Start getting them to be involved, get their input.
And sometimes you have to guide that conversation, right? You may know what the outcome is for the solution that you’re trying to achieve, and if you guide those questions with the team and get them involved, they’re gonna feel like they were involved in that thought process or in that solution-making, and they’re gonna be more invested if they felt like they were a part of that solution.
So, when you combine all four of these, that’s when you stop chasing performance and you start building a team that wants to perform.
Stop for a moment and ask yourself this: Which one of these are you the most strongest at, and which one are you avoiding?
Because I’m sure that as we went through that, there may have been one where you’re like, “You know what? I am great at that. Absolutely, I do that in my practice.”
But there may be one that you’re avoiding. So which one is that? And think about that for a minute.
Culture is Built Daily
And I also want you to think about something. Why should someone give their absolute best at your practice? Not because they need a paycheck, not because they’re afraid of consequences, but because they genuinely want to.
What would your team say? Would they talk about trust? Would they talk about growth? Would they talk about feeling valued? Or would they talk about feeling connected to the mission?
The answer to that question tells us a lot about the culture that we’re creating, because people rarely commit to a workplace that isn’t committed to them.
At this point, you may be thinking, “You know, Tito, this all sounds great, but what does it actually look like in a busy dental practice?”
And the answer is simple: Leadership happens in the moments that most leaders overlook. It’s not the quarterly meetings, it’s not the annual reviews, it’s not the motivational quote that we have posted up in our break room wall to keep everyone motivated when they’re coming in in the morning. It’s what happens every single day.
So let’s look at a few examples, right?
Front desk. A patient calls in upset about a bill. The front desk team member struggles through the conversation. An old-school leader might say, “You need to handle those calls better.” Right? Very direct, not caring, very blunt.
A coaching leader says, “Let’s listen to that call together and identify what support you need.”
Now you’re getting them involved. You’re allowing them to hear the same thing that you’re hearing and asking them for their input.
Same issue, completely different leadership approach.
A dental assistant. A new assistant forgets to set up a procedure tray correctly. One leader might say, “You should know this by now.”
Another leader says, “Walk me through your thought process so I can understand where the breakdown happened.” Again, get them involved. One leader creates fear, one is creating growth.
Let’s look at hygiene. A hygienist seems disconnected during morning huddles. Instead of assuming that they’re disengaged, and a leader gets curious. I mean, I get curious, right? I’m a very people person, and if I see someone that’s disengaged, I get curious.
So, start thinking maybe they’re overwhelmed, maybe they’re burned out, maybe they’re struggling outside of work. Leadership begins where assumptions end.
Understanding Before Judging
So I’ll do another plant analogy.
When one plant starts declining, I don’t immediately throw it away. I start to investigate. I assess, I adjust. Imagine how much stronger our teams would be if we approached people the same way.
Real leadership is less about fixing people and more about understanding them.
I believe one of the most powerful leadership tools we have is changing the questions we ask ourselves, because the quality of our questions determines the quality of our leadership.
Old question that I would have asked would be, in my old leadership styles is, why won’t they do their job? That question creates frustration. That question assumes intent. That question immediately places blame.
New leadership style: What barriers might be preventing success? Now we’re solving problems. Now we’re leading. Now we’re coaching.
I remember personally managing a team member years ago who appeared completely unmotivated, late on projects, missing details, minimal initiative, and if I’m being honest, I initially labeled them. I thought they didn’t care.
When I finally sat down and I had a real conversation, I discovered they were just overwhelmed and lacked confidence. They weren’t avoiding responsibility. They were afraid of failing. Once we addressed that, everything changed.
Sometimes the behavior we see isn’t the real problem, it’s the symptom of the real problem. When we change our perspective, our leadership changes.
So, the real message here is: replace judgment with curiosity.
Let’s look at another leadership shift. An old mindset, we would say, “They don’t care about our patients. They are not committed. They’re just here because they want a paycheck, and they have no work ethics.”
New mindset leadership ask different questions. What is it that motivates them? What do they need? What haven’t I communicated clearly? What support am I not providing?
I often think about a newer team member entering dentistry, right? Many of them are walking into environments where everyone else already knows the rules. They know the terminology, they know the systems, the expectations, the culture, and we expect them to perform immediately.
That’s like handing someone a plant they’ve never cared for before and expecting them to become a master grower overnight. Growth takes guidance.
So the next time that you’re frustrated with someone’s performance, pause for a second. Before labeling them, get curious. Curiosity creates connection. Judgment creates distance.
The best plant growers spend more time observing than reacting. The best leaders do the same.
Five Keys to Better Leadership
So do I hope you remember what this presentation is over? This is exactly what I want you to remember As we begin wrapping this up, let’s simplify everything we’ve talked about today, right?
If you remember nothing else, remember these five things:
- People cannot meet expectations they don’t understand.
- People perform best when they feel valued.
- People grow when leaders invest in them.
- Trust is built through predictable leadership.
- What gets recognized gets repeated.
When these 5 things exist, people don’t just show up, they engage, they contribute, they grow, and immediately they lead others. And that’s really the goal.
Can you imagine a world where that happens? We are ultimately leading them, and they start to lead others. Not to create better followers, but to create future leaders.
And when that happens, it’s such a beautiful feeling ’cause you get to sit back and have that rewarding accomplishment feeling that we’ve done something right.
So I’d like you to identify one leadership behavior that you’ll intentionally focus on when you return to your practice. Not 10 things, not a complete overhaul, just one.
Maybe it’s providing more clarity. Maybe it’s recognizing your team more consistently. Maybe it’s coaching instead of correcting. Small changes applied consistently create lasting transformations
We teach what we’ve learned. We lead what we’ve been led, but we can choose to lead better.
Now, as you guys seen, I do have a son, and everything I do as a leader come, connects back to him because I think of the kind of environment I want him to walk into one day. And when you think of it in that sense, you lead differently, trust me.
Will That Leader Be You?
So as we close today, I want you to think about something, someone who changed your life. Not someone who managed you, not someone who signed your paycheck, not someone who told you what to do.
Someone who truly changed your life, whether it’s a teacher, a coach, a mentor, a leader. Someone who saw something in you before you saw it in yourself. Someone who challenged you to grow. Someone who believed in you when your confidence was low. Someone who refused to let you settle for less when you weren’t capable of becoming.
If you were like most people, you can probably picture that per- that person right now. And here’s what’s interesting. I doubt you remember them because they held you accountable, or you remember them because they corrected you for your mistakes. I doubt you remember them because they enforced the rules.
You remember them because of how they made you feel inside. You remember them because of how they helped you become someone better. And that’s leadership.
Leadership is not a position. Leadership isn’t about authority. It’s not about having all the right answers. Leadership is about influence. It’s about helping people become more than they believe they could be.
Every day, people walk into our practices carrying potential. Potential to become incredible team members, potential to become future leaders, potential they may not even recognize themselves yet.
And as leaders, we get to decide what we focus on. We can focus on what’s wrong or on what’s possible. We can focus on mistakes, or we can focus on growth. We can focus on problems, or we can focus on potential.
Because maybe they’re not lazy. Maybe they’re waiting for someone to lead them. Maybe they’re waiting for someone to challenge them. Maybe they’re waiting for someone to invest in them.
Or maybe they’re waiting for someone to believe in them before they believe in themselves. And maybe, just maybe, that someone is you.
Because the next generation isn’t a problem we need to solve. They’re the people we have the privilege to develop. And years from now, someone on your team will tell a story about a leader who changed their life.
Now, the only question I ask now: Will that leader be you?
Thank you so much for your time, and I hope you guys enjoyed that. And let me know what your takeaway is.
A Leadership Lesson Takes Root
Chavelle: Tito, oh my gosh! This is such an amazing presentation.
My first question that I need to ask you is not one that, you know, that we had kind of planned, but, you know, how did you come up with this topic, you know, the analogies?
Tell me what brought this to life.
Tito: Honestly, it’s been a little over a year in the making. I started it with a conversation with Lois Banta. She had come to speak at my DPLN in Central Florida at the time, and I drove to pick her up at the hotel to bring her to present. And I told her, you know, that this was an ultimate goal of mine, is that I one day wanted to stand on stage and be able to present on something.
And she asked me simply, “What do you wanna present on?”
And I told her, “You know, I feel like there is something to be said about this new generation and how, you know, they just are so different,” right? And I caught myself almost thinking in a negative aspect of, “They’re just lazy,” and, you know, “How do we get them to show up?”
Because I remember, like, from home, I was taught to show up at 100%. You go to work, you give 100%, but this new generation, they’re not doing that.
So, the more I thought about it and the more I started pondering into it, and even starting my plant journey and, you know, my plant business, I started thinking of it differently.
Like, maybe we’re the problem. We’re the ones, if we are expecting to nurture something like a plant, and we’re coming up with this recipe of nutrient, proper water, proper environment, right lighting, it’s the same thing for our team. And no matter what generation they’re coming from, we have to look at it in a different light and think of how are we providing the right environment for them.
And that’s how this developed. And, uh, it’s, it’s just been a whirlwind of a year and a half-ish of putting this all together, and to see it come to light is rewarding for sure.
Chavelle: I love that. I can definitely tell that you put so much, like, love and effort into this specific topic. And just your analogy about plants, like I remember seeing something a long time ago of, like, these kids in elementary school were being taught, like, there’s two different plants. And one they were, like, giving it compliments and singing to it, and another plant they’d say, like, negative things to it.
And the plant that was getting, like, all the compliments and playing music was growing and flourishing, and the one that had, like, the negative comments or, like, the hateful words wasn’t growing at all. It was actually kind of, like, you know, like, dying or, like, you know, just like, just not flourishing like you had said.
And the quote I think that you said earlier was, “Growth happens when the conditions are right.” And I was just—that’s so true because, you know, when you mentioned about, like, there’s some leaders that lead out of fear, versus, you know, leaders that do, like, encourage people and mentor them and, you know, answer their questions and dig into, you know, like, what’s going on, it makes people, you know, feel good, you know?
Yeah. And like you said, you know, they’re more prone to doing their best because they’re, you know, doing it for their leader and not just for, you know, the company that they work for. It’s they’re doing it for the people, and I love that so much. That analogy is, like, perfect.
Tito: Yeah. For sure.
Chavelle: Yes. So I do have, um, some questions.
The Leadership Habit I Had to Unlearn
You know, number one, I do wanna say, like, thank you so much for your vulnerability too, because it is hard sometimes as a leader to step back and say, “I was wrong,” or like, “I,” you know, “I didn’t do things the way that maybe I should have.”
So kind of going back to, like, you know, the leadership habits that you had before, what’s one leadership habit that you had to unlearn in order to be better, like, at connecting with, you know, today’s workforce or, you know, like you mentioned, like Gen Z?
What would that be if you had to kind of reflect on that?
Tito: I mean, I think you said it very well. It’s learning to be vulnerable, and I think that that’s one of the biggest shifts in my life, whether it’s personal or professional, is that, you know, we sometimes have this feeling when we step into an authoritative role in leadership that we have to show up a certain way, right?
We have to carry ourselves, you know, with our heads held high, chest pumped out, and, you know, walking into a practice and just, you know, calling the shots, and really that’s not what it is. We have to just… You know, at, and I o-have always said this in my personal life, is if we simply take away the titles of everything that we are in the world, right?
We label ourselves as straight, gay, bisexuals, and you know, all these other things, and I just say the world would be such a better place if we remove those titles and we call ourselves all human beings. Because ultimately, that’s what we are, right?
We bleed, we have the same blood. We, you know, whether we’re speaking different languages or not, we’re speaking the same way. We’re having the same meaning and purpose, and we’re all doing it through the same common being of being a human.
And, you know, I had to have this mindset of removing that, making myself human, being vulnerable, and showing up differently. And when I showed up in that vulnerability state, again, not lowering my standards because obviously being a leader, you want to still, you know, instill what you need to instill to get the results that you need to.
But showing up in a vulnerable way, you lead differently.
In my first practice that I led, I learned so much from that, from that practice, and I did a lot of wrong things, but I didn’t know any better. I didn’t have the resources that I needed to have or the years of skills to learn to get there.
And what I wanna say to people who are new into, you know, being leaders is it’s okay to fail because through those failures we learn. And I wouldn’t be able to be here today teaching what I’m teaching today if I didn’t go through those failures.
And sometimes we have to look at those failures as opportunities of what’s gonna shape us for something bigger and greater in the future.
Chavelle: I love that.
That’s everything that you’re saying I just wanna write down because I’ve gotten like so many great quotes from you, like in your presentation.
I know you had mentioned, um, compliance happens because people have to, but commitment happens because people want to. And that like just kind of like gave me goosebumps when you said that because it’s true.
You know, like when there’s all these rules that are set into place, okay, we have to follow the rules. But you get that kind of buy-in and that commitment by having a great leader, someone who understands you.
And, you’re right. A lot of the times, you know, you just get thrown in. I think you said that at the beginning of your presentation is kinda get thrown in as a manager. You know, there’s not necessarily like the, you know, a book explaining, you know, how to do everything right the first go around.
But it’s, you know, it is I guess true to the fact that, you know, sometimes, like you said, you do have to kinda fail in order to, you know, learn from those mistakes. But it is nice to have people like you, that, you know, can bestow some knowledge on, you know, people that are new to dentistry so that they don’t have to fail as often as maybe we did, you know being in the industry for a long time now.
So it is nice that, you know, there is that mentorship, like you mentioned, that we encourage people to have with, you know, the, the new people coming into the practices.
Accountability with Empathy
Now, when it comes to kind of balancing or like holding your team members accountable, you know, there’s, like you said, like those rules or those things that we need to be compliant in.
But how do you do that while also still showing, you know, that empathy and understanding, you know, kind of that, that softer side, but still having that accountability?
Tito: I think it just comes down to having very clear, defined… Everything having its clear, defined definitions for the roles, for the expectations, for just everything that you do in your practice.
But also just letting them know that you speak the same language as them. You know, when I come up and I do my monthly team meetings or I do my one-on-ones that we do on a regular basis, again, I’m having the same verbiage and conversations that they are, you know?
I think that some people get caught up in showing up in front of their team members and using these big words and feeling like they’re important.
But really, you know, just breaking down to their level, be one with the team. But always going back to the expectations of what it needs to be, right?
And I always like to—I call it my, I can’t say it on here perhaps what I call it, but I—it’s the sandwich, right? And you always wanna start with a compliment, a something good. The middle is kinda like the BS of what the issue is, right? You have to, you have to address it.
So you start off with, “Hey, this is great, and you’re an awesome employee and I love that you show up every single time. But this happened and, you know, what are we learning from it? What are we getting from it?”
Or, “What do you think went wrong?” Again, ending it with something that’s positive by getting them to be involved in the conversation.
Or, you know, if it’s a conversation that happened over the phone, like, “Let’s listen to this conversation together. You tell me what you got out of it because, you know, I wanna understand that we’re on the same level before we proceed with this conversation.”
And again, you’re still holding that accountability piece and letting them know, like, “This is what the standard is, and I hope you can understand that. But let’s look at this together and you tell me, how did we miss the mark here? Because I’m not pointing the finger at just you because if you failed here, it’s maybe because I missed the mark somewhere. So let’s figure this out together.”
So now they don’t feel like they’re in this alone or like I’m pointing the finger at them. I’m taking accountability with them. Because maybe it is something that I did wrong, and if I might learn that during the conversation by opening up that doorway to allow them to feel safe and say, “You know what? You weren’t clear when you said this. What did you mean when you said we need to do this?”
And it might be because they understood it differently than the rest of the team did. So when I open up that avenue for them to be comfortable to let me know they didn’t understand something I said or maybe I portrayed something differently, then I can clarify that for them, right?
We have a more one-on-one conversation where they might have wanted to ask that in front of the group, but they didn’t really feel safe to do so. And now that we’re in a one-on-one setting, they feel safe to do so, then I can take accountability for it. They’ve taken accountability, and then we work on a solution together.
The Power of Being Human
Chavelle: I love that. Well, one last quote that I got from your presentation that I really loved that you said was, “Growth gets guidance.”
So, if you could give one piece of advice to a new dental leader trying to earn trust or respect from their team, what would it be?
Tito: Be vulnerable.
Be vulnerable, but like I said, without letting the standards, you know, go, you know, feel like they’re being low, and be human.
You know, I think that’s the common thing that I want to just portray out of this. And, vulnerability, be human, and be compassionate as well. You never know what people are going through, and if you just take a moment to listen to them, get to know your team members on a personal level, again, not meaning that you’re gonna be best friends with them and you’re gonna go out and have margaritas with them every happy Thursday, you know, Thirsty Thursday.
But just, you know, take the time to have those one-on-one conversations with your team, get to know them on a personal level, and be vulnerable with them, and it’s gonna go a long way for you.
I promise you, it was a game changer for me. It’s helped me become the leader I am today, and I’m just proud to share that, uh, moving forward.
And like I put my information on the presentation. That’s my personal cell phone number, my email. If anyone wants to ever reach out to me, I’m an open book. I’m happy to help out anyone in any way, shape, or form.
Chavelle: Well, that’s awesome! Thank you so much, Tito, for giving us this amazing presentation. I loved it so much, and I loved your plant analogy.
Yes, and thank you to everyone who’s tuning into this DistinctionCast.
And Tito, I can’t wait for another presentation from you, hopefully in the near future. Thank you so much for being with us today.
Tito: Thank you so much, Chavelle. I appreciate you.
Learn About Our Presenter:
Alnardo “Tito” Albino, MAADOM
Tito Albino’s journey is one of resilience, determination, and the relentless pursuit of excellence. Born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Tito overcame humble beginnings and early challenges with an unwavering drive to create a better future.
Starting his career as a medical assistant, he soon discovered his passion for dentistry — a field where he could make a profound difference in patients’ lives. Over the past 16 years, Tito has gained experience across community health centers, corporate dentistry, university faculty practices, and private practices, mastering both clinical and administrative roles. His leadership skills and dedication to building strong, patient-centered teams propelled him from dental assistant to clinical coordinator and ultimately to office manager, where he thrives today.
In 2024, Tito was honored as the AADOM Office Manager of the Year and achieved his Mastership designation (MAADOM) — a testament to his influence and commitment to advancing the profession. Known for fostering positive team culture, streamlining systems, and championing professional growth, Tito continues to inspire others in the dental community. His story is a reminder that with hard work, passion, and perseverance, it’s possible to overcome obstacles, seize opportunities, and achieve extraordinary success.
