What is your favorite time of the year and why?
My favorite time of the year is spring, and it’s because of all the new life in every form. I love the fresh colors of the new sprouting buds and grasses. It’s that zest of new life. Otherwise, I would choose fall, but with fall you’re always looking down the gun barrel to winter. With spring, you at least have summer ahead, and that’s a much more pleasant thought.

You mentioned that one of your goals was to read more this year. Have you read a good book lately? How did you choose it?
Yes. It was called Leadership and Self-Deception by the Arbinger Institute. Neil Jessop ran across it, and he shared it with several of us in upper management. It’s a really nice take on thinking outside the box and breaking free from the paradigms we’ve created or that were created for us in our formative years. It also talks about looking at people as people and what it means to look at them as people and not objects. It talks about how you should treat people and conduct yourself with others, regardless of their walks in life. It resonated with the philosophies that I embrace, but it gave more precise examples as to how to become a better leader and person. 

Do you have a favorite quote?
Yes, my favorite quote is the one we have in all of our conference rooms here at Ultradent, and it’s by Stephen R. Covey. It says,

 

 

I can’t even say that I’m perfect at that—sometimes I slip and that’s why I think it’s important for it to be in front of me as much as possible as a reminder.


What is one of your favorite places to travel?
It’s hard to beat Mexico. I enjoy it so much and the people are so kind and gracious and hard-working. I also love Italy. It’s just spectacular. Leenie, my son Austin and I also travelled to Japan this last summer and we enjoyed it so much. The people are so respectful and it so clean there. There are so many beautiful places in the world. 

 

Who is your personal hero?
Some of my personal heroes would be our astronauts, like John Glenn and Neil Armstrong. I love when Neil Armstrong walked on the moon and said his famous quote, “One small step for man, one large step for mankind.” For us baby boomers who grew up with them, they were true heroes. They were putting their lives on the line, and some of them lost their lives getting us to space. I admire them so much.