An MVP Among MVPs

Kolleen Palmer, Registered Dental Assistant, has been a vital part of our Temple City Dental Care practice for the past 17 years. And Kolleen is an amazingly skilled dental assistant; she anticipates, she’s organized, she has remarkable initiative…but she is so much more.

Kolleen has been the glue holding us all accountable for our purpose of “…making a world class difference for others and making dentistry fun” while engaging our team and patients as “family serving family and friends.”

Kolleen actually campaigns for feedback on a daily basis; she receives input and gives support the way you’d hope your brother or sister would. Kolleen truly walks the talk and her most disarming quality is that she is totally authentic; Kolleen doesn’t have to think about helping a team member or making a patient feel liked or safe; she only needs to be Kolleen.

Kolleen can be given a project or a new assignment and whether it’s assuming leadership in our award-winning Invisalign department or taking the lead in developing sleep dentistry for our practice or just getting me to sign everything I need to sign, I NEVER lose a second of sleep over concerns that Kolleen won’t generate a complete and first-class result.

And while Kolleen and I entertain patients all day long with our friendly 8-hour banter/debates I’ve never seen anyone better at putting smiles on nervous patients’ faces. Kolleen gives compliments the way Mozart composed symphonies. I’ve lost count of the number of patients who’ve told me about a note they received from Kolleen that said just the right thing at just the right time.

Our dental practice has been a Smiles for Life participant since 1998, trading whitened smiles at reduced fees for funds committed to children and adults in need. In the past, we’ve also selected cause-related monthly themes. A few years ago, Kolleen headed up Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October. And our office was basically transformed; there was absolutely no way anyone visiting us wasn’t “thinking pink.” A year earlier, Kolleen and I had presented the Smiles for Life check to our local, national, and global treasure, City of Hope. On the way back to the car, we noticed all kinds of Post-it sized notes hanging beautifully from trees lining the entrance to the amazing research hospital. The notes provoked thought, smiles, and tears…and as cancer patient, the late Coach Jim Valvano once memorably shared, those were the ingredients for a “full day.”

Kolleen only met Walter Hailey (my first non Von Bulow mentor) once, but I know she already knew how to copy heartfelt genius. Our office was adorned with messages written on small pink squares of paper that remain impossible to forget…to this day. Kolleen’s favorite note read “Nothing is impossible. The word itself says ‘I’m possible.’”-Audrey Hepburn.

Later that year Kolleen won an award at the Annual Crown Council Event. The Crown Council is a national dental organization composed of leading edge dental practices committed to the community. The award was "Most Valuable Team Member."

So, I don’t know how anyone could better typify the heart and soul of a culture than Kolleen does ours. And I don’t know about stuff like “Most Valuable,” I just know our best without Kolleen wouldn’t be in the same ballpark as our best with her.