If you have purchased this book, you are definitely dental professionals who have already attained superior levels, but want to improve further.<br />You probably wish to optimise not only the clinical sphere, but also the management area of our profession. You, too, have realised that this aspect can affect not only our work at the dental chair, but our personal lives as well. Work and life are not two separate and distinct sectors, but only two faces of the same coin.<br />Unfortunately, there are very few books that deal with these topics, while countless volumes address clinical matters. Rarely, however, have I seen colleagues despair because their root canal therapy did not reach the peak of perfection, while I&rsquo;ve seen many whose stress levels had driven them to the point of retiring their white coats to the peg. The management sphere can ensure that our profession is a pleasant and enjoyable one or make it into a nightmare, the sheer thought of which makes us hate getting up in the morning.<br />As I said, I&rsquo;ve found very few books that help us in this area. Carlo Guastamacchia (to whom this book is dedicated, and whose name &ndash; Carlo &ndash; has been given to the character Dr. Eccellenti) was one of the first in Italy to deal with these topics, and his works still represent the gospel truth among reference books. Apart from said author, the number of volumes published in this field is quite limited, and, in many cases, getting past the second chapter of some of these &ldquo;tomes&rdquo; is a veritable feat.<br />For this reason, I have attempted to present the topics in a new form, that of the novel, simpler and more comprehensible. The aspects dealt with constitute a &ldquo;compass&rdquo; for the reader who wishes to modify the way he conducts his practice.<br />This book will not only speak to you of management, but can change your relation with the profession completely. Some of the topics analysed are rarely expressed publicly, but are to be found exclusively in conversations among colleagues: the uncertainty of their future, the problem of motivation in an increasingly complicated profession...<br />With almost 20 years of experience in the &ldquo;front line,&rdquo; I have hired and trained many dental assistants, but I&rsquo;ve also suffered several resignations; my economic management is good, but in the past I&rsquo;ve had to deal with major financial problems; I&rsquo;ve established excellent relationships with my patients, but I&rsquo;ve also wanted to get rid of some of them. In all these years, I&rsquo;ve learnt that the quality (and the profitability) of the profession depend on one thing alone: the motivation of the dentist and his employees. Being convinced of this is already a first step towards success.<br />We are very much alike and this is our book.