Alex Nottingham JD MBA discusses how to handle problems effectively with applying the concept of the “Three Cs”: Catch, Check, Change.
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About Alex Nottingham JD MBA
Alex is the CEO and Founder of All-Star Dental Academy®. He is a former Tony Robbins top coach and consultant, having worked with companies upwards of $100 million. His passion is to help others create personal wealth and make a positive impact on the people around them. Alex received his Juris Doctor (JD) and Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Florida International University.
Episode Transcript
Transcript performed by A.I. Please excuse the typos.
00:02
This is Dental All-Stars, where we bring you the best in dentistry on marketing, management, and training. Problems will occur. They always do. The question is, what can you do about them? Will you be part of the problem or the solution? How do you put out fires in your life and your business? The question is, are you a firefighter or a fire lighter?
00:30
Let me share with you an example from my own life. I’m the CEO of All-Star Dental Academy, and I was worried about an event. Last minute, we had this big commitment for a hotel. What do I do? What if it fails? I’m gonna be on the hook for all this money. Oh my God, what do I do? So I’m the visionary. I talk with my integrator, Shelley, and she handles and runs the business and keeps me sane. And I said, oh.
00:59
Here’s the situation. I’m nervous, I’m worried, I’m afraid of failing. What do I do? And she said, what type of firefighter are you? Go ahead and read Job Maxwell’s book. And I did. The insight that I gained was this distinction between the firefighter and the fire lighter. The firefighter is someone who makes the people or the fire or situation better. They cool the fire down.
01:29
And then you have the fire lighter is someone who makes the problem or fire worse. They heat the fire up. I thought about it. I said, okay, I’m the CEO. I’m the visionary. I have to project confidence. I have to believe in what we’re looking to do. And I had this insight as I contemplated, am I going to be a fire lighter, making it worse or a firefighter making it better? So I called Shelley and I said, you know what?
01:58
I don’t care if just two people show up, let’s do the event. I’m gonna stick with the vision. This is something that’s so important to our company and I have supreme confidence we’re gonna do a great job. And what was amazing is a few hours later after making this declaration, nearly 10 people signed up for the event. And a few months later, we sold the event out completely. So I’d like to share with you three steps to be a firefighter versus a fire lighter.
02:28
And this comes from cognitive behavioral techniques called the three Cs. The first step is catch. That’s the first C. Stop. What is going on? I’m being reactive. Then the second C is check. Is this issue, is it realistic? Is it logical? Is it helpful? Does it align with my values and goals? Catch, check. And then the third C is change. Replace the negative thought
02:58
skillful choice. So with this event that I’m giving this example to, I caught myself, I said, stop, what’s going on? I’m being reactive, check, is it reasonable that the event is not gonna succeed? What’s logical? I said, okay, well, I believe in my team, I’ve had experience in the past, I know we can be successful, and then I changed. I changed the negative thought to a positive thought, to confidence, and my world changed.
03:25
perception is reality. As we change our perception, we change our world. And we can apply this to many situations. Someone criticizes you, catch, okay, what’s going on, stop. Is this reasonable? I’m being reactive, then I’m checking. I’m saying, is it realistic? Is it logical? Is it helpful that I am having this perception or this feedback from somebody criticizing me? No, it’s not, it’s.
03:53
their perception, it’s not reality. And then I changed my thought. I changed my reaction. Let’s say I get a result in my job or my business or something in my life underperforms, catch, stop, then check. Is it realistic? Typically what I’m seeing, my negative viewpoint is overestimating or underestimating the situation. It’s not typically helpful. So I’m checking that I’m catching, checking, then I change. I choose a more skillful thought.
04:22
a thought that’s more positive to help my outcome. We might get an adverse health diagnosis, even the smallest thing, and we freak out, oh my God, what’s gonna happen? Stop, so we’re catching it. Then we’re gonna check, is it realistic? Is it logical? Is it helpful? No, I have to do one step at a time. Then I change, I said I’m gonna be logical, I’m gonna go one step at a time, I’m gonna deal what is in front of me and do the best that I can, that’s all I can do, there’s no need to worry. And as I mentioned,
04:52
We all know problems and adversity will absolutely happen. How you deal with it is the magic. Will you be a firefighter or a fire lighter? Worse or better? Are you gonna make the situation better, firefighter or make it worse, fire lighter? And use the three Cs, catch it, check it, and change it. Thanks for joining me. Please remember to follow, subscribe, comment, share with your friends.
05:21
And until next time, go out there and be an All-Star.
05:28
We hope you enjoyed this episode of Dental All-Stars. Visit us online at allstardentalacademy.com
