February 19, 2009
PORTLAND, Ore. – OHSU dental students, staff, and faculty were treated on Feb. 19 to a lecture on leadership and professionalism by Robert G. Gootee, as part of an endowed lectureship in Mr. Gootee’s name.
The OHSU School of Dentistry’s first fully endowed lectureship, the Robert G. Gootee Endowed Lectureship in Leadership and Professionalism, was announced one year ago by The ODS Companies board, led by Jay Lamb, D.M.D. ’80, to honor Robert Gootee, the longtime president and CEO of The ODS Companies.
“Leadership and strong ethics are often underutilized and underachieved particularly in today’s busy economic climate,” said Dean Jack Clinton, D.M.D. ’64. “Having a good ethical background is critical to success in business and dentistry is no different.”
First- and fourth-year dental students were invited to attend the Gootee lecture, held in the School’s second floor classroom. The majority of The ODS Companies board and executive team also attended the lecture, as well as Oregon Dental Association Executive Director Bill Zepp, ODA President-elect Rick Asai, D.M.D. ’81, and OHSU President Joe Robertson, M.D., M.B.A.
“When we were considering a way to honor Robert, this lectureship was a natural fit,” said Dr. Lamb, of Eugene, Ore. “Robert is an authentic leader and he has credibility in who he is and what he does. “We see the dental school as a cornerstone to the dental profession in this state and so this lecture at the school goes hand-in-hand with that vision.
“When you leave dental school you will be asked to be a leader – either willingly or unwillingly – so you need to take that role seriously and reflect on it from time to time.”
Mr. Gootee noted that he is not a dentist, but he loves dentists.
“One of the chasms that I’d like to bridge today is that I’m not all that different than any of you,” he said. “You may think I’m very different from you, but hopefully, by the end of this lecture, you will see that we’re much closer.
“In the end, all of you in running your dental practices, in the leadership that you will inherit because of your education and status in our society, will be CEOs in your own right,” said Mr. Gootee. “You won’t think it yet, but you will be.”
Mr. Gootee used books and quotes and his own experiences to talk about leadership: the importance of communication, of working with others who share common values, having a vision and feeling confident about your decisions, making prudent people choices both personally and professionally, being honest, taking the blame and sharing the glory, and not letting mistakes bog you down.
Fourth-year dental student Suzan Nguyen said she didn’t know what to expect, but she was glad she attended the lecture.
“I liked the lecture a lot because communication is so important. When we communicate with other people we have to have trust, be honest, express what we don’t know, and acknowledge mistakes. Having heard that these are important traits from someone else is good. In practice, I will remember what he said and continue to be better. When we’re out making money, we may sometimes forget what we believe and that’s what I don’t want to lose,” said Suzan.
