Shownotes
In this episode of The Real Talk of Dental, I sit down with psychologist and organizational leadership advocate Jonathan Bonanno – known in the industry as Chief Psycho—to unpack the truth about culture, psychological safety, and the addiction to being needed inside dentistry.
Jonathan shares his journey from corporate consulting in pharma and medical to the dental world, where he now champions psychological safety and leadership development. We talk about why so many offices struggle when top performers are promoted into leadership roles they aren’t prepared for, and how leaders can create environments where people thrive instead of coast.
This isn’t about another system, another piece of software, or chasing popularity on LinkedIn. It’s about what really makes or breaks a practice: trust, safety, and leaders willing to trade performance masks for authenticity.
If you’ve ever felt like you’re running on empty trying to prove your value, or if you’ve seen your office culture stuck in survival mode, this conversation is a must-listen.
You’ll learn:
- Why promoting a “superstar” into leadership often backfires—and how to prevent it
- What psychological safety actually looks like in a dental office (and why it’s missing in most)
- The silent damage of reprimanding team members in public
- Why chasing popularity and being “needed” is a trap that kills impact
- How to set goals that keep people interested instead of just chasing numbers
- What it means to lead authentically in an industry obsessed with perfection
🔗 Join the community and submit your anonymous questions: https://www.therealtalkofdental.com
🔗 Learn more about The Empowered LeadHERship Program for Women in Dental: https://leadhershipexperience.com/
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We talk about:
- 00:00 Intro
- 02:00 The story behind “Chief Psycho” and branding through psychology
- 06:00 Why performance psychology led Jonathan to organizational culture
- 08:00 Psychological safety: the foundation for leadership and trust
- 10:00 The leadership trap: promoting top performers too soon
- 14:00 How misaligned expectations break teams (and hearts)
- 17:00 Apprenticeships, titles, and why some chase leadership for status
- 20:00 The four factors of psychological safety explained
- 23:00 Team events, pressure, and inclusion safety
- 28:00 Open-door reprimands and the collapse of trust
- 34:00 Rethinking KPIs: keep people interested
- 36:00 The addiction to being needed and chasing popularity
- 41:00 Becoming nobody: the power of presence over performance
- 45:00 Advice to his 15-year-old self and why leadership is human first
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