What The Karate Kid can teach us about hiring: Finding balance between attitude and aptitude

Hiring in today's employment landscape is more challenging than ever. These challenges are prompting dental owners to rethink their hiring strategies in the hopes of creating greater long-term success. At the heart of these efforts is atimeless debate: should you prioritize a candidate's attitude or their technical skills? The answer, unsurprisingly, is striking the right balance between the two.

Attitude

Jim Collins, author of the book Good to Great, famously said that success starts with getting "the right people on the bus."¹ That means surrounding yourself with employees who embody the right attitude. For dental practices specifically, that means finding someone who is dependable, positive, flexible, and genuinely cares about their patients.

When working with dental practice owners across the country, an employee's attitude usually leads owners or managers to fire them. Many people say something along the lines of: "They're great with [insert job duties here], but they'redifficult to work with."

Attitude is the foundation of a strong team culture. It shapes how people communicate and handle stress. It also influences how teams manage their own as well as their team members' mistakes and receive feedback. Team members who share compatible attitudes can elevate those around them by modeling the utmost in professionalism and contributing to a solutions-oriented environment.

In simple terms, you can train someone to take better radiographs, use new software or equipment, and otherwise enhance their physical job skills, but you generally can't change their personality, make them care about their work, or treat others well. They either have the qualities you desire, or they don't.

Technical skills/aptitude

Whereas success is getting the right people on the bus, aptitude is framed as "putting the right people in the right seats on the bus."¹ A team member might have the mindset you desire, but their position may not play to their strengths.Then what? Would you put a detail-oriented introvert in a patient-facing role? Patient-facing roles might be better suited for a friendly, outgoing individual who thrives on human interaction. Non-patient-facing roles may be better suited for introverts.

The key is alignment. When you can align people's aptitudes with their job responsibilities, managing their performance is easier. You're no longer trying to force a square peg in a round hole; team members naturally find greater success because they feel more confident and capable. This may also lead to higher engagement at work, which in turn may result in greater practice success. Win-win for all!

Finding balance

In the movie The Karate Kid, Mr. Miyagi famously said, "Whole life have [sic] a balance. Everything be better."² While we're not learning karate here, the same sentiment applies to hiring; balance between attitude and aptitude is vital. Mistakes happen when hiring managers lean too heavily in either direction.

The ideal candidate combines the right attitude with the ability to develop the necessary skills. That's especially true in dentistry, where systems, technology, and clinical standards constantly evolve. The best hires are those who want to learn, adapt easily, and embrace feedback.

Consider emphasizing these qualities in your job postings. You will help attract those who agree, and repel those who just want a paycheck.

Practical application

For many positions, candidates must have some required aptitudes before they can be considered for an open position. You can't hire a hygienist without a license, for example.

Although we're not suggesting you ignore qualifications, we want to encourage you to assess aptitude more realistically. While a great attitude can't overcome a complete lack of capability, many technical skills can be developed with time, patience, and coaching. Don't overlook a potentially great employee by being too focused on every technical skill needed for the job.

Once you can check the box for the necessary skills, you can turn your attention to the candidate's attitude, which is the focus of the interview(s). Ask questions that target how they handle daily challenges, respond to feedback, and view teamwork.

If they're hired, use your onboarding process to assess the alignment of their attitude and aptitude with your expectations, adjust their role or responsibilities as needed, and begin coaching or corrective action early when problems arise.

Conclusion

Take Mr. Miyagi's advice: "Balance good, karate good. Everything good."² Hiring is no different. When you find the right balance between attitude and aptitude, everything works better-from team dynamics to patient care.

Editor's note: This article appeared in the January 2026 print edition of Dental Economics magazine. Dentists in North America are eligible for a complimentary print subscription. Sign up here.

References

1. Collins J. Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap ... and Others Don't. Harper Business. October 16, 2001.

2. Alvidsen, J. The Karate Kid [DVD]. United States: Columbia Pictures, FilmFlex; 1984.