Photo: courtesy of Dr. Thanh Mai. Dr. Mai (far left as you look at photo) with one of his most important mentors Dr. Gary Gerber (center) and Dr. Valerie Lam, his business partner. Dr. Mai recommends finding successful examples of business leadership, within and outside of optometry, to follow.
Leadership
By Thanh Mai, OD
April 16, 2025
Do you need a coach to enhance your abilities as practice leader?
Even Tiger Woods has a coach. One of the most important lessons in business—and in life—is that even the greats need guidance.
As Tony Robbins often says, success has much less to do with resources and far more to do with psychology. In the world of optometry, the psychology of the owner-doctor plays a defining role in how far a practice can grow.
A growth-oriented, “big”-minded OD isn’t just reacting to day-to-day tasks—they’re building something intentionally. They’re focused on vision, on leadership and on borrowing from those who’ve already paved the way.
In my practice, that’s been our approach from the beginning, and it has shaped every area of our practice. Whether it’s dry eye, optical, myopia management, or vision therapy, we modeled leaders, refined our systems and scaled up with purpose. None of this happened in a vacuum—we learned from the best and implemented what worked.
The Psychology of the OD: Your Practice Follows Your Mindset
The business of optometry is no longer just about high-quality clinical care—it’s about leadership. And leadership begins with self-awareness. Are you operating from a mindset of scarcity or growth?
Are you open to change, to coaching and to feedback—or are you holding tightly to “the way things have always been done”?
I have connected with dozens of high-performing ODs across the country. The common denominator isn’t location, demographics or even technology—it’s mindset.
The best practices don’t just adapt to change; they anticipate it. They approach every challenge as an opportunity and treat every success as a system to be scaled. They invest in their people, their processes and their platforms—not just to keep up, but to lead.
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When an OD embraces the idea that leadership is a skill, not a title, everything changes. Your team starts to grow with you. Your culture begins to attract top talent. And your patients feel the difference.
Leadership is the quiet engine behind practice growth and mindset is the fuel. The bigger your thinking, the more room your practice has to expand.
Leadership Modeling Isn’t Imitation—It’s Intelligent Adaptation
Let’s be clear: modeling isn’t copying. It’s not about duplicating someone else’s logo or pricing model. It’s about strategic adaptation—observing, learning and translating proven strategies into your own context.
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What works in a Beverly Hills boutique might need adjustments in a rural, family-focused practice, but the underlying principles still hold value.
When we wanted to improve optical performance in our practice, we leaned on Vision Source for merchandising tools and staff training systems.
When we launched our myopia management program, Treehouse Eyes provided the roadmap. For vision therapy, the Sanet seminars gave our team the clinical confidence we needed. None of this was reinvented. We simply found those already succeeding and built from their framework.
Here’s how to start modeling effectively:
- Identify a Benchmark – Who’s doing what you want to do and doing it exceptionally well?
- Connect and Learn – Reach out, attend lectures, study case studies, listen to interviews.
- Implement & Iterate – Don’t wait for perfect. Start small, test fast and refine.
- Track Results – Metrics matter. Know what success looks like and adjust if needed.
- Keep Learning – The best leaders are lifelong students. Stay curious.
Who Are You Modeling?
This is the question every OD should reflect on. Is your growth strategy being shaped by industry innovators or is it being driven by routine? Are you pulling ideas from other industries—like how Google hires, how Amazon thinks about customer experience or how hospitality brands build loyalty?
If the only person you’re modeling is the one staring back in the mirror, you’re capping your potential at what you already know. And in today’s fast-evolving optometric landscape, that’s not enough.
Final Thought: It’s Never Been Easier to Learn from the Best
Between webinars, podcasts, mastermind groups, social platforms and CE events, we’re in the most connected era of professional growth ever.
You can listen to thought leaders in your car, join online masterminds during lunch or DM someone on LinkedIn and start a real conversation.
There’s no shortage of wisdom out there. The only question is: Are you seeking it out?
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Thanh Mai, OD, is an owner of Insight Vision Center Optometry, a Vision Source practice in Costa Mesa, Calif, Optometry Corner, a Vision Source practice in Irvine, Calif. and Eyecon Optometry, a Vision Source practice in in Reseda, Calif. To contact him: tmai@visionsource.com
