Table 1 Characteristics of good dentists and good leaders

Transactional leadership that lead by authority

Transformational leadership that utilises influence

Autonomy and self-reliance

Inter-dependence

Detail oriented

Creative and 'big picture' oriented

Topic expert

Not an expert at all

Controlling

Delegating and collaborating

Dealing with straightforward problems that usually have a straightforward solution

Dealing with complex problems that may have counterintuitive solutions

Face little resistance

Face a lot of resistance

Shy away from giving and receiving feedback

Valuing giving and receiving feedback to achieve optimal outcomes

Excellence in technical ability

Often no technical ability

Patience, endurance and tolerance

Impatience

Pessimism

Optimism

Evidence based and data-driven decisions

Consider data but make intuitive decisions