Small groups and friendly competition can lift a practice team after turnover, says former NFL player Jon Dorenbos

Jon Dorenbos didn't want to leave the Philadelphia Eagles. The team traded its longtime long snapper to the New Orleans Saints in August 2017, and a physical with his new team found an aortic aneurysm that ended his 14-season NFL career and sent him into emergency open-heart surgery.

Dorenbos, now a magician and speaker, gave the main stage keynote "Live in Vision, Not in Circumstance" on Sept. 28 at the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) 2026 Annual Conference in San Antonio. He sat down with Physicians Practice to talk about what practice leaders can do after losing staff, closing a merger or getting through a rough year.

Showing staff the light on the other side

"You got to live it. You got to walk it, and you have to be the inspiration," Dorenbos said, pointing to Simon Sinek's book "Leaders Eat Last."

The leader has to show up every day on time and prepared, he said, and "show people that there's light on the other side." He suggested breaking up the workday, planning activities that aren't about work and getting families involved.

"When people care about each other as people, all of a sudden you want to be there for your teammate," he said.

Small groups and a playlist rivalry

For something a practice administrator could start the next morning, Dorenbos said he's a fan of "getting in small groups and letting people voice their opinion unjudged." The goal, he said, is "making people feel heard and understood, and giving people a say in what's going on in the building."

He described a friend's company that plays about 10 minutes of music when it presents an employee award, and he suggested letting the recipient pick the songs. In an office, he said, staff could compete for the right to choose the music, even if the winner picks something a co-worker hates, for the laughs and a week of bragging rights.

"Create a fun environment, let people be them, and see where it goes," he said.

Keeping cool when plans change

"With change comes opportunity, and you don't really know if it's a good thing or a bad thing yet," Dorenbos said. He quoted his former Eagles coach, Andy Reid: "If the captain keeps his cool, the ship keeps their cool."

The trade he didn't want led to the physical that found his aneurysm. "Ended up being the best thing that ever happened to me," he said.

His advice for leaders facing the next change: "Never get too high, too low. Let time play itself out."

Physicians Practice is in San Antonio at the MGMA Annual Conference, Sept. 27-30, celebrating 100 years of MGMA, attending sessions and speaking with industry leaders. Follow our coverage on our MGMA conference page.