Dr. Kambiz Kevin Sadraei Shares His Recipe for Excellence Across Careers

The perfectionism Sadraei practiced as a musician became a significant driver toward excellence in his dental career.

Presented by Luke Lintz

While it might be hard to determine how often they should do it, there’s no denying that changing jobs is an integral part of people’s working life. A Bureau of Labor Statistics survey found that, for example, Baby Boomers held more than 12 jobs before turning 54 years of age. The survey also found that the younger people are, the more likely they are to change jobs.

It didn’t, however, tell us how often people change careers — a notoriously difficult question to answer or how to chart one’s career trajectory to ensure success. Still, any trajectory needs a beginning, and for Dr. Kambiz Kevin Sadraei, an excellent place to start would be his career as a musician. “I used to be a musician,” he says. “I used to make songs, record them for other people, while I was in school.”

From there, he moved into a cosmetic dentistry career, focusing on buccal fat removal, a cosmetic procedure that plastic surgeons usually perform. Dr. Kambiz Kevin Sadraei also practiced his entrepreneurial muscle, opening two dental practices. A true original, he has plenty to share with people who want to smooth sailing between careers.

Developing a Strong Work Ethic

A strong work ethic is an excellent foundation for success in any career or endeavor. Still, different professions have different demands, and the skillsets and motivations aren’t that easy to translate from one job to another.

For Dr. Kambiz Kevin Sadraei, the perfectionism he practiced as a musician became a significant driver toward excellence in his dental career. “When you’re an artist, you have to develop the ear and eye of a perfectionist to be able to hear and see the smallest thing,” he explains. “That same eye for detail transferred to my dentist career, and the same desire to create things that are just right.”

Dr. Kambiz’s patients are the true beneficiary of his perfectionism-fueled work ethic. As a cosmetic dentist, he’s performed at least five hundred buccal fat removal procedures. With laser-sharp focus and precision, Dr. Kambiz Kevin Sadraei can perform the procedure quickly, with minimal discomfort, low chances of infection, and a short recovery period that follows.

Finding the Throughline

A helpful thing when switching careers is to have a throughline that connects the two. While having a more substantial connection might make it easier to hit the ground running in a new field, even something as abstract as a love for artistic expression can help make a good choice.

“I was always a great student, and I wanted to do something that’s kind of artistic but also scientific at the same time,” says Dr. Kambiz, recalling how he chose his current profession. “Dentistry was the closest thing. The only other thing would have been plastic surgery, which would have taken much longer.”

Apart from the eye for detail that helped him through his musical and dental careers, another throughline that Dr. Kambiz Kevin Sadraei found is that he loves working with people and creating something people will love. “You must love people if you want to be a successful doctor or a dentist,” he says. The same could certainly be said for creating music.

Building a Nurturing Environment

Being people-oriented turned out great for Dr. Kambiz because it helped him with the crucial step of opening his practices — finding good staff. “It’s easy to open an office — get a loan, find an open office, and you’re set,” he explains. “The hardest part is finding good staff, training them, maintaining them, and keeping them.”

His recipe? A mixture of transparency, respect, and setting clear boundaries. The people who work with Dr. Kambiz know what to expect from him. They know their pay, they know how the system operates, and they know what’s expected. Dr. Kambiz Kevin Sadraei believes that this level of transparency and keeping to his work is a way to respect people and provide them with workplace dignity.

It’s the patients who benefit the most from this environment. “If I’m treating my staff members with respect, and they’re happy where they work, this happiness gets transferred to their work ethics, patience, I’m a true believer in that,” he says. “And it all starts with the boss. You have to lead. You have to set the example.”

Looking for the Right Kind of Reward

At the end of the day, the “why” is the crucial question. It shows the motivation behind the leap, investing the time and effort to practice skills, or the money to open a new business. It’s essential to be clear on it, to understand the impact on one’s own life, as well as the life of others. It has to be worth it — chasing the dream has to be rewarding.

From the way Dr. Kambiz Kevin Sadraei talks about his work, it’s evident that being able to perform procedures meticulously and efficiently is rewarding to him. He is a confessed perfectionist, and being at the top of his profession probably doesn’t hurt.

Still, the change he brings into people’s lives is a major component of what makes it all worth it. “I’ve had a couple of patients I became friends with on Instagram,” he says. “You can see it from their posts — after the procedure, they start posting a lot more from their faces, and they weren’t before. They want the world to see them, and the procedure gave them that confidence. It’s just incredible to see.”