Just read an interesting article in Fast Company Magazine, The Telltale Brown M&M. Van Halen’s lead singer was known for asking for a bowl of M&M’s backstage during his concerts, his request was that the bowl not have ANY brown M&M’s. This clause was clearly stated in the middle of the contract each performance venue signed. Many people assumed that David Lee Roth was just a diva for not wanting brown M&M’s. How he really used the Brown M&M clause was to check to see if they actually read the entire contract. If he found a brown M&M in his bowl, he would force the venue to do an entire check of the set for technical errors. This was his canary in a coal mine, it was how he could be assured that the stagehands were paying attention. Most dentists do not have the time or energy to do a complete check of every facet of their practice. What are your brown M&M’s, what is your check that things are going well?