Complacency and apathy
Complacency is probably the number one enemy of practitioners in all professions. Trapped in a daily pattern of delivery and thinking that nothing can change is an apathy that slowly sneaks up on many healthcare providers. Some even think that they are doing the best that can be done, yet they have no yardstick to judge how much more and better quality service they actually COULD be delivering. They have hit their personal glass ceiling.
Practice analysis
Having analyzed over 4,500 practices one by one over the past 24 years, I have met many a practice owner who met with me in the hope that I could discover what was the matter with their practice and how to take them beyond their glass ceiling and make the practice grow some more (without killing them at the same time through long hours, more stress, etc.).
Statistics are flat or going down
However, some met with me to convince me that they are already doing everything that can be done. Their minds were closed. Some did not even know that they are billing only ½ to ¾ of what they should or could be. A few had gone into agreement with practitioner friends who were doing poorly and blamed it on the recession (there isn’t one in Canada that we have found – statistics and production are caused inside the practice, not outside) and no longer sought to find out the REAL reason their stats were down or low. Very dangerous “friends.”
Practice stagnating; frustrated; overwhelmed
Others had grown complacent with their staff and so the staff too was stagnating and no longer trying out new ideas. Many owners felt frustrated that they had not been taught management skills in college. Some had gotten overwhelmed by financial responsibilities in their lives and practices, and were ready to give up.
Adventurous, aspiring, achieving
Then there were those who met with me to seek new tools and new creativity, to achieve fresh thinking, to demand knowledge. They were curious to learn and wanting more adventure. And it is with pleasure that we have helped them achieve those goals and kept them aspiring to be better – for the sake of their patients, their staff, themselves and their families.
I have for a long time subscribed to the belief that joy and happiness comes from constantly seeking and discovering new and better ways to do things, and going ahead to achieve my goals against any and all odds.
Here are three great quotes to take to heart:
The arrogance of success is to think that what we did yesterday is good enough for tomorrow. – William Pollard
To think creatively, we must be able to look afresh at what we normally take for granted. – George Keller
Routine and predictable days are the breeding grounds for complacency. – Wayne Goodall
To find out how to break through YOUR glass ceiling, let’s meet for a FREE practice analysis!
Call to arrange a time: 416-466-6217 or click here
Creative Commons Attribution: Permission is granted to repost this article in its entirety with credit to The Art of Management Inc. and a clickable link back to this page.
