"To array a man's will against his sickness is the supreme art of medicine.
"~Henry Ward Beecher In all things we fear change the most, but what happens when we're ready for change? How do we know what changes will make a practice grow? Lots of people have great advice for this, they say: "do what you think is right" or worse, "do what you feel is right".
Sound like something grandma used to cook up when you didn't know how to handle the school bully? In the End: It's all smoke-filled air.
As a profitability coach, my days are spent, much like a physician, helping others face the issues for what they are and fix them.
Nothing is more exciting for someone as dependent on the success of practices as I am as when a practice owner comes to me and says, "Reuven, I'm looking forward to the future and I think I need to make a change.
Things are great right now, but I want to figure out new ways to grow my revenue and shrink my costs.
" What does it mean to me to hear that? In the End: I hear teamwork, commitment, and progress.
No matter what this practice decides in the future, at this moment, they want my help to figure it out.
So what's my answer? Nothing.
Anyone who tells you they have the answer for your practice is lying.
Or they are channeling some knowledge of the future that would be better placed on the lottery.
In the End: "The Devil is in the Details" Honestly, what practice owner seeing patients wants to spend their afternoons going through finances and statistics by themselves? Sound like the future you were looking forward to in school? Or did you have dreams like being successful enough to hire people to see patients for you so you could spend more time with your family, or go traveling around the world? Unless you're reading aloud, go ahead and be honest with yourself.
I call this the, "dreaming in the clouds" moment.
Before you shake your head thinking, "ok, so now I know where I'll never be, so let's just list out the numbers".
Ask yourself why not? And unless you're a firm believer in the 2012 theory, write down your "dreaming the clouds" moment thoughts.
These are your new goals.
This is what makes a monthly health check with a profitability coach exciting.
In the End: No One Is Ever Alone Sound like something Obi-wan Kenobi would say? Well, I'm here to present you with your dad's light saber.
Now let's go save the galaxy...
How do you know your practice will survive the change? Have you considered projecting out potential costs and benefits over 10 years? As practice owners, like a man staring a painting, you have to be ready to see the whole scene, not just the majestic mountains.
So if you're ready for a change, writing down your "dreaming in the clouds" moments, and looking to your practice's future, but afraid of what might happen, give yourself a chance.
Let's let the real you out for some fresh air before you suffocate possibility and profitability.
In the End: What Matters Most?