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There are many things to love about being in optometry. Without question, my favorite quality of the profession is our diversity. And by that I mean our wide range of methods we can use to serve the profession. There are endless definitions of "success."
But in visiting practices and talking to doctors and staff for many years, I have noticed 6 fundamentals that are common to all successful practices.
# 1 - It Doesn't Matter Who is to Blame
This is listed first, simply because if you are in the habit of looking for who to blame, everything else will be harder. Also, it takes time to break this habit, so it is best to get started.
There are many excuses for why our practices are less than perfect. Plenty of reasons they are not successful. Yet some of us are able to succeed in spite of these challenges - these excuses. Some are able to thrive BECAUSE of these excuses.
If we stop using energy to find our who to blame, we can get busy solving the problem. So to truly become competent at this Basic Fundamental, we must work to stop looking for a reason things aren't the way we want and start looking for ways to make our vision a reality.
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# 2 - Have a Plan, a Vision, a BluePrint
Call it what you want, but all successful practices know what success looks like. In other words, it has been defined, explained and is clear to every member of the team.
It is not uncommon for us to have an idea about the practice we would like. I believe that everyone thinks about what could be before they start or purchase a practice. I also think we do it when we accept a new position within an organization. But for some reason, it usually doesn't make it beyond the idea stage.
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# 3 - Finding Opportunities in the Barriers
This is easier to follow if you are already practicing Fundamental #1 and #2. Without a clear vision, the barrier may put us in a completely different direction.
Barriers can come in the form of a storm that rolls in without warning. This can be a break-in, a complete staff walk-out, or a large local employer changing insurance plans. They can also come in the form of a depressing haze that lingers for an extended time. Maybe decreased staff morale, extended periods of depressed economy or an appointment book that just won't get filled.
We all will experience barriers in practice and in life. Looking beyond each problem, to find the opportunity it presents gets easier with practice.
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# 4 - Face the Facts
Successful practices seek out the facts by watching the trends of the business and looking for problems and for opportunities. Many times they are found at the same time. Practices that are growing, that are thriving are consistently looking for ways to do things better. But the truly successful ones can face the facts about decisions and look at it from every angle.
By far, the biggest struggle for facing the facts is pride. If I decide to make a change and it turns out to make things worse, how quickly can I say, "My bad."?
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In my study of long term successful practices, they all have a strategic method of continuing to attract new and retain existing patients. Everybody markets, but the successful practice has a strategy in place and sticks to the plan. Many practices participate in "knee-jerk" marketing by simply reacting to reduced practice activity. Others focus on the "one thing" that they are convinced is the secret.
Every strategy will be different and will depend on a number of factors: practice personality, budget, age of practice, demographics, personnel availability, etc. The point is to concentrate on marketing and be consistent year round and year to year. All practices that are successful have made a significant investment in the building of a strong team. Team building requires constant attention, much like marketing. With the best plan in place and a strong history, some neglect can go un-noticed for a little while, but will eventually catch up with you.
First is the need to create a "desire" to improve. Second, determine the needs of the individual as it relates to the team. This forces people to take a strong look at themselves and hopefully demonstrates that others may do something better or that they have areas to improve. And third, incorporate the programs. And finally, strive to put the best person in the best place to be most effective.
When practices are able to focus on these 6 areas, they are successful. Not perfect, but they continue to strive for their own version of perfection. |
