Greater Prosperity through Goals, Leadership, and Teaching.
Effective leaders are, first and foremost, good teachers.
We’re in the education business. — John Wooden
Greater Prosperity through Goals, Leadership, and Teaching
A highly productive and prosperous chiropractic clinic always has a goal driven team for support.
Motivation is directly linked to goals and leadership. When anyone pushes their way towards their goals, they are leaders. And one of the primary methods of leading is through teaching.
This is how you lead your patients to their health goals – you educate them at the initial report, the progress report, and each visit where you Table Talk!
In a Goal Driven Practice, eventually, everyone takes a leadership role. And leaders teach.
Teaching, in and of itself, is motivational.
She Wanted to Teach
I will never forget an outstanding example of this, though disappointing in some ways.
One of our clients hired a woman to be his office manager. She had big goals while working at another chiropractic office but was not encouraged to pursue them. So, she found an office, one that we worked with, where the doctor supported her mission.
She was a powerhouse on the front desk, but also worked with the staff and the doctor on improvement projects. She told him that she would work with him for one year, and if the numbers reached a certain level, she would replace herself, receive a substantial bonus, and move on. However, she had a bigger goal in mind. She wanted to begin a team training program for other chiropractic staff throughout the state.
We worked together on this plan for the entire year. The office was already busy and doing well. But after she started, we saw the volume increase significantly. She was a great team trainer, and after a year, she won her first game. The numbers increased on a sustained basis by over 20%. The owner was very pleased.
The disappointment occurred when she visited doctors around the state to encourage them to have their staff train with her. She also promoted her services to the state association. The reception in all cases was mild. She could not convince the doctors or the association of the advantages of having their staff on a professional training program.
She eventually took a high-paying position at a corporation in another state.
Teaching is Leading
As the chiropractor, and the Clinic Director, you are a leader – and a teacher.
In a Goal Driven Practice, you also want each team member to be a leader. The fact is, in their own way, they want to be leaders. Maybe not on the stage or in front of an orchestra, but leading by actively pushing their way to their goals and the office’s goals as well.
Each one of your team members has professional and personal goals. Just like you do. These goals should align with the goals of the office. You can help to unleash the power of these goals, for yourself, and for each team member, in the following ways:
1. Accept the fact that pursuing goals is leadership. And a function of leadership is teaching.
2. Do your own in-office seminars. Teach your team how to achieve the goals of the office, and especially, why.
3. Meet with each team member and help them write down their professional and, optionally, their personal goals. Then, help them achieve these goals.
4. Have them teach. For example:
a. At occasional staff meetings, one team member can give a presentation on some aspect of their job, a core value of the office, or a chapter in a book or a video.
b. In one year (or two) after they are hired, require all staff to help you give the first half of a lay lecture.
A Goal Driven Practice is not dependent upon the doctor. Instead, it is dependent upon goals and, as such, is more profitable, provides better service, and is more fun to work in.
Seize the future and your goals,
Ed
Contact us on the link below if you are interested in discussing how we can help you create a Goal Driven Practice.
Also, read my book! 😊
*https://www.expressionsofexcellence.com/ARTICLES/wooden_interview.html
