Where has the first half of this year gone? They say time flies when you’re having fun. Are you having fun? How are you doing against any goals you might have set for yourself and your business for 2017? We love ‘livin’ on a prayer’ and having trust, faith and a positive attitude that ‘we’ll make it I swear’ We also believe that one can influence progress.
Whether you’ve set goals for 2017 or would like to take this opportunity to do that now, we hope the areas below (based on our book, The Seven Pillars of a Painless Practice) will help you think about what you’d like to be true at the end of 2017 and what you’ll pro-actively do to give yourself the best chance possible to achieve that.
Your personal goals
One of our clients has set a target for a certain number of bike rides for the year and a cousin of mine has set herself a target of swimming 225 miles over four months. Another client has set herself a target of being able to draw an additional £2000 in monthly dividends by the end of the year. Thinking about all the different areas of your life (Career, health, relationships, financial, your community, experiences, environment etc.) what would you like to be true in your personal life by the 31st of December 2017?
Being passionate about the purpose of your practice
Simon Sinek’s book ‘Start with why’ highlights the concept that ‘people don’t buy what you do but why you do it’. We have seen many practices transform by engaging with this concept – by clearly and succinctly defining why you do what you do and getting the entire team to see how their role contributes to the big picture of the practice. Our purpose is to see every health practitioner enjoy their work and achieve their vision. What’s yours and is your team passionate about it?
The flow of patients
Encouraging new patients to come to your practice, having existing patients follow your advice and return when needed all contributes to (what we assume) your greater purpose is of helping patients have a better quality of life. How are you getting on with the flow into your practice and the ethical retention of patients? Have you set a target for the number of patients you would like to help in 2017? What do you need to do to achieve that?
The patient journey
Your patients take a clinical and non-clinical journey through your practice. Providing a consistent and excellent journey in both aspects encourages loyalty from your patients and more referrals. What would you like to be true about your patients’ journey by the end of 2017? Would you like to see a certain improvement in clinical outcomes? Would you like to do something different in the non-clinical journey?
Your team
Another quote from one of my favourite inspirational speakers, Simon Sinek, is “if you don’t understand people, you don’t understand business”. He talks about people having a need to be part of a community, the creation of which is often lacking in the work environment. How can you create more of a sense of belonging for your team members? What does your team need to look like to deliver the purpose of your practice?
Keeping tabs
Knowing where you need and want to be financially, where you are now and what the gap is helps you to manage your practice better and make educated decisions. Having your head in the sand when it comes to finances is not a good look when it goes wrong! Visibility is power. How clear are you about the performance of your practice? Do you have projections for the future and how close are you to achieving them?
Now put your plan in place!
Live on a prayer and more – let’s make 2017 count. ‘Whoa we’re half way there!’
We really believe that having a written / typed plan in place for the above areas that you would like to improve will give you a far greater chance of success. Articulating your thoughts and dreams for your practice into a document allows you to take action and review progress along the way.
If you would find it useful, we would be delighted to support you through the process. Do get in touch and find out how we can help you.
