"What's Wrong with a Chiropractic and Healthcare Personality Practice, He Asked?"
- Ed Petty
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
Just wrapped up an outstanding chiropractic convention put on by the Wisconsin Chiropractic Society here, you guessed it, in Wisconsin!
We enjoyed catching up with old friends, some we've known for decades. And making new friends.
For more on the Convention, you can check out our Facebook site, link below.
Personality Practice
While I was out listening to a presentation, I was told that a doctor dropped by the booth and asked about my book, The Goal Driven Business. He was told that it was about how to improve profits and outcomes by shifting from a personality-driven practice to one that was goal-driven. He felt that the personality practice was better.
I am sorry I wasn't there to explain more – and hopefully he is reading this email.
Let me explain: A Personality Driven practice is propelled by the doctor's behavior – their feelings, attitudes, and habits. What they personally do.
When opening a new office, the new business owner, of course, builds their new business on their behavior. It is their ambitious determination that is driving the initial growth of the practice. So, yes, a Personality Driven practice works at the launch of a new endeavor. What else is there? A dream, and the raw desire to manifest it.
So, the Personality-Driven practice works -- at first.
However, after the practice is up and running, it needs to transition into a Goal Driven and systematized business.
The concept of a systematized business was hugely popular in the 1980s, thanks to Michael Gerber's book, The E-Myth. In it, he says:
"The system runs the business. The people run the system."
B. J. Palmer said something similar, much earlier. And he built a school that many of you may have attended. In his book, Up From Below the Bottom, he says:
"The size of a chiropractor's business depends upon:
1st – His ability to notify people who he is, what he is, and where.
2nd – His systematization to take care of it as it grows and increases in volume."
Gerber comically explains what happens when you don't have systems running your business.
"If your business depends on you, you don't own a business—you have a job. And it's the worst job in the world because you're working for a lunatic!"
--Making the Shift from Personality Driven to Goal Driven--
Making the SHIFT from a Personality Practice to a Goal Driven business is not easy. This is because you have established survival habits that have shown you that the practice depends on you, your feelings, attitudes, and overall behavior. You are the doctor, after all. You see the practice as DOCTOR-CENTERED.
A better approach, I recommend, is to keep it GOAL-CENTERED.
There are two echelons of goals to consider:
Higher goals, including your purpose and "why." This is your North Star.
Practical goals, or outcomes. For example, you could have front desk goals (percentage of appointments kept), Billing and Collections goals (percentage of collections), and marketing goals (new patients and returning patients), and patient goals (patient completing tx program with an excellent review.)
Get your team on board with these goals. If you do, they can now help you put together the best approach to achieve your goals. These are the systems.
So: Personality Practice – YES! When starting a new business.
But once it is running, NO. Gradually back out and put in place goals and systems. And train your people on these.
For more details, read The Goal Driven Business.
If you want help with this, contact me. I'd love to help. (Been doing this for a while, so lots of tips!)
Stay Goal Driven. Stay Free!
Ed