Help! (The Key to Success in Your Practice)
Help: The Key to Success in Your Practice
Disasters, like the back to back hurricanes of Florida in 2024 or the recent wildfires in Southern California, motivate people to help the victims. Donations of time and money are highest at these times. Additionally, when people are victims of a disaster, or in physical danger, they are more open to receiving help. Your success as a practice owner is also related to giving and receiving help. The more easily you can provide AND accept assistance, the faster you can achieve your goals.
A Tale of Two Doctors
For example, Dr. Chris believes he loses his independence or risks betrayal if he accepts help. "I want to be a self-made man." Or "I’m better than everyone, so don’t want anyone’s help." Dr. Chris also resists giving help and so avoids all discussions about personal issues with patients and staff members. "I made it on my own; so can they." His practice does not grow beyond the amount of production he can do by himself. He feels, "Practicing is a drudgery; it’s boring, lonely and stressful."
Dr. Pat, on the other hand, openly gives and receives help. He has a network of 250 people in his Rolodex who enjoy helping him with advice, recommendations and support. He also knows a few thousand people who have enjoyed receiving his help. Dr. Pat has two offices, five partners, eighteen associates and a portfolio worth millions. He serves as a leader in several associations and non-profit organizations. Best of all, Dr. Pat wakes each morning with a smile as bright as the sun.
Five Important Facts About Help
1. Your success is obtained through the combined efforts of hundreds of people. Everyone who supports you with kindness and encouragement makes up your success. As well as accepting the generosity of others, you sometimes must go out and ask for it.
2. Helping people can give you enormous satisfaction. By putting people in contact with one another, or sharing your expertise, you can change people’s destinies. You share the thrill of many challenges and wins.
3. The amount of help available to you and others is unlimited. It is not like a cake with a finite number of pieces. Keeping score of who owes help to who is silly. The fact, is, you can give and/or receive an unlimited amount of help from anyone, and still have more help available to give or take.
4. The power of your network grows to the degree each person gives and obtains help. Refusing to give help weakens your network. Rejecting assistance from your network closes doors to your opportunities. Your network functions and expands through the free interchange of help.
5. The more people you know and interchange help with, the greater your power. The most successful practice owners in the world give and accept vast quantities of help—not from desperation—but from a burning desire to thrive at all levels.
Two Giant Leaps To Success
1. Give more help to others than ever before. Help patients and staff members with their personal difficulties. Help former employees with recommendations and referrals. Help associates become partners or practice owners. Help your parents and spouse whenever you can. Guide teenagers to find positive career directions. Spend more time teaching children. Assist colleagues in new ways. Give more support to your professional groups. Volunteer for causes in which you believe. Take an active role in your community.
2. Ask for and accept more help than ever before. Ask patients to help with insurance companies and with new patient referrals. Ask your staff to help you with ideas, responsibility and hard work. Get all the help you can from colleagues, consultants and professional associations. The most successful practice owners sign up for every consulting and seminar program available. They attend hundreds of association meetings. They use every opportunity available to them to seek or provide more help. They never eat lunch alone.
Have a great week!
Brian Rakestraw, Managing Partner
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