Your Greatest Enemy…
Fear helps animals react quickly to danger. Maybe fear helped our oldest ancestors survive in the wild. Yet as a practice owner, fear may cause more damage to your practice than anything else.
Fear comes in many forms:
Fear of the unknown
Fear of rejection
Fear of pain
Fear of failure
Fear of mistakes
Fear of abandonment
Fear of loss
Fear of blame
Fear of criticism
The Destructive Effects of Fear
Fear creates "cant's." "I can’t lay down rules, I can’t discuss money with patients, I can’t correct staff behavior, I can’t lose her, I can’t tell the truth, I can’t reach my goals, I can’t hurt her feelings,"
Fear breeds doubt: "Do I know what I’m doing? Am I going in the right direction? Am I good enough?"
Fear changes the color of situations. Aggressive employees or patients look dangerous. Consultants and vendors look like con artists. Opportunities look like risks.
Fears cause mistakes. For example, you sign unfair contracts with insurance companies out of fear of an empty appointment book. You hire passive employees out of fear of confrontation. You take the easy way out, even if your goals are in a different direction.
Fear produces harmful solutions. "If I make people afraid of me, I won’t have to deal with them." "Avoiding people is good." Worst of all, "I must destroy him before he destroys me."
However, to succeed as a practice owner, you need courage. You must be a stabilizing force. You must face every aspect of your practice. You must show no fear.
Three Ways to Handle Fear
1. Role play the situation. For example, a practice owner realized he must fire his office manager. He agreed to do so that week. When the consultant came back the following week, the doctor admitted he could not face her. "Every time I tried to meet with her, I got dizzy and felt faint. It bothers me so much I just can't do it."
So the consultant practiced the termination meeting with him. The practice owner expected the office manager to make threats, so the consultant made threats. He expected she would cuss him out, so the consultant cussed him out. The doctor expected she would explode with rage and not accept his decision, so the consultant pretended to do the same.
The practice owner and consultant worked out solutions to every possible scenario and practiced them. Finally, the practice owner was ready to face the office manager. He was confident he would do a good job.
When he met with her and told her he was letting her go, she said, "Well, I've decided to quit anyway."
2. Clear up the mystery. Find what you don't know. Take a closer look.
For example, when you walk down a strange road at night, you feel fear because you do not know who or what may be hiding there. In the bright sunlight, you can see everything and feel no fear.
If someone makes you afraid, ask him or her direct questions and you may find there is nothing to fear. If a task makes you afraid, take it apart and examine it carefully.
3. Focus on your goals and purposes for your practice, your career and your life.
Instead of moving away from a fear, move toward something you love. Make your dreams bigger than your fears. You will then expand your thoughts, activities and achievements instead of constricting and hiding.
Without fear, you make better decisions, you seize the best opportunities and you have the most fun.
Have A Great Week! Brian Rakestraw, Managing Partner
For more information, call (800) 340-6737 x2