Van Halen, Your Business, and Brown M&M’s

Van Halen knew that the execution of great performances lies in the details.

The Story

The great American rock band, Van Halen, is well known for several chart-topping hits and sold-out concerts. The impact they can have on your business involves a story about Brown M&M’s..

Back in their prime, Van Halen traveled the United States putting on concert productions larger and more spectacular than had ever been seen before. Hours of preparation and proper execution by hundreds of people was required to pull off these events. This is where the brown M&M’s come into play. Van Halen’s performance contract to the promoter included a section containing the band’s requirements. If these requirements were not fully met, the promoter would forfeit the show at full pay. One requirement in the contract stated that no brown M&M’s were to be found backstage. The band required M&M’s as part of their agreement; but, the brown ones needed to be removed prior to their arrival.

The brilliance of this story lies in the band’s reasoning behind the brown M&M’s. (If you want to hear the story straight from the horse’s mouth check out this link! http://www.npr.org/sections/therecord/2012/02/14/146880432/the-truth-about-van-halen-and-those-brown-m-ms)

Why the Brown M&M’s?

The band created this requirement as a safety measure. They knew that the production they were putting on was state-of-the-art. At the time, Van Halen traveled with the biggest lights, sound equipment, and stage than had ever been seen before. If proper installation was not done; the band and fans would be in serious danger. Thus, the brown M&M’s requirement was born. The requirement was included in the middle of the installation safety instructions. If the band arrived to brown M&M’s backstage, they knew that the proper safety measures had not been taken and would require a more thorough examination prior to the concert. If the promoter did not go through the safety checklists provided by Van Halen, they would definitely miss the brown M&M’s but more importantly they could risk putting people in harm’s way.

Your Business

The moral of the story is this: Van Halen utilized a checklist that contained step-by-step instructions to ensure that the performance they put on was the best it could possibly be. They went a step further by utilizing the brown M&M’s as a safety measure to gauge whether or not the checklist had been followed correctly.

Your business needs checklists. Your team needs the tasks they are responsible for specifically documented and laid out to be followed every single day. It doesn’t matter how long you have been doing things or your team members have been with you. We are all human and we all forget. Design your checklists to be all-encompassing and don’t forget the specific details.

Without checklists, the bathrooms are forgotten, garbage cans remain full, and tissue boxes empty.

Exceptional patient experiences are executed in the details.

Dr. Nathan UnruhDr. Nathan Unruh, CXO SIDECAR

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Why Report of Findings Don’t Work and Three Things You Can Do About It

Imagine how simple it would be to report your findings if all of your new patients came with a USB port. Then all you would have to do is stick in a flash drive and transfer your findings along with the appropriate studies validating your recommendations. Well that day may come but not fast enough to make a difference in your practice right now! If you want more new patients you must take your good patient communication skills and make them great.

The Problem

The problem with most Report of Findings is that they don’t work. They fail to get results for the patient. Allow me to repeat that statement, “They fail to get results for the patient.” Most reports do not cultivate trust, deliver meaning or move the patient to follow through. Reports too often leave the patient dazed and confused and a confused mind always says no. This has real consequences for both you and your patients. The patient misses the opportunity to get the care they want and you lose the opportunity to serve!

You probably think (hope) that getting a patient to accept your recommendations is pretty straight forward. You gather the history, do the appropriate exams, formulate a plan and boom they start care. And of course the most famous bromide of them all, “They stay, pay and refer.” Too often reports are heavy on facts and light on human touch. Data-dumping does not get the results the patient needs. A doctor-centered report of findings focuses on what the doctor needs to say. A patient-centered approach focuses on what the patient needs to hear, it “relates” to the patient.

Stop reporting your findings and start “Relating Your Findings” using the following three steps.

  1. Personalize the report
  2. Give the patient your best recommendation
  3. Make the decision process easy
Personalize every report.

Begin your presentation with, “As I understand it, the most important thing for you right now is to be able to_____.” Never use dogmatic platitudes like “You need to come for the rest of your life,” or weak avoidance tactics like “If you’re not better after five adjustments then chiropractic won’t work for you.” Both are cookie cutter one size fits all positions.

Make your best recommendation your only recommendation.

Interpret the examination findings then stand firmly upon your clinical opinion, best available evidence and experience to date. This is your point of view; you are the expert. Is it always right? Of course not, but it is the best you can do with what you know right now. Changing your recommendation during the report when you sense resistance is not patient-centered. It is, in fact, doctor-centered and fear driven behavior. Too often the fear of being criticized, or the need to make everyone happy makes us people pleasers not patient leaders.

Make the decision process easy

You must make the decision process easy. Address the patient’s problem in the context of how it is limiting their life. Make the cause of their symptoms tangible. Instead of saying misalignments are caused by toxins, thoughts and trauma, tell them exactly what you think. As an example you could say, “Spinal misalignments can occur as a result of accumulated stress and injuries. In your case I suspect ____.”        And make the care plan simple. As an example, “In order to get the results we are both looking for you will need a concentrated course of care over the next ____”

The reality is that patient non-compliance is a source of frustration for all health care providers. Yet chiropractors need to be better because our margin for error is a whole lot less. People always pay for services they value and value the services they pay for. And in today’s stingy economy, chiropractic care needs to be affordable and valued. You can take charge of your practice but only if you take responsibility for your role in patient non-compliance.

Your SIDECAR Team

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Putting Your Right Foot Forward

Sunday nights tend to have a somber mood to them. For most people, Sunday evening marks the end of a fun, stress-free weekend and the beginning of a dreaded work week. This is especially true for someone who doesn’t love his/her job.

Guess what? Most people don’t “love” their job. In fact, one study found 70% of people are unsatisfied with their career choice.

Whether you love your job or not, it’s important that you put the right foot forward.

The First Step

In basketball, the first step dictates whether a player gets past the defense or not. During the work week, the first step is also the most important. To make the most out of your first step it needs to come from the right emotion — gratitude.

What’s great about your job? If you can’t find an answer to that question, try this one: what’s positive about your job? Do you get paid? Do you enjoy any relationships you have with those around you?

What impact does your job afford you to have?

We’ve found that the best direction to take your first step is usually backwards! 

Take time to think, pray, reflect, and love. The beginning of the day carries so much weight for the rest of the week.

Only you can control your attitude.

It doesn’t matter what you do, carry a great attitude through it… no matter what!

Your SIDECAR Team

 

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It’s Not Over Until It’s Over

When is it over? It’s over when you say it is. The only failure in life is quitting on your dream and/or deciding that the work required to reach it is too overwhelming. We all hear the same inner voice when we face adversity. When your perceptions are clouded with negative emotions the self-deceptive, survival voice tells you that you need, even deserve, a break. The fact is that if you want to excel you have to work smarter, play harder, sharpen your skills and be more disciplined than your competition. It’s not over ‘til it’s over.

“Think Outside the Box”

Have you heard the tired bromide that in order to be successful you have to “think outside the box?” Well, that’s half right. Actually, it’s just as important to “think inside the box.” If we equate “outside the box” as right brain thinking and “inside the box” as left brain thinking, we get the whole view. Inside the box is working on the strategic organizational aspects of your practice and outside the box is working on your leadership skills.

Most Chiropractors think outside the box when it comes to revolutionary health care strategies but when it comes to their businesses they tend to resort to ‘OLD-practice’ thinking and entrenched beliefs. One of the most costly is the belief that the strategic work of a practice can be fixed once and for all. This strictly linear thinking leads to practice distress and personal frustration. The result is a process of decline, beginning with stagnation, followed by mediocrity, roller coaster numbers, free fall and eventual extinction. Business remains a work in process and it’s not over until it’s over. It simply is not possible nor is it desirable to attempt to fix the practice once and for all. All attempts to eliminate innovation and creativity will lead to boredom and failure.

A prime example of this “fixing the practice mentality” is how many doctors deal with the challenges associated with recruiting, hiring and training staff. Too many doctors fly by the seat of their pants or on the wind of their emotions and avoid the rigors of leadership. Once they finally wake up and terminate the employee, or wait for him/her to quit, they go on a search to find the perfect assistant and assume this will solve the problem for good. This assumption is a costly repetition of a systemic (whole brain) flaw in thinking. Leadership requires consistent vigilance and investment of your time, energy and money for training.

What is Excellence?

Another common example of this fixer mentality occurs when the doctor puts all of his/her attention on the task of organizing the systems of the business and neglects the human aspect of patient care. As in life, being a Chiropractic Entrepreneur is a cyclical process, not a linear event. Just when you have attended to one aspect, another one is calling for your attention. You must develop the mental agility to hold the entire Business of Chiropractic in your head at once. This includes the Clinical Department, the Financial Department and all the systems involved in each. Excellence means performing at your peak every day, all day.

An example of a manmade cyclical process is the care and maintenance of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, California. Anyone who has seen this inspired mega structure close up will notice that it is always in a state of repair and maintenance. As a matter of fact, before the painting crew finishes one end of the bridge, they set up the scaffolding on the opposite end and the painting cycle is started again. In business we call this consistency and innovation.

The reality is that you must work on your business and on yourself simultaneously. That’s why SIDECAR is designed with coaching accountability, not feel good, pat-on-the-back chats.

It’s not over till you say it is.

Your SIDECAR Team

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Perfection & Grace

This message was inspired by a talk given by Eric McDonald, CEO of DocuTap during a presentation he gave at BRAINSPA 2017. If you’d like to hear his full presentation (trust us, you do) you can check it out here.

As a business leader, you dictate exactly how your team behaves. You set the standards and are responsible for holding your team to them.

How high do you set your standards? Perfection.

What happens when your team doesn’t meet them? Grace.

Perfection

Setting standards that are anything less than perfection is a mistake. Standards need to be set in an “ideal world” environment. In business, the standards you set are one of the few things that you can control and remain largely unchanged.

Here’s the kicker – you’ll never reach perfection; but you have to shoot for it. The second you lower your standards you send a message to your team that it’s okay to be average. Lowering the standard and achieving it with minimal effort never creates growth or improvement.

So, you set perfect standards and your team fails to meets them. What now?

Grace

First and foremost, understand that you are working with people. Flawed, complex, unique, wonderful people. Every single person on your team is completely different. No person should ever be capable of meeting your perfect standards; but every person on your team should be in a constant pursuit of them.

What happens when they fall short?

The questions you need to ask are:

“Was the shortcoming a product of good faith done in pursuit of a perfect (unachieveable) standard?”

“Where is there room for improvement and growth?”

“What leadership does this employee need from me?”

Perfect employees don’t exist. Perfect standards must. Navigating this dichotomy is where you as a business leader need to live and thrive every day.

Press for excellence, give grace.

Your SIDECAR Team

 

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Thriving Through The “Holi-Daze”

Here we are once again in the mass consciousness called the holidays. Several years ago Tom Grisham wrote a delightful book entitled “Skipping Christmas” and it was made into a fun comedy starring Tim Allen. In the movie, Tim Allen talks his wife into leaving the cold weather and the holiday hassle to head for the islands. Skipping Christmas meant leaving the holi-daze brought on by parties, presents, decorations and the rest. Read the book or see the movie I won’t spoil the fun for you!

Our point is this, regardless your personal beliefs about the season, you will be swept into it because you touch the lives of so many people and they leave a mark on you. As the leader in your family and your business you need a personal and professional plan to thrive this year and to set the tone for an affluent next year. We know your plate is filling up with family fun and social events. Your personal memories of this season flood your brain with good and sad.

So,‘tis the season for you to be VERY focused, VERY serving, VERY energetic!

Start with good sELF care. Get your rest, eat well (cheat a little too), make sure you exercise (you can cut back 40% and still be good).

Then, take care of your staff. Remember, they have families and their plates are really full, so no practice building rants or office meetings! A party outside of the office is always a good idea.

Take special care of your patients. They will show up with a seasonal syndrome that was coined by Dr. Douglas Sea as the “ING Syndrome”. Too much wrappING, partyING, spendING, shoppING, eatING and visitING!

And remember to take care of the college kids who are back in town, they need it!

How about opening your door and allowing the visitors who are in your community to get in for an adjustment. Make your new patient process hassle free and only do the essentials. I’ll bet you can refine and define the new patient exam and report to accommodate them.

And finally enjoy yourself! End on a high note and you will begin the next year on a high-ER note!

Your SIDECAR Team

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Leaders are Learners!

Powerful leaders have several characteristics and attributes that contribute to their success. They are great communicators, experienced go-getters, and have high emotional intelligence. However, one of the most attractive traits a leader can have is also the simplest — getting excited about learning. A great leader is no less excited about learning a new skill than a child on the first day of kindergarten. This desire to learn guarantees a leader stays on the forefront of his/her profession and keeps the mind open to fresh ideas.

Conversely, the struggles experienced when trying to grow personally or professionally can many times point to one dangerous fixed mindset characteristic, the know-it-all mentality. It’s not easy to admit you don’t have all the answers. However, carrying this weight on your shoulders creates a burden that will severely bottleneck your ability to improve and grow.

So how can we embrace the love of learning?

You Can Become a Learner

First, realize there are millions of new ideas generated every day. You’ll never be the source of them all. To grow you’ll have to expose yourself and soak up as much of them as you can!

The easiest exercise to embrace this concept is to think of the best leader you know or have ever been around. Envision how that person conducts themselves. Regardless of who you’re thinking of I’m willing to bet the following:

  • That leader brings enthusiasm and creativity to every meeting and relationship they are involved in
  • That leader leads by example in their organization
  • That leader reads books and takes advantage of training opportunities
  • That leader never stops asking questions and engaging others to share their thoughts and ideas

Powerful leaders understand that growth, both personally and professionally, is a requisite to living a full and impacting life. The second you stop growing, you start dying. Momentum is a powerful thing that begins to fade the second complacency and comfort set in.

Let go the burden of thinking you must know it all. Embrace a beginner’s mindset and open yourself up to the possibility that their may be a better way than how you’re currently living.

Leaders are learners, and you can be too!

 

Your SIDECAR Team

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It’s Not What You Are Born With, It’s What You Have in You to Be!

If you want to reach your personal business best whether that’s 100 patient visits a day or 100 patient visits a week, you need to let go of the “myths of success” that most management systems perpetuate and embrace evidence-based management.

The preponderance of psychological evidence indicates that experts are made, not born. Successful Chiropractic Entrepreneurs are experts in three key areas:

  1. Clinical expertise
  2. Leadership charisma
  3. Managerial acumen

Decades of research by University of Florida’s Andres Ericsson proves that exceptional performance doesn’t happen overnight, nor is it determined by innate talent. Here are the cliff notes:

  1. Ten year rule
    It takes approximately 10 years of daily, deliberate practice, about four hours a day, to become an expert.
  2. Training trumps talent.
    Experts train effectively and efficiently and have direct access to the best techniques through coaching, skilled peers, books and seminars. They never miss an opportunity to train.
  3. Relentless pursuit for excellence
    Once achieved, exceptional performance can’t be maintained without continued effort.
  4. More effort, not more success
    Exceptional performers do not have a higher success rate, they simply do more.
  5. Effortful study
    Challenging yourself beyond your present competencies makes room for growth. Jim Collins says, “Comfort and complacency are the enemies of greatness.”
  6. Successful people don’t have hot streaks.
    The period when they produce the most successes are also the times when they produce the most failures.
  7. A higher source of motivation
    Experts are intrinsically motivated to be the best they can be. They are not motivated by fear of failure or by greed.

I can only imagine how incredible it will be for you when the person you are today meets the person you are destined to be!

Remember, it’s not what you are born with, it’s what you have in you to become!

Your SIDECAR Team

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Just Like You, Patients Buy What’s Familiar.

So how do we become familiar? 

How many times has a patient asked you for the name of another D.C., either because they were moving, traveling or wanted to refer a friend? How do you find that D.C.? If you’re like me you first check to see if you have any friends or acquaintances in that city or one close by. Referrals are personal. Chiropractic is not familiar to most people, so you, the Chiropractor, must become the familiar gateway. There are three components to becoming familiar: contactability, interpersonal skills, and image.

Contactability

Contactability is how approachable you are in your community. Do you go to the gym and put a force field up around you? When you go to church do you bolt out the side door as soon as services are over? When you attend your child’s athletic or school events are you one of the untouchables? If we attached a monitoring device to you and followed your activities throughout the week what would we see? Home to office and back again? You know it’s really tough to meet people when you don’t even give yourself the chance.

Interpersonal Skills

How do you behave at a restaurant? Do you tip appropriately? Do you treat the wait staff with respect? You see; wherever you go there you are. You are your message! Are you willing to discuss subjects outside of your interests? In other words, are you boring? Are you always talking about health and healing? The number one complaint that spouses have is that the doctor (technician) never leaves the office and has cloistered his self/herself in a protective cocoon from the world of allopathy. Now I don’t want to get off on a rant or anything but get a life outside of adjusting. Learn to be interested in others and they will be interested in you and your message.

Image

Like it or not you have 7 seconds to make an impression with a stranger. Do you look like a professional? Do you dress with pride for yourself and respect for others, or have you decided that comfort means “I don’t care what others think?” Do you realize that people respond to what you feel and think more than what you say? When you say to yourself, “I don’t care what people think about my image,” they only hear I don’t care. Remember, every one of us has an unconscious attraction or repulsion that impacts our choices. What are you sending out?

Successful Chiropractic Entrepreneurs like you have one thing in common: a single- minded dedication to their patients. They have a passionate commitment to understanding everything they can about the people they serve. They have an innate sense that patients are to be served not converted, served not needed, and served not controlled.

Your SIDECAR Team

 

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