Tag Archive for: chiropractic

Instilling the concept of “Playing Hurt vs. Playing Injured” in your company culture is crucial in your ability to lead your team effectively.

How many times have you told yourself or your employees to “Rub some dirt on it!” or “Shake it off!” in the last few months?

What I hope to illustrate in today’s blog is defining the concept of “Playing Hurt vs. Playing Injured” and how you can incorporate this lesson into your company culture.

Playing Hurt

Being hurt is challenging. When you’re feeling under the weather it’s easy to head back to bed and chalk the day up as a loss. However, as the leader of your business you must come to a quick realization. Ultimately, you set the tone for your company and are directly in charge of your company’s culture.

If you have a stuffy nose or don’t feel quite right, you can still go to work. You can go to work and you can perform to the standards you’ve set for yourself and your employees. A majority of the time it comes down to your mindset. You don’t have a choice, you have a responsibility to the people you serve. This is the mindset you need to instill in your company culture.

Playing Injured

Playing Injured is a different story. If you or your employee is in rough shape and has no capability of performing the required work duties; then it’s probably not safe to come in to work. The reality of this situation is that it is rare! Encouraging a healthy lifestyle to your team will help combat the likelihood of this occurring. If an employee is constantly “injured” you may need to step in as a leader and help resolve other situations in that employee’s life.

Teaching Your Team to Play Hurt

If you’re under these people, you’re probably injured!

The Small Business Reality

99.7% of all businesses in the United States are small businesses. Your business falls into this category. A small business is going to struggle to grow if it is consistently missing 25-50% of their workforce. Understand the magnitude of missing one employee when you consistently operate with a team of less than five people.

Set the edges with your employees and lay the guidelines for what you tolerate. You can play hurt; you can’t play injured. At the end of the day it’s not about you; it’s about the team coming together to work towards your business’s vision.

When an employee is out of the office for whatever reason. Have Plan B ready to go. If that doesn’t work try Plan C. Whatever your plan may be, just get the job done. If you need to have PRN staff, a bullpen of candidates available at a moment’s notice: your spouse, kids, uncle, neighbor… Establish a pool of individuals that know what to do and can operate in your business in a bind.

 

Dr. Nathan Unruh Dr. Nathan Unruh, CXO, SIDECAR

In your business, you can choose to be a spectator or a player. Which one are you?

I talk with a lot of doctors and business people who have elaborate plans for their future. They tell me about their great ideas and the things that they want to do. Most of the time, these plans remain just that, plans! At SIDECAR we refer to this stage as “getting ready to get ready”.

The common theme when I talk with these types of people is that they always have something to say about those in their field that are out doing things. They remind me of spectators watching an event take place. These people are riddled with opinions including things like: “Why didn’t he do this?” or “Why didn’t she see that?” They tend to think that they understand the game quite well from there vantage point.

Spectators Everywhere

I tend to find that there are a lot more spectators than there are players on the field these days. The reality of the situation is this: the players, people partaking in the event, are the ones making the difference. These people are training to win and are willing to take a position in front of the spectators, put on their best performance, take any criticism they receive, and build on it.

There are always going to be spectators. Not all spectators are bad, they are a necessity for the game to take place. However, if you find yourself thinking like a player but acting like a spectator, that’s when problems arise.

Spectators vs Players

There’s always going to be more spectators.

Which one are you?

Are you a player or are you a spectator? Are you willing to put your best foot forward and take action even though you may not have all the details worked out? Players are constantly training and improving so when it comes time to hit the field they are ready. Players understand that regardless of how well trained they are, during the performance unforeseeable things can take place and require adaptation. The more the player trains the better he or she will be at handling the unforeseeable circumstances.

The spectator has a pretty cushy job. He gets to sit in a spot way up high where he can see it all, snack on some popcorn, and proclaim his opinion to all those around him.

If you desire to be a player, lose the mindset and work ethic of a spectator.

A coach once told me, “Players make plays, players win games.”

Dr. Nathan UnruhDr. Nathan Unruh, CXO SIDECAR

 

Learn how to prevent and combat burnout in your life.

Burn out is becoming a well-chronicled psychological issue for many in the business world. If you feel you may be experiencing serious chronic burnout, we encourage you to seek professional care. However, if you experience the more common occasional feelings of burnout, let’s examine this together a little more closely.

What is Burnout?

The scientific definition of burnout is “the reduction of a fuel or substance to nothing through use or combustion.” A fire burns out when it has completely run out of fuel. We as humans are no different. From a biological standpoint, our bodies will burnout if not given ample fuel to power us through the day.

In our working lives, it’s important that we combat burnout by consuming the proper fuel. As doctors, we are given the sacred trust of caring for patients. While possessing this sacred trust is an awesome responsibility, if not handled correctly it can quickly become a negative drain. To meet the needs of others we must make sure we take care of our needs first. A battery cannot give off that which it does not have!

How to Combat Burnout 

There are several steps you can take to combat burnout. First, increase your fuel intake. The SIDECAR Rejuvenation System exists to serve this very purpose. It’s important to schedule trips and vacations before you feel you need one. We’ve found that if you’re in the office thinking you need a vacation, it’s too late! Secondly, decrease the negativity. Any negative sources of energy in your life will contribute to the feeling of burnout. The surroundings and energy you expose yourself to outside of work need to be positive. Taking in negative energy is the same as eating empty calories, you won’t end up satisfying your hunger and over the long run it’s going to have severe detrimental effects on your health.

If you are taking in the proper amount of good, healthy fuel it’s going to be impossible for you to experience burnout.

Dr. Nathan UnruhDr. Nathan Unruh, CXO SIDECAR  

Dominate vs. Compete… What’s the difference? Similar words; but, understanding the details will help you take steps towards accomplishing your goals espanolfarmacia.net

Dominate

To dominate you must have a commanding influence and exercise control. In order to dominate, you or your service must be the most important or conspicuous. To dominate means to be in a commanding position. Domination requires mastery, and it requires that you and your business offer more. To dominate means that you are in a league all by yourself. Your only competition is you!

Compete

To compete you must strive to gain or win something by defeating or establishing superiority over others who are trying to do the same. To compete means that you participate, try to keep up with, keep pace with, be in the same league, come near to or come close, and/or compare yourself with the other competitors.

The difference

To compete means spending time looking over your shoulder at your competition. To compete means doing the same things that everyone else is doing and just trying to get a little ahead of the next guy. To dominate means to press forward looking straight ahead giving it all you’ve got. To dominate means to race against yourself and consistently push past your “limits”.

When you begin to dominate people will ask how you operate at the level you do. Trust us, it’s a fun question to answer!

Dominate, and abundance is yours!  

Dr. Nathan UnruhDr. Nathan Unruh, CXO SIDECAR

You never know which action you take is going to result in your breakthrough. Intentional effort in everything you do will result in reaching higher levels of success.

If you’ve ever been to a swimming pool you may have seen a lifeguard or pool employee checking the chemical balance of the water. The process used to analyze the water is a method known as titration.

The basics of the titration process are as follows. The person checking the pool uses drops of different test chemicals to assess the chemical levels of the water. By adding the test chemicals one drop at a time, the employee can determine the exact chemical level of the water based on the number of drops it takes to change the color of the water. Once the water changes color, the person stops adding drops and is able to calculate the answer.

What Can Titration Teach Us?

What may surprise you about titration is the lesson it can teach us regarding our business and life in general. With titration, the person performing the test does not know exactly which drop is going to trigger the result. It may be the first, 10th, or 50th drop before the answer is revealed.

Now, if you were to have a group of school children watch someone perform this experiment and ask them which drop caused the change in the water color, the majority would say the last drop! By thinking critically about this scenario, we understand that without any of the drops before it, the result would not be achieved. Therefore, each drop is just as important as the next!

Titration effect

Every single drop matters

Drip by Drip

You never know which action you take is going to lead to the results you are pursuing. What we do know is that little by little, over time, the actions you take will amount to a result. If you stop taking action because you’re not seeing results or you think you’re never going to reach your goals; you could be one action away from your breakthrough.

This example can apply to the health of our patients as well. Who knows if the patient’s health crisis was triggered by the first cigarette or the hundredth? The first greasy meal or the last one?

To see results and achieve success you’ve got to take constant, intentional action. Every drip matters. Consistency is key and the more drips you can make the sooner you can start to see results.

Drip by drip, action by action.

Let’s Ride!

Dr. Douglas Sea, SIDECAR

In order to connect with your patients you need to LISTEN to what they are saying.

I had the opportunity to spend some time in a SIDECAR client’s office recently; which is by far one of my favorite things to do.  I get to see first-hand how well a doctor is applying the new SIDECAR training to his/her practice and more importantly the bottom-line results that are occurring.

Golden Tickets

In this office the number of Golden Tickets that were being missed, side-stepped, or never addressed during the course of one morning was staggering!

To refresh, a Golden Ticket is something a patient may say or a question they may ask that opens the door to securing a referral, clearing up a patient’s confusion, or gives the doctor and staff an opportunity to go the extra mile to deliver on a great customer experience.

Here’s a few examples transcript that I heard:

Example 1

Patient: “Doc, I have a friend at work who is having headaches just like me. Is there any connection?”

Doctor: “It’s possible. Turn your head to the right”.

He was hearing but NOT listening!

Example 2

Patient: “Doc, my neck is really bad today”

Doctor: “What happened?”

Patient: “I was in the shampoo bowl at the beauty shop”

Doctor: *Nothing*

Crickets! You could feel the tension in the room as the patient was waiting for a response and the Doctor just continued working away, oblivious to the patient’s true needs.

Example 3

Patient: “My mid-back is really sore today.”

Doctor: “Right side or left?”

Patient: “Right”

Doctor: *Nothing*

The Doctor never acknowledged the patient’s concern, palpate the area of complaint, let alone make an adjustment!

Conclusion

I could site several more examples of lost opportunities to connect with a patient. The problem was this doctor was hearing but not listening!

Before you dismiss the importance of this lesson by saying, “That’s not me!” Think about it, how well do you listen to your spouse, your team or your coach?

During the debrief between this Doctor and myself, I pointed out to him all the specific examples of where exactly he was hearing but NOT listening.  I provided him with an analogy as we sat in his office. I could HEAR the music playing in the background in the reception area, but I was not LISTENING to it turk-eczanesi.com/.  My focus was entirely on my conversation with the doctor, not the music.  I could not name the tune, the artist or even the genre, yet I could still hear it.

Listening is the most critical component of communication.  If you are not listening and only hearing you too are missing Golden Tickets to build your practice and serve more people.

Dr. Douglas Sea, SIDECAR

How do you focus on communicating well while running your business?

As business owners, we tend to live our days based on the steady flow of emails into our inbox. Email is a wonderful form of communication and it makes our lives a lot easier. When we use email, are we communicating well? Most of the time, the answer is probably not. 

Email is simply one of many methods we can use to communicate with our associates and patients. In a world that is bombarded with emails daily, picking up the phone or talking in person can make all the difference.

When coordinating with a new vendor or patient, make sure you or your staff always reach out via phone or in-person when possible. This provides the personal touch and clear communication that will catapult your business into success. Emails can be used to outline the conversation and clarify any outstanding details. 

Sometimes sending an email is the only form of communication available to you. When this is the case, there are a few best practices to follow.

Best Practices When Sending E-mails

As with all written messages, be careful not to use that language that may be taken as potentially offensive. Research has proven that a substantial percentage of human communication is delivered through body language and tone-of-voice. Make sure that the email you are sending is communicated clearly and concisely explaining the subject matter.

A great rule of thumb is to read your message aloud before you hit send. Check your punctuation, spelling, and that the person or persons you are sending the email to are correct.

Never assume that someone has read your email, simply because you sent it. Remember, your associates and patients are busy too. A followup email or call as a gentle reminder can be helpful in getting the response you hope for.

Don’t Forget to Follow Up

Just because you send an email into cyberspace doesn’t mean it’s off your radar to follow up. Be sure to have a reminder for yourself in place, in the event you don’t hear back from your contact.

Finally, remember that if what you are communicating is truly important and requires immediate action on behalf of another person, sending an email is not your best bet. Reach out to have a conversation face-to-face or pick up the phone and give the person a ring. 

Communicating well in a busy world is one of the most important and undervalued parts of running a business. How will you choose to communicate today?

 

Dr. Nathan UnruhDr. Nathan Unruh, CXO SIDECAR

You will never achieve your business goals if you can’t finish what you start. 

You have been hearing these phrases since you were a kid: “Finish your meal, finish your homework, finish the race, and so on…”

Why is there all this focus on finishing?

Average vs. Abundance

The difference between an average life and an abundant life deals with the discipline of finishing. Finishing allows you to receive a reward for your work. If you finish your meal you are no longer hungry. If you finish your homework you can receive a grade. You see, the ability to finish is the key to success, significance and fulfillment. Anyone can start, but it takes a special person to finish.

Why then, don’t we finish? Often times, the task seems too big. How do you eat an elephant? By taking small bites! Success in any endeavor can be found in the little steps and small details. We get stuck thinking we need to complete the entire thing in one sitting. Instead, make the routine your reward!

You can’t just do it once, either. At SIDECAR we refer to this phenomenon as “One-in-a-row”. You need to make the commitment and have the discipline to do it over and over and over again until it is finished. Then you find something new to finish!

Three D’s

We recommending living by the 3 D’s:

  1. Do it
  2. Delegate it
  3. Dump it.

Make your decision and commit right then and there. If you commit to doing it, set a timeline and time allotment to finish it.

Dr. Nathan UnruhDr. Nathan Unruh, CXO SIDECAR

Does your office have it’s share of good patients and bad patients?

At SIDECAR one of the things you will routinely hear is we believe that the words we choose to use are powerful. We believe that the words we use have a creative nature in them. If I say something’s ugly, it turns ugly.

The Iconic Moment

I was giving a talk at a seminar a while back to a group of doctors and their staff. I asked the audience to define to me what constitutes a “good” patient. Many of the responses that were given included: good patients keep their schedule, they pay their bill, they get better, they follow through with care… there was a long list!

I followed that question up by then asking the audience to define a bad patient. This time the answers included: they whine a lot, they are never on time, they are always complaining, they don’t pay their bill, they never refer, they don’t get better… and so on.

Then something truly iconic happened. A staff member in attendance sheepishly raised her hand. She said, “You know, the reality is that a bad patient really becomes a dead patient because after being labelled they can never come back in https://salud-hombres.com/.”

You could have heard a pin drop.

The Truth

Then everyone came to realize the truth – there is no such thing as a good patient or a bad patient. That’s the point of the message today, stop referring and regarding patients as being “good” or “bad”.

Patients are people, they are human beings. They are not perfect just like you and I are not perfect. As doctors, we don’t fully understand what every patient is going through and classifying a patient in terms of how we see them is truly an act of prejudice.

Monitor the gossip in your office that goes on between techs regarding patients. Watch the language used when talking about patients; you will be amazed at how many times you use the phrase “good” or “bad” patient. This terminology is embedded into our chiropractic lexicon.

Again, be careful on judging patients. Open your heart, meet them where they are, and be amazed at what transpires.

Dr. SeaDr. Douglas Sea

False Summits exist in the business world. Do you know what to do when you encounter one?

What is a False Summit?

In the world of mountaineering there is a concept known as a “false summit”. This occurs when a climber arrives at a peak that appears to be the pinnacle of the mountain, but upon reaching it realizes the summit is higher than expected. This effect has been shown to have significant psychological effects on climbers – dashing their hopes and even resulting in failure.

Your False Summits

Have you ever reached a false summit? Maybe you thought you had reached the top only to realize you still had a long way to go https://australianpharmall.com/cialis-australia/. You might have achieved a goal that was set a little too low to result in any tangible reward, only to realize it once you got there. False summits exist everywhere in the entrepreneurial world as well as our personal lives! The only real way to combat this and eliminate the detrimental effects of false summits is to change your perspective!

If the climber’s sole purpose and only goal when climbing the mountain is to reach the top, he or she is going to experience grave disappointment when encountering a false summit. The climb will be physically demanding and mentally taxing. If the climber puts all their hope into the peak they are climbing being the final destination; they are going to struggle with the reality that it’s not. Also, they won’t have any memories or good experiences to fall back on because they were solely focused on reaching what turned out to be a false goal.

Enjoying The Climb

However, if the climber is approaching the mountain with the goal of reaching the top while enjoying the climb the conundrum of the false summit disappears! If a climber is determined to reach the top while also enjoying the climb, cherishing every experience and the progress made along the way, the entire perspective changes once they encounter a false summit. Instead of becoming disheartened he or she will be elated that there is more to climb!

None of us will ever reach the ultimate, final peak on our journey to success. If you have one ultimate goal in your mind that you think is going to mark the end of your journey once you achieve it, you’re wrong! If your vision is aligned with what you truly desire in life then you’re going to fall in love with the climb. Success is found in the climb, not the destination. When you are in love with the climb you’re going to start to desire every peak to BE a false summit! That means there’s more fun to be had on the journey!

Keep Climbing!

Dr. Nathan UnruhDr. Nathan Unruh, SIDECAR CXO