Dr. Douglas Sea has contributed and/or authored this blog.

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The story behind Chrome

The SIDECAR founders wrote Chrome a couple years ago to distill our principals on branding and marketing.

In reviewing the book, I had that flashback moment to the early days of my practice. It’s the experience I wrote about in the introduction. It’s always humbling and gratifying to rea

d it because it’s a reminder of how far we’ve come at SIDECAR and how fortunate I’ve been. 

At any rate, I wanted

 to share that experience with you from the introduction.  

Here you go: 

I wrote Chrome because I believe that your business can shine without advertising. Really shine. 

I know what you’re thinking: ‘That’s easy for you to say. You already have a successful practice.’ Trust me, it wasn

’t always that way. 

I can still remember the internal struggle I felt trying to convince myself to get out of the shower in the mornings. Faced with the challenge of piecing back together the mess I had made in my business and the struggles it placed on my personal life. 

I remember lying in bed at night and not sleeping, for days. The constant dialogue going on between my ears as I tried to find solutions to all the daily problems. 

I remember having an office full of billing staff; not making any money and being constantly barraged with problems we created. 

I remember thinking that the answer was an influx of new patients, and trying everything to accomplish that: doing spinal screenings, hosting dinners with the doctor, and pedaling every community event trying to spread my business. And while those new patients made me work harder – a lot harder – things didn’t get any better. 

I’ll never forget my wake-up call. 

I was confronted by the person I had abdicated my financial operations to with alarming news. He alerted me to the fact that we weren’t going to make payroll that week. I looked at him, a little bewildered, and told him that we would be ok, just let the line of credit take care of the short fall for the week. 

He told me the line of credit was maxed. 

My $200,000 line of credit was maxed out! 

After all the hard work – all the hours I had put into my business – I was $200,000 in the wrong direction. 

I realized at that moment that I had to change. Nothing was going to get better until I got better. That defining moment led to where we are today. 

The concepts are simple but that doesn’t mean the process is easy! The steps to build your brand and a world-class patient experience are simple, but the time and the hustle it takes to accomplish it isn’t easy! 

The steps to improve your communication skills with patients is simple, but the process of changing your behavior, leaving your agenda at the door, and connecting on an individual basis isn’t easy! 

But what I discovered is that doing it on your own is impossible. Chrome contains everything I’ve learned about branding, marketing, and advertising a chiropractic business. It’s the road map I followed to pay off my student loans, climb out of debt, impact my community, and enterprise my business to include several office locations. In short, it’s how I resurrected my chiropractic dream. 

I know it can do the same for you. 

 

Chrome

 

 

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Stop Complaining

One of the simplest things you can do to improve your perspective and attitude — stop complaining!

Do you light up the room when you walk in or when you walk out? If your answer is the latter, I would bet that your habit of complaining has something to do with it.

As chiropractors, we deal with complaints all day long; a requirement of our job is to bring inspiration and hope with us every day in order to end needless suffering.

Here are two facts: complaining costs the US economy $250-300 billion in lost productivity and 90% of doctor visits are stress-related with the number one recorded cause of stress being coworkers and their complaining.

This should be alarming to you as a Doctor as well as a business owner! As leaders, we need to realize that everyone has their own “stuff” that they are dealing with. Part of creating a great company culture is not allowing personal or outside negativity to cross the threshold into the office. It’s as simple as this one rule, NO COMPLAINING. A negative employee can scare off every customer they speak with… for good.

Negative emotions are associated with: decreased lifespan, increased risk of heart attack and stroke, greater stress, less energy, more pain, fewer friends, and less success.

A hole in the boat sinks the entire boat, not just one part of it. Complaining cannot be allowed to have a role in any part of your business. The change needs to be instantaneous and done now. Complaining is a habit and once it gets started it’s tough to stop.

Stop complaining now before it’s too late.

Dr. SeaDr. Douglas Sea

 

 

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The Titration Effect and Your Business

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

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Lombardi Time

One of the truly great coaches of all time, Vince Lombardi, is well-known for leading the Green Bay Packers to multiple Super Bowl Championships. To this day, the winning team of the Super Bowl receives the prized Lombardi Trophy. One of the many things Lombardi is known for includes the speech he would give at the first practice of every season. He would start his speech by holding up a football and stating, “Gentlemen, this is a football” before going on to discuss the fundamentals of the game.

In studying history, what I truly find remarkable is the consistent theme of leadership that holds true regardless of the era or generation. There are certain characteristics of leaders that transcend time. Vince Lombardi was a student of fundamentals. At SIDECAR, you will hear us preach the importance of fundamentals in your business. Fundamentals serve as the foundation: the stronger and deeper your foundation, the larger your business can grow and scale.

One fundamental that Lombardi instilled in his teams is what is referred to today as “Lombardi Time”. Under Lombardi’s instruction, if a practice was scheduled to begin at 9:00, you were expected to be on the field, dressed and ready five minutes prior. Essentially, you were ready to be ready for that day’s practice.

The concept of “Lombardi Time” can be used in your office as well. If you are scheduled to begin your shift at 9:00 A.M. you should be in the office five minutes prior ready to take on the day. Now, most techs begin the day with administrative or paper-time responsibilities. Lombardi Time doesn’t mean you start those duties five minutes early. What it does mean is that you make sure you are fully ready to embrace those duties before 9:00 A.M.

If you or a team member regularly struggles with getting ready for the day, or if getting to work on time proves to be a challenge, try installing Lombardi Time in your business.

Dr. SeaDr. Douglas Sea

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Are You Hearing but Not Listening?

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

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Good Patients and Bad Patients

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

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Is Your Office Space Enhancing Your Culture?

Have you ever experienced walking into a new place and the design, layout, and feel of the environment just blew you away? Do you have that feeling every day when you walk into your office?

Back in the day, the badge of honor for success was the corner office. Once you were in that corner office on the top floor of the building, you had arrived! In today’s corporate society, our space still has that type of impact, albeit in a different fashion. Your space defines who you are and what your culture is.

Collaborate or Inhibit

Your office space can either create collaboration amongst your team or inhibit it. It can isolate your team members from one another, or increase their contactability.  If your work space has multiple isolation spots, your team is forced to work in silos. This decreases the amount of contact each team member has with each other, the doctor, and your patients.

Your office space should increase your team’s ability to respond and communicate with one another. The lines of sight between the doctor and staff need to be open. Make your space work for you, don’t adapt how you operate to accommodate your space.

Front Desk Barrier

An easy example of how to do this is the “front desk barrier.” When a patient walks into your entrance are they greeted by a bright and friendly face? Or are they greeted by a large stationary desk that belongs in a back office? I have seen, firsthand, the impact that opening up the entrance by removing the over-sized desk for an efficient front kiosk can have.

Take a walk around your space. What impressions does it give off? Are you blown away?

Dr. SeaDr. Douglas Sea

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How I’ve Developed Myself as a Leader

Becoming a better leader isn’t an overnight process. Following the Hierarchy of Leadership has helped me to enhance my leadership capabilities.

Leadership is a hot topic in the world of entrepreneurship and personal development. Many people have the desire to become a better leader, but do not have a plan in place to turn their thoughts and dreams into reality.

The Hierarchy of Leadership can be utilized as a ladder to becoming a better overall leader. The hierarchy of leadership is as follows: lead yourself, lead your family, lead your team, and lead your community. This model is a progression, you will struggle to lead others if you first cannot lead yourself.

Lead Yourself

If you desire to improve yourself as a leader, first examine your ability to lead yourself. Can you walk the walk? Are you able to execute on your own personal desires? Do you find yourself making excuses and justifying them with your actions?

This is the foundation and most important component of leadership. Effective leaders are extremely self-disciplined, intentional with their actions, and self-aware of who they truly are.

If what you want to achieve requires getting out of bed at 5 AM; you have to get yourself out of bed at 5 AM.

Lead your Family

After you’ve harnessed the ability to lead yourself, focus on leading your family. Those that surround you day in and day out! Whether this be your spouse, children, or other loved ones – develop the ability to lead them.

Your family will expose more about you and your leadership abilities than any other demographic. Your ability to communicate properly, make tough decisions, and lead day-in and day-out will be manifested in a family setting.

Lead your Team

Your team is similar to your family; in fact, you probably spend more time with them than you do your true relatives! The people you interact with everyday when you step foot in the office comprises your team.

Leading your team requires developing and implementing a vision, mission, values, code of honor, and “We Believe” statements. Your ability to lead will be directly determined by your ability to get your team to buy-in and commit to honoring these values.

Your ability to lead your team will determine your capability to serve those around you.

Lead your Community

The last step in the Hierarchy of Leadership is the ability to lead your community. By the time you’ve reached this point you should be confident and comfortable with your ability to lead. Leading in your community is simply an opportunity to extend your leadership skills elsewhere and serve.

To an extent, if you’ve reached this level of leadership ability it is your duty to go out and lead the community you live in. Possessing this level of leadership is rare and doesn’t come by chance. Reaching out at this level will allow you to leave an impact greater than you may have imagined.

Final Thoughts

Leadership isn’t easy and it isn’t for everyone. If you truly desire to become a better leader, examine where your leadership ability falls along the Leadership Hierarchy model.

The best advice I can give? Start by learning to lead yourself.

Let’s Ride!

Dr. SeaDr. Douglas Sea, CTO SIDECAR

To learn more about Dr. Douglas Sea click here. 

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Speed Bumps in Your Business

Speed bumps aren’t really a big deal, are they? If you’re in a parking lot and the speed bumps are painted bright yellow; then no, they really aren’t a big deal. You understand the need to back off the gas and ease your car over them with no damage done.

What if that speed bump is just over the hill on a highway?

Speed bumps exist in all aspects of our lives. They slow us down and can make us lose our momentum or even throw us off track completely.

In your practice, a speed bump is anything that disrupts the flow of your daily operations. It’s anything that doesn’t allow you to run at peak efficiency and effectiveness. If you are seeing a lower volume of patients in a day these speed bumps may be foreseeable and easier to manage. However, keeping these speed bumps in place and trying to work around them will prohibit you from going faster. Sure, they aren’t a big deal now; but, what happens as your patient volume grows and you become busier? This is comparable to going over a speed bump in the parking lot vs. the highway.

There’s no way to completely remove speed bumps. It’s part of life. They are going to pop up and you must prepare be able to handle them. Deal with them as they appear to ensure they don’t grow to become an unbearable void in your practice.

Dr. SeaDr. Douglas Sea

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