Tag Archive for: leadership

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

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

We’ve all heard the phrase, “every second counts.” This statement is true. We all know how valuable our time is. On the contrary, we also know that one bad day doesn’t make a bad week, one bad week doesn’t make a bad month, one bad month doesn’t make a bad year, and one bad year doesn’t make a bad career. The same holds true for a good day, week, month, or year!

I love looking at numbers. Remember, that which can’t be measured can’t be managed! So how can we quantify a month? A month is approximately 8.4% of one year. 8.4% is a funny number, depending on how you look at it can make it appear like a large or small portion of time. I’m not sure whether it’s a small or large number, but one thing I do know is that 8.4% is significant. When that 8.4% is gone, it’s gone!

So, how did the last 8.4% of your year go?

If it went well, great! That’s 8.4% of your year marked up as a success! Did it not go so well? That’s alright! You’re out that 8.4%, but there’s still plenty of opportunity to make up ground!

Statisticians have determined that 87% of people give up on a goal they set after only one month. After only 8.4% of the year; almost nine out of ten people give up on their goals.

Perspective is powerful. Understand how much value each month brings to you and your business. Commit to your goals and be a part of the 13% that follows through on them!

Dr. Nathan UnruhDr. Nathan Unruh, CXO SIDECAR

In life you can be the stream and dictate your actions, or you can choose to stay stagnant. 

A stream is a small body of water that is constantly flowing. The stream is always running, continuously moving; it never stops. Around corners, through trees, the stream carves its own path. The stream slowly erodes and creates its own route. Even large rocks are no match for the consistent flowing water of the stream.

You need to be the stream in your life. Keep moving, keep pushing, strive for more. Remain consistent in everything you do and watch as you erode obstacles and create your own path. A stream never stops to take a rest. You can’t afford to rest, either. Over time a stream will wear out anything in its path; you need to possess the same demeanor.

A stream is active, it creates movement and generates action. The rock is passive. The only action the rock experiences is done unto it by another force. Eventually, the rock gives way to the desires of the stream.

Comfy Rocks

Are you stuck being a rock? Have you found yourself a “comfy” spot on the river bed where you’re safe from the flowing stream? I hate to break it to you but that stream’s time will come and you will be at the mercy of the stream! Outside circumstances, perhaps a large rain storm, may cause the stream to expand its reach and suddenly sweep you under.

Do you see the paradox here? If you’re the stream and it starts to rain, you’re going to pick up speed and start moving faster and creating a bigger path for yourself. If you’re the rock, you will be at the mercy of a larger, faster stream.

The opposite is also true, if the weather dries up your stream may become smaller. None the less, the stream will continue to flow and move until it is replenished.

You need to be the stream. There are enough rocks idly sitting by in your market and community. Differentiate yourself and make a difference by creating your own path.

Intention. Effort. Action.

Keep Flowing!

Dr. Nathan UnruhDr. Nathan Unruh, CXO SIDECAR

Do you find yourself getting “stuck” in your business? Find out how elevating your perspective can give you the clarity you need to make the right decision. 

When we get stuck in our business or get stuck in a specific problem it can be extremely difficult to get out. Our thoughts become consumed on solving the issue we are confronted with. This can lead to tunnel vision that causes us to not only miss out on other aspects of our lives but oftentimes the solution to the problem itself!

Look out, Below!

I can relate this issue to looking out the window of a plane while flying. If you’ve flown in an airplane before I know you’ve done this online-apteekki.com! Peering out over the land, admiring the scenery and being naturally amused at the suddenly tiny appearances of houses and even entire cities! From spending most of our time on the ground we learn to view buildings and cities as big; but, from 30,000 feet we can appreciate how small they truly are in comparison with the rest of the world.

When we elevate our perspective, we become able to see things for what they really are and view them at the proper scale. The next time you run into a problem that seems to perplex you with no solution in sight, elevate your perspective. Remove yourself from the trenches and seek higher ground. From there you will better be able to see the solution that is more than likely closer than you thought.

Come Back Down!

Now, planes don’t stay up in the air forever. You can’t either. The plane operates to allow people to be up in the air for only as long as it takes to arrive to their destination. You too must come back down to the trenches and take action to solve the problem, with your newly enlightened solution.

The next time you get stuck, try elevating your perspective!

Dr. Nathan UnruhDr. Nathan Unruh, CXO SIDECAR

When is it time to forgive an employee and when is it time to move on?

At SIDECAR, we know that people decisions are the most important decisions we make. Your business runs on systems that are operated by qualified people. Without the proper people in place, your business will never be able to reach new levels of success. While people decisions are the most rewarding, they also present difficult obstacles and dilemmas that you must deal with. One specific area that I want to address today is the topic of giving employees second chances.

Second Chances

Some business philosophies state that an employee should never receive a second chance. The expectations are set and if they are not met than the employee should find a new place to work. Other philosophies stress leniency and forgiveness often quoting the well-known statistics that show the high cost of employee turnover.

At SIDECAR, our philosophy lies somewhere in the middle of this spectrum. Expectations do need to be established, transparent, and followed closely in order for your business systems to run efficiently. However, understanding that no one is perfect, including you, and that mistakes can and will happen also plays a role in making these crucial employment decisions.

Look in the mirror!

In the past when I’ve experienced issues with employees and had to make decisions I stop and ask myself what my role was in the employee’s mishap. Instead of focusing on what the employee did or didn’t do; I turn the light on myself and examine what I did or didn’t do. Second chances aren’t just a grace gifted from employer to employee. If you as the employer give an employee a second chance, you are also granting yourself as the leader of your business a second chance.

An employee may not deserve a second chance if you:

  • Did everything you could from a leadership standpoint.
  • Followed every guideline you could find to handle the situation.
  • Led to the absolute best of your abilities.

However, if at any point during your introspection do you discover an area where you failed the employee as a leader; then, I recommend you take a long, hard look in the mirror before making any decisions on that employee’s future.

If you’re following the recommended SIDECAR Hiring System you understand how tedious the interview process is and should be confident in the quality of employee that comes out of that process and joins your team. Recognize when errors are made by good employees and understand the consequences of every personnel decision you make.

EVERYTHING in a business rises and falls on leadership.

Let’s Ride,

Dr. Nathan UnruhDr. Nathan Unruh, CXO 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

What can ducks teach you about your business? 

Ducks on a Pond

Have you ever watched a duck gliding over the surface of a pond? On top of the water, the appearance is natural, smooth, and effortless. Underneath the surface, that duck is paddling like hell!

I’m sure you’ve heard a cliche or phrase like this example alluding to the point that certain people seem to have a natural talent or appear to make difficult tasks look easy. That’s not the point I want to make with this post. Let’s take this duck example and flip it on its head, literally!

“Working Harder”

Imagine two ducks swimming in a pond. One of them is operating just like the example above – swimming along smoothly. The other is flipped completely upside down. The duck’s head is completely submerged with both legs flailing in the air.

Which duck is working harder? Which duck is accomplishing more?

In business, we strive to be like the first duck. Projecting a calm, confident, and smooth demeanor on the surface while working tirelessly on the back end. Sometimes, things get flipped upside down and we end up like the second duck. Now, we’re flailing our legs and working just as hard but getting nothing accomplished. Even worse, we’ve got our heads underwater and can’t see where we are going.

Where are you in your business right now?

Get Your Head Up!

The second duck’s problem isn’t related to the amount of work it’s doing. If you were observing these two ducks, you wouldn’t say that the first one is doing better than the second one because it’s working harder. The second duck is working just as hard as the first duck! The problem is that the duck’s head is stuck under the water and it can’t see where it’s going. It has no way of knowing if it’s making any progress. More importantly, if that duck doesn’t get its head above the water it will die. Eventually, if you and your business don’t make any progress it will die, too.

Being a chiropractic entrepreneur is hard, especially if you don’t know where you’re going. SIDECAR can help guide you and get your head above water. We’ll help you find your “why” and create a business run by systems to achieve your goals.

After all, we’re not just a bunch of quacks!

Dr. Nathan UnruhDr. Nathan Unruh, CXO SIDECAR

You  may be a zombie and not even know it. Find out the four keys to identify whether you’re living in the after-life. 

If you’ve observed the trends in the entertainment industry over the past few years you have probably noticed an increased popularity with zombies and zombie culture. Personally, I am amazed at our current societal infatuation with Zombies. From TV shows to movies, video games to T-shirts it’s safe to say there is a healthy following of zombies in modern-day America.

In honor of the zombie trend, I thought it would be fitting to write a post giving some insight on how to tell if you are actually a real-life zombie. That’s right! The following keys will help you identify if you or someone you know is actually living the zombie lifestyle. Here it goes!

1. The day of the week determines your attitude.

If waking up on Monday elicits a different emotional response from you than waking up on a Friday; you’re a zombie. By allowing something as passive as the name given to a day of the week to dictate your mood, you give up your ability to act with intention and begin a zombie-like trend for the rest of your day.

2. You find yourself fitting in with those around you instead of standing out.

Zombies tend to congregate in packs. Mindlessly wandering around looking to devour human flesh. Unless you are operating at the top levels of a Fortune 500 company, it’s probably not healthy for you to fit in with those around you. It’s easier to mindlessly plow through life with like-minded, evenly-matched people around you than it is to stand out and forge your own way.

3. Your thoughts are consistently centered on others.

Now, this point doesn’t mean to only think about yourself and never about others. The point here is that if you are spending your time constantly thinking and chasing others without focusing on yourself, your life, and your own personal achievement, then you are a zombie!

4. You’ve given up hope.

Zombies are the most hopeless form of life (or after-life?). They have no emotion other than constant despair and spend all their time moping. There is no motivation, no desire, no positive attitude on display and absolutely no chance of ever improving their current lifestyle. Instead of attempting to improve their situation they have found it easier to completely give up and live passively.

What now?

If any of the keys match your current living situation consider yourself a zombie. Now, just because you may self-identify with numbers 1, 2, or 3 doesn’t mean you need to embrace number 4. Unlike zombies, we as humans hold the precious ability to self-regulate, self-motivate, and actively pursue a better lifestyle.

The first step to solving a problem is admitting you have one. Well, my zombie friend, if you’ve recognized your current situation and embraced it as reality then it’s time to start making changes. At SIDECAR we’ve got the resources necessary to help you turn around your current life and get you on track to the life you’ve always dreamed of.

Don’t spend today being a zombie, take charge of your life.

Dr. Nathan UnruhDr. Nathan Unruh, CXO SIDECAR