Tag Archive for: management

Test before you hire – it’s worth it

Finding and hiring good people. 

How many times have you heard that? It’s one of the main pain points for chiropractors and business in general. Historically low unemployment – and changing career goals – have made it more difficult than ever to assemble a world-class team.  

You can’t use that as an excuse, however. You need that team to create the patient experience that will lead to referrals and patient retention.  

Not to mention the significant cost of hiring a new team member. 

Dr. Tony Alessandra

It’s one of the points we’ll cover in our Fuel Tank this month with Dr. Tony Alessandra, an expert in behavior assessment and communication.  The session is Feb. 20. Sign up here.

I was going through some of Dr. Tony’s materials this week and ran across a one-sheet he put together on hiring and the importance of assessments in the hiring process. You can download that sheet here.  

Here are a few statistics I thought were interesting. 

  • Seventy-five percent of all hiring is due to turnover.  
  • Average churn rates have increased by more than 14 percent in the last decade and it’s going up. 
  • Eighty percent of all Fortune 500 companies rely on selection assessments in their hiring process.  
  • The average cost of a bad hire for a salaried position is $7,000. It goes up as the level of the position rises. Regardless of the job, it’s going to cost a significant amount of money when you make a bad hiring decision.  

There’s a lot more information in Dr. Tony’s one-sheet. And you can learn all about it at noon central time on Thursday, Feb. 20.  

It’s free. Just sign up here.  

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There’s Just Not Enough Time!

Have you ever felt like there just wasn’t enough time in the day to accomplish everything you set out to do?

Everyone has the same amount of time. Barring any event that reduces or ends the amount of life someone experiences, time is constant.

Let’s do the math:

  • 24 hours per day
  • 168 hours per week
  • 8,760 hours per year

As long as you and I are both alive, we’ve got the same amount of time.

The Truth

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average person spends three hours per day watching T.V. Three hours per day equates to 21 hours per week. This ultimately adds up to 1,095 hours per year!

12.5% of an entire year spent watching T.V.

You may be thinking, “That’s not me, I don’t watch that much T.V.!”

What about time spent on your cell phone? Social Media, Messaging, Internet usage… Most reports done show that the average person spends around four hours per day on their phone!

The point that I’m trying to make here is this: You have plenty of time to accomplish what you truly want to accomplish.

Television

The average person spends 12.5% of each year watching television.

Subtraction

If you are feeling pressed for time and constantly find yourself “running out”; re-examine exactly where you are allocating your time. The key to improving your efficiency and ultimately growing is through subtraction. Success is never about adding; it’s always about subtracting! Subtract anything that is not aligning you closer to your vision. Eliminate the wasteful screen time spent on TV or your cell phone.

You might be thinking, “I don’t waste time!” My response? Business does not equal productivity.

If you feel you are being efficient with your time but still don’t have enough, examine the tasks you are performing.  

A great principle that we teach at SIDECAR is the one-minute principle. This principle helps to identify exactly how much time you may be wasting in your day. Taking inventory of your time will help to expose growth areas.

Here’s some perspective: every great idea, product, event, or thing that has ever occurred on this Earth stemmed from a person who had the same amount of time that you do!

You have plenty of time. Start making the most of it.

Let’s Ride!

Dr. Nathan UnruhDr. Nathan Unruh, CXO SIDECAR

To find out more about the one-minute principle and how to apply it to your business give us a call at 1-877-727-2705.

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Spectators and Players

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

 

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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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Stuck in Your Business? Elevate Your Perspective!

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

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When to Give Your Employee a Second Chance

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

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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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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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