3 "check ups" every practice leader should do

Need a check up? Most of us do. But, do we get one? Everything seems all right, and there has been no pain. Yes, believe me, after being in practice for almost twenty years, I have heard many excuses. Some are logical excuses and many make no sense.

Before you suffer with physical or emotional pain, here are a few management tips I have acquired over the years to help quell the pain for my patients, clients and, quite often, for myself.

Related: What happens when your practice runs on autopilot

Check it out

Before jumping to conclusions, investigate the situation. I can be the queen of accusers. My mouth opens and accusations tumble out about how or why something did not happen. I watch patients do this. I watch teammates do this. I watch bosses do this. It’s human nature to blame someone else for a problem. When a problem does arise, take a deep breath, fight the desire to blame someone else for the error or problem, and ask a few questions, with a level tone, instead of placing immediate blame on someone else or something else.

Create checklists

This will help with the blame game problem from above, too. When there are clear lists, with specific duties assigned to people, it’s easier to know where the problems start. Checklists help ensure completion of mundane tasks that can get overlooked, and they can help us ensure a high quality of work is completed for patient safety and satisfaction. Little things seemingly routine to us mean a lot to our patients. And, they mean a lot to the overall operation of a business.

Keep in check

It’s OK to not know everything. It’s not OK. to think we do. We all have blind spots in our personal and professional lives. We strive to be perfect, but we are human, and it’s impossible to know how we are perceived. We need back up. We need an honest friend. We need people to keep us in check. And, most importantly, we need to listen to these people-even when our egos are bruised and when we feel as righteous as ever.

Must read: 6 ways to improve your practice in 2017

If you have been avoiding your yearly check up, maybe with your healthcare professional, or perhaps with your business acquaintances, I urge you to take the time, and get it done. By utilizing the tips I provided for daily usage, I hope the annual reviews will go more smoothly. Prevention is the best medicine.