Chiropractic Practice Blog

Your ability to influence others is proportional to how intimately you know yourself. If you aren't comfortable in your own skin, leading patients (or others) is impossible.

How do you get to know yourself?

Journal. Spend private time with yourself describing the events of the day. Put your feelings into words. Use words to explore your perceptions, worries, reactions and judgments. Only as you are able to assign language to what is so, will you be sufficiently present to inspire those around you.

De-mediate your life. Many of us use media as an avoidance strategy, especially television, a drug administered through the eyes that distracts and pacifies. Plop down in front of the boob tube and we can avoid confronting our shortcomings, disappointments and the dreams we aren't pursuing.

Want to be a change agent? Start with yourself. Like the safety demo. "Put on your mask first before assisting others."

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We exhaust enormous resources attempting to avoid mistakes, errors and blunders. Some become so fixated by this they become paralyzed into inaction.

Yet, our missteps are much like fingerprints, creating a unique signature of who we are and what we've learned. They can make us wise.

What most overlook is that our missteps are the basis of true education. Especially if the lesson is painful or expensive. In an attempt to spare patients unnecessary suffering or a needless relapse, you may be inclined to preclude a meaningful lesson that, in the long run, would better accomplish your intent. In fact, some patients will view your over concern as unwanted parental micro-managing!

As a professional caregiver, you'll want to care, but not care too much. Create a safe place so patients can fail without shame or guilt and learn the lesson of repeated relapses and the value of ongoing supportive care.

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A fascinating theme has emerged among some of the more recent one-hour consultations I’ve been doing. The calls often begin with references to lower new patient numbers or some other aspect of their under-performing practice. But you and I know these are only symptoms.

Ironically, these same chiropractors a quick to point out to patients that they “don’t treat symptoms and instead correct the underlying cause of the problem.”

Chiropractors like addressing cause. I do too. Symptom treating is usually what governments, medical doctors and lawyers do.

The cause of an under-performing chiropractic practice is rarely the weather, the insurance companies, the economy or any of the other usual and convenient suspects.

Nope. It’s almost always the chiropractor.

But what is it about a chiropractor that produces the symptoms of an under-performing practice? That’s where it gets interesting.

Play big or play small, but play!

There's a saying in baseball that "It takes a loose arm to throw a fastball." Do you have a loose arm? Or are you tight? Are you overly invested in patient behaviors for which you have no control?

This life of yours can be a grand adventure. Or, play it safe and you'll likely survive to the very end. Small funeral. Polite conversation. And it's over. Congratulations! You did it!

Instead, this week take a risk or two. Or three. Put yourself in circumstances that will produce the full range of emotions you're capable of. Abandon the wide, flat path that is convenient, accepted and safe. Walk on the wild side. Ruffle some feathers. Raise some eyebrows. Speak your truth.

So many are waiting for you to show up and be fully you. Go for it! Choose to burn out rather than rust out.

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How badly do you need new patients?

When you need patients more than they need you, it places you at a huge disadvantage. Patients can detect your neediness, sowing doubt and actually producing the circumstances you hope to avoid!

How do patients detect your neediness?

Talking too much. It's a tell tale sign of insecurity and desire to please, especially when your pitch and speed of delivery is heightened.

Too accommodating. Modifying your procedures or agreeing to patient-imposed restrictions ("Don't adjust my neck!") is a common sign.

Moving too quickly. Rushing a patient through procedures (adjusting on the first visit) before they can change their mind.

Refusing to discuss finances. For fear that clarifying your fees might frighten off your newest prospect.

Patients need you far more than you need them. If they don't, put your house in order so you can show up as the servant, not the served.

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