There’s an old story that is still very true today about the nature of most people, and it goes something like this.
“A lobster when left high and dry among the rocks, has not instinct and energy enough to work his way back to the sea, but waits for the sea to come to him. If it does not come, he remains where he is and dies, although the slightest effort would enable him to reach the waves, which are perhaps within a yard of him. The world is full of human lobsters: people stranded on the rocks of indecision and procrastination, who, instead of putting forth their own energies, are waiting for some grand billow of good fortune to set them afloat.” – Dr. Orrison Swett Marden
There are just two simple things you need for a great practice. And to be frank, hard work IS NOT one of them. Now before you rush into thinking I’m oversimplifying running a practice or business, just hang on a quick sec…
Remember, simple does not mean easy! Simple means the goal is clear, but it will take much-focused energy to make your practice grow like crazy.
The two big things you need to have a great, growing practice that your team and patients want to come to year after year are:
- A clear practice vision
- Implementation
Hard work comes along with these naturally, but hard work alone will not create for you a fantastic, out of this world, and remarkable practice. It’s a false sense of security that you can just “work your way out of a slump.” Now I have had slumps before and definitely put much effort into getting out of them, but hard work without a vision or knowing which key elements to implement first is just a fast track to burnout.
In fact hard work alone might make it worse because you can have the false perception of growing while you are actually just trading time for money. Successful practice and business owners I know do not trade time for money, they value their time more than almost anything else.
Don’t be a “lobster” and wait for things to come to you. Paint a clear vision and then implement it. Doing something consistently and regularly is much more important than how good the idea is. Implement – implement – implement, and you’ll gain the momentum for success.
Have a great week!