My favorite fruit of all time is the banana. I probably eat one just about every day in a smoothie or to curb my appetite and help me avoid eating less desserts.
Bananas are easy to peel, inexpensive and they provide potassium and other important minerals for your body. Typically the greener the banana, the more nutrition and less sugar it contains.
The biggest downside with bananas is that once they begin to ripen, they go bad fast!
I’m always amazed at how quickly the bottom banana in the basket starts to turn brown and mushy. Then comes the smells, the fruit flies, etc. Plus my kids get grossed out and they don’t want to touch it or have anything to do with it at that point.
In your practice, “one bad banana“ can quickly ruin the whole bunch. This could be in the form of a marketing source you are currently using that is attracting the wrong type of patients, a team member who is not on board with your mission, or an insurance plan you have that is actually costing you money. (For more on the insurance topic you can listen to my recent podcasts with Ben Tuinei and Bill Rossi regarding the record number of offices that have been dropping insurance plans since the pandemic hit).
Most importantly you need to have a system in your practice for keeping the bad bananas out. The best and most consistent way to do this is by building a powerful culture with your team where they can recognize and sort out the bad bananas before they in too deep. This does not mean you need to judge people who are not helping your cause or condemn them for their actions, rather sometimes they just aren’t a good fit for your practice. One day if you lose interest or show less enthusiasm for your practice, you could become the bad banana and it may be time for you to retire or sell or bring in a partner that point.
Here’s an example I ran across online that I found was right in line with this topic:
Stay away from still people
1. Still broke
2. Still complaining
3. Still hating
4. Still losing
5. Still not making a change
6. Still living in the past
7. Still making excuses
Regardless of who wins the national, state, or your local community elections, what really matters is the people you choose to surround yourself with. As I wrote about a couple weeks ago, you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with – and averages can be very bad when they are brought down by people who are underperforming, have the wrong attitude, or are sour grapes.
Here’s a quick and very profitable assignment for you this week:
Simply write down the 5 people who influence you the most right now and the 5 people who you spend the most time with. Then ask:
- How do they influence you?
- Are they lifters or learners?
- Do you have a mutually helpful and giving relationship?
Be optimistic and always look for the good bananas and it will be easier to sort out the bad ones.