Issue 14 - November 2003

Is a coach in your future?
Pick a coach to fit your goals
By Alan Rousso, DC, PCC

Imagine working in your office or at a screening or in a public place, marketing your practice and someone approaches you, challenging: “Why do I need a chiropractor? My back doesn’t hurt!”

Depending upon your philosophy, you might respond that chiropractic care is not just for people who hurt, but also for those who choose to be healthier.

A similar paradigm exists among chiropractors: Some practitioners want to “just not hurt,” which means they want to make a living, pay their bills and support their family. Others want to raise the bar and make a difference in chiropractic in both their practice and in their community because they understand what a significant contribution their care can really make.

Neither type of chiropractor is right or wrong. It’s a matter of perspective, based on a belief system and the school in which the person was “raised.”

Coaching reflects this same dichotomy. Some consulting firms are strategy-based. They teach procedure and guide practitioners into streamlining what they do and how they do it. Strategy-based coaches emphasize increasing efficiency as the way to grow the practice — a little bit or a lot.

Other consulting firms use an identity-based approach, which bases coaching processes on values, beliefs and personality traits, rather than a strict procedure.

Both types of consulting firms focus on developing skills and competencies in three areas:

• New patient acquisition — how to find and attract new patients;

• Patient retention — how to increase your patient visit average; and
• Business acumen — how to manage finances and collect fees.

Strategy-based firms concentrate on achieving the end results for these three areas. Strategy-based coaches challenge you to set goals and to establish plans to achieve them.

Identity-based firms focus on the philosophies and identity of the practitioner to achieve goals — how the doctor feels about him or herself, his role in running a practice and her feelings of self-worth.

Both types of coaches challenge their clients to see their current practices in a realistic light, to set goals about what they would like the practices to be and plan the steps to make a smooth transition to the goal.

Patients come to chiropractors with the hope of getting well but also with a fear of the unknown. In most cases, patients find relief from suffering and a brand new way of thinking about health.

Practitioners who look for a coach experience a similar plethora of sensations —fear that it might not work or that they will waste time or money and knowledge that they are actually making an investment in their practice and in the future realization of their dreams.

Just like in practice, some patients come for acute care, get some results and leave, and they never truly reach a higher level of health and wellness. When a chiropractor comes for coaching, it’s the long-term commitment to change, the willingness to risk and the break from comfort zones that ultimately lead to your definition of success!

Dr. Alan Rousso is a senior consultant for The Masters Circle (www.themasterscircle.com). He is a Professional Certified Coach (International Coaching Federation. Dr. Rousso graduated from City University of New York (BS in Biology, 1976) and New York Chiropractic College (1979). He can be reached at 800-451-4514.