The “Cs” are are a set of key qualities and characteristics that make the difference between those who are just “proficient” and those who really “prevail” as they start their career in our profession.
They are the difference between the DCs who are merely good enough to practice and those who achieve, lead, impact, earn, and influence at their highest potential. The latter group prevails by achieving and experiencing at the level they dreamed of””whatever that may be.
As you read, do a self-check and determine which factors you are strong in””and which may need some “adjustment.”
Confrontation
Chiropractors, as a profession, must develop more of the structure they claim to specialize in treating. In other words, they need more spine. They need more backbone in the way they communicate and lead.
It’s not always a matter of what to say, or how to say it. For many, it’s just the willingness to get uncomfortable and say what needs to be said.
The profession tends to suffer from “confront-a-phobia.” Cultivate a willingness to bring up a point and stand firm, or bring to the surface a matter needing to be addressed, e.g., a belief, a principle, an office policy, etc.
The inability or unwillingness of young doctors to do this short-circuits their ability to lead their patients, their teams, and their communities. A simple suggestion to resolve this challenge: Say what you mean. Mean what you say. But don’t mean to be mean.
Comfort-zone crashing
This factor goes right along with confrontation. A famous coach, Daniel Drubin, DC, used to say, “You are either in the pain, or in the pain.”
That is, as a start-up doctor, you have a choice of the discomfort you experience: You can either choose the “pain” of getting out and investing the time, energy, and effort required to build a business (plus experiencing that sure-thing called rejection) or you can opt for the “pain” of sitting in your office hoping and praying someone ends up coming in by chance.
The doctors you see prevail early on are those who do not let discomfort keep them from doing what they need to do. They are all about “professionalism,” but not at the expense of limiting their practice launch.
Many young doctors worry too much about what people will think of them. Remember what B.J. Palmer said: “There are four words that hold us back. Those are “˜What will people think?’ “
Certainty
Trying to build anything with a lack of clarity or certainty will usually result in floundering. Prevailing chiropractors have certainty in who they are and what they are about. They need not be loud or boisterous. In fact, many are just the opposite. They need not be a certain race, gender, size, or use a particular technique. But they must be anchored and certain on how they are unique, what their personality type is, and how their special message can best be conveyed.
In addition, prevailing doctors of chiropractic know they cannot sell what they do not own. You need not hold a philosophy degree, but you should be clear on the principles that chiropractic upholds.
Furthermore, too many young DCs fail to realize that there is significant science and research out there that adds certainty to the results you can achieve, and your ability to communicate and confront.
Congruency
Besides the obvious matters of being congruent from a legal, moral, and ethical standpoint, you’ll repeatedly observe that those doctors who focus on living and practicing in line with their principles tend to prevail on a higher level.
After all, congruency is when you build up a life and practice structure that is consistent and solid with a firm foundation. Avoid the practice that looks good and productive on the outside but is rotten within. Larry Markson, DC, taught long ago about what he called “The Law of Circle-Circle” (what comes around goes around). You cannot outsmart and cheat the universe. By the same token, you cannot serve, give, and love without being rewarded. In both cases, somehow, some way, you will always get what you deserve in life. Be legal, moral, ethical, and congruent.
Coachable
All premier and prevailing people in any line of work (sports, business, etc.) have a coach. Many have multiple coaches who specialize in a particular area of their life. So this one is about not trying to reinvent the wheel and fly solo.
Call it whatever you will (if you don’t like the word coach) but involve someone who knows where you want to go, who has been there and done that, and who knows how to take others to the same place. One of the most valuable things an effective coach does is hold you accountable. Allow yourself to be pushed. Be open to perspective.
And, when you are being coached, stop talking and start listening. There is a big difference between running your mouth and walking your talk”•and this tip is one that many proficient doctors could use to prevail more.
Bart Anderson , DC, is engaged in the individualized coaching of a select number of chiropractors and other small business owners. His primary focus, however, is the clinical oversight of Lifetime Fat Loss Centers and the development of Lifetime Metabolics, Inc., a management service organization of weight loss clinics. He can be contacted through time4fatloss.com.
