Are You in Control of Your Practice or Does it Control You?

One of the most common complaints that business owners have today is that they feel their practice is running them and that they're being pulled in every direction instead of really running the business themselves.

Well, I'd like to tell you, when I was in practice I experienced the same thing. I was working too many hours, not seeing my family as much as I should; my staff always came to me looking for the solutions to day-to-day scenarios and so on. I found I was lacking the amount of time necessary to really do what I loved best which was working with my patients, seeing their results and being able to live life.

After 5 years of burning the wick at both ends, I decided something needed to change quickly because my candle was getting ready to burn out.

I realized that in the midst of running my business with all its stresses and being a husband and father, I needed to get my priorities straight, re-evaluate my purposes and really become the very best administrator possible to make my practice and personal life efficient and enjoyable again.

You're probably thinking what you're going through is normal or that's just the way it's always been or supposed to be. Take a patient who's had headaches all this life and has lived on drugs to handle it. As a physical therapist, I know there is a solution to that and that he doesn't have to live with headaches or be on drugs. Well, I'm telling you the same thing. It's not normal, that's not the way it is and you don't have to live with these administrative difficulties or be controlled by your business.

So, how do you change it and get off the roller-coaster ride? There are a few important factors to look at in order to accomplish this. First, take a look at why you became a business owner in the first place. Are you fulfilling that dream the way you envisioned it in its entirety?

Now, look at everything that is not optimum or that you're experiencing that is not part of your dream. Look at things such as: Are you spending enough quality time with your clients without interruption? Do you spend time with your family? Does your staff know their positions fully? Does your staff put problems or situations on your plate that you need to now solve? Does your staff get along or are you a mediator to their continuous problems? Are you working too many hours and lacking the return? Are you pounding the pavement to generate more referrals with little to no success? Are you behind in your financial plans or goals?

These are to name just a few of the common areas of concerns that business owners face. Take a look at those things that come to the top of your mind that concern you the most. Then prioritize those things which are causing the most difficulty for you in your business or life.

It's easy to list out what may be going downhill, but the ultimate question is how do you turn those things around?

The way you do that is by becoming the very best administrator possible so that you can manage, train and delegate in order to create the most effective and efficient machine possible. What is an administrator exactly? Well, per the Webster's College Dictionary "Administrator: n. 1. a person who manages the direction of a government, business, institution or the like. (Latin- administrare to assist, carry out, manage the affairs of.)

There is no other person in your business that is more responsible for your business than you. And when you assign that responsibility to someone else and detach yourself from it, you get into trouble. Now, I'm not saying you should be handling all the positions in the office, because after all that's what is making the business control you. What I am saying is you should know every aspect of the positions in your office and train those under you to handle certain tasks in their entirety and then manage them from above. This is one of the most basic fundamentals of being a good administrator and when you can successfully master this fundamental you will be on your way to a happier life.

Shaun Kirk is President and Co-Founder of Measurable Solutions Inc., a consulting firm engaged in all areas of business management. Measurable Solutions trains entrepreneurs and executives how to be consultants to their own businesses, so they not only can expand their own business but any business. With his partner, he has built the most rapidly expanding company of its kind in the world. Visit his website at http://www.measurablesolutions.com

In The News:

pen paper and inkwell


cat break through


Lawyers With 2 Hands And Everything Else

I heard this back a few years ago. The boss... Read More

10 Fundamentals for Effective Meeting

Here are ten fundamental concepts that characterize an effective meeting.Definition:... Read More

Identifying Candidates for Leadership

A critical task in the succession planning process of any... Read More

Delegation Obstructions

OBSTRUCTIONS: 1. Staff deficiencies. Lack of confidence in employees quite... Read More

Improving Patient Sensitivity in Doctors and Hospital Staff

COMPANY/ORGANIZATIONA South Florida hospital. The CEO of the hospital saw... Read More

Preparing For ISO 9001 2000 Registration

The steps need to be taken to prepare an organization... Read More

Selective Job Cuts Often Benefits Firm More Than Broad Layoffs Over Long Term

It is difficult to pick up a newspaper or listen... Read More

Solving the Problem Solving Problem

The meeting started like a hundred others before. There were... Read More

Business Intelligence & Data Warehousing in a Business Perspective

Business IntelligenceBusiness Intelligence has become a very important activity in... Read More

Credibility - A Golden Key to Becoming More Influential

You have been named a new leader in your organization,... Read More

Meaningful Diversity: Creating Cultures of Inclusion

In the fitness room the other day, I caught a... Read More

Leadership Style: What Makes A Good Boss?

In today's competitive environment, companies realize that a good boss... Read More

Problem-Solving Success Tip: Define the Problem First

Define the Problem First. It seems obvious, but how many... Read More

Get Down With OCP: Evaluating DBA Job Applicants in an OCP World

Not long ago, weeding through DBA applicants with a tech... Read More

Looking through the Glass Ceiling - Women in Management

Women have made tremendous contributions to society at every level;... Read More

Faith is the LIFE-blood of Your ACTIONS before the Benefit -

Nothing has changed. Your ancestors lived by faith. Some planted... Read More

The Most Important Thing Youll Ever Do

The wellspring of confidence is belief. When you believe in... Read More

Give Yourself a Boss? Day Gift

Become a better boss and reap the benefitsAnother interesting study... Read More

Better Manager Skills - How to Learn

When you first take over a department, expectations are usually... Read More

Leadership Skills

Recent studies have shown that industrial supervisors are working at... Read More

5 Interviewing Mistakes That Can Lead To Hiring The Wrong Person

Mistake #1: Going with the flowInexperienced interviewers sometimes fall into... Read More

How Bad Communication Can Hold You Back and How to Break Free of It

The reason jobs are often not done right and employees... Read More

On The Job Training is Something You Canā??t Afford to Skip

Trained employees are more productive employees; thereā??s no doubt about... Read More

Employee Orientation: The 90 Day Difference

Why do some new managers succeed while others fail? It... Read More

Innovation Management ? some ideas are better than others

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More

Provisioning/User Management System Upgrades: Part II ? Building Awareness And Building Approval

Somewhere in the world is a person who wants to... Read More

Biometrics and ?Return On Investment?

At this time of tight budgets, the mantra of business... Read More

A Renewed View of the Modern Business Culture

Life can sometimes be unexciting if not refreshed by the... Read More

The Key to Successful Performance Objectives

Have you ever tried to drive somewhere without proper directions?... Read More

Innovation Management ? what are the practical impediments?

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More

Business & Family Safety and Health Rating

For good reason, practically every endeavor in life is rated.... Read More

Motivation - You Get What You Reward

There's a programme currently running on BBC Television in the... Read More

Innovation Management ? idea selection, development and commercialisation, what are the differences?

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More