Productivity Planner

“Your mind is going to be working on something or other. That’s its nature.” Robert Fritz

The nature of your mind is to always be working on something. The question of the day is, should you allow it to choose the task of its own liking and just go along for the ride (aka being a victim), or should you guide and direct your mind to be working on something of your choosing (being responsible)?

Interesting thought, isn’t it?The author of the above quote, RobertFritz has writtenthat, left undirected, your mind is naturally going to choose to solve problems and thereby engage in all the activities normally associated with problem solving, e.g., fretting, worrying, pondering, dreading, brooding, and struggling. Sound like fun?

The alternative, again according to Fritz, is to “give your mind a bigger, more productive tension to work on. If you don’t, naturally it will gravitate toward the problems because it is trying to resolve the conflict the problems provoke.” He uses the word tension, and Fritz contends that tension naturally comes from a clear articulation of a desired future and the current reality. As you can see, his use of the word”tension” is as a friend, drawing you toward your desired future.

So, you can fall prey to the “tyranny of the urgent,” i.e., dealing with the day-to-day problems we all face– those things we are trying to “avoid, eradicate, or eliminate.” Or, by simply making a clear decision about what it is that you desire along with a clear description of what the current situation is, your mind will automatically begin to gravitate toward resolving that larger tension and thereby focusing on “creating, building, or producing.” This is what Fritz and others call The Creative Process.

To get further insight into the creative process and the whole notion that being a problem solver is second bes [Read more →]

Tags: , , Leadership, Inspiration, Management, Organizational Culture by Chris Russell
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If you’re an upper cervical chiropractor, then there’s good news and bad news when it comes to properly managing your list of patients, and prospective patients.

The good news is, as a health-care professional, you more than likely already have your entire patient list in a database, do to the nature of the profession. Most doctors use some form of software to help with billing, and appointments and this software is usually compatible with keeping in contact with your patients to a certain degree.

The bad news is, this software is probably not very conducive to keeping in regular contact with your patients beyond sending them reminders, invoices, or birthday cards. Worst of all, they don’t usually give you a classification for someone who has been in contact with you, but has not yet decided to become a patient.

You need a software, that will allow you to classify patients and prospective patients into different categories.

You can never have too many categories because the more you refine your list down, the more you are speaking directly to whatever patient fits into whatever category.

Start off with just two categories: Patients; Prospective Patients. That’s the easiest to start with, and that will allow you to target your communication to each group individually.

You could make offers to your patients that would increase their visits with you, or would increase their referrals. You can make announcements about events that the office is holding, like “Patient Appreciation Day” or an open house, or a Christmas party, or a food drive, & etc. You could make offers to prospective patients, offering discounts on their first visit, free trials, & etc.

The point is, you want to send the right message to the right person at the right time. If you have your list in a database that then allows you to make the [Read more →]

Tags: , , Leadership, Inspiration, Management, Organizational Culture by Chris Russell
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On our last trip to Zurich, Switzerland, my son wanted my husband and me to bring him back an authentic Swiss Army knife. Steve and I shopped until we found the ultimate knife as pictured above and brought it home to Mark.

It was well made, had solid craftsmanship, and was true to its core selling point: it was knife! But it was not just a knife - it was anything from a cork screw to a fingernail file. If you ever owned or examined one of these knives, you may have marveled at its versatility as I did. When I held the knife in my hand and personally opened each implement, I realized the knife was scary!

Thomas Friedman, author of the popular book, The World is Flat, says that 21st Century employees need to be as versatile as a Swiss Army knife - the worldwide icon for function, durability, and ingenuity. Freidman recommends that individuals be well founded in their core identity and well rounded in their ability to respond to many different types of job requirements.

From my experience, individuals tend to be a jack-of-all-trades and master of none or an absolute powerhouse with tunnel vision. Which one rings true to your personality?

The mantra for the past several years has been ‘do more with less’ so it should come as no surprise that the global marketplace demands us to be true to our core characteristics as the powerhouse of performance yet destroy tunnel vision and master more skills - or resemble a Swiss Army knife.

In a Swiss Army knife, the tunnel vision or core tools are a large blade and a small blade. Then you start with options and can chose paraphernalia from can openers and tweezers to toothpicks and a Phillips screwdriver. Don’t forget the pliers with a wire cutter and wire crimper.

Think about your core strengths. Are they in sales and marketing, technology, business management [Read more →]

Tags: , , Leadership, Inspiration, Management, Organizational Culture by Chris Russell
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