What allows some chiropractors to achieve so much more than others and still have time for more in their lives, while others seem to struggle to simply accomplish the bare necessities in life? Do they have a secret "extra hour" in their day? No. they haven't been blessed with 25 hours a day. while the rest of the world has to get by with only 24. Each of us has the same number of hours in a day at our disposal. It's what they choose to do with their time that makes the difference. When I first went into practice. 1 thought that I had to "do it all". I thought that no one else could do what I did as well as I could. I saw to it that I did everything. As for my staff, they performed the tasks thai they were hired to do: but. even then. I would jump in. I was constantly completing tasks for them, if I saw them falter or not meet my expectations. I'm sure thai you can guess where this lead. In no time, tiles began to mount on my desk, waiting for me to complete treatment notes. Reports to attorneys and insurance carriers became longer and longer overdue. My staff (and I hate 10 admit this) began to resent me for the chaos that was rapidly taking over our practice. I felt completely overwhelmed and had little time for anything outside of my practice. I was spending every moment attempting to see to it that "everything" was done to my specifications, and. if not. re-doing it myself. Vacations were impossible to take. Even a much-needed day off. when imposed on me by my concerned wife, became unbearable. Staff turnover. caused by my inability to let go. fueled the fire. My stress level increased, and it drained the fun out of my practice. My patient visits dropped, and I was caught in a vicious cycle that was out of control, with no end in sight. Something had to change or I was going to crash and burn! I'm sure that this scenario sounds all loo familiar to many of you. I assure you that, today, I am not the same person I was then. Change did occur for me. but not without some deep introspection as to who I was and where I saw myself years down the road. 1 couldn't envision myself continuing on what seemed to be an endless downward spiral of unhappiness. In the midst of this chaos. I was able to realize that I didn"t have all the answers to the questions concerning my dilemma. And so. I hired a personal coach. I learned much from my coach that had tremendous impact on my life, both professionally as well as personally. One of the most valuable lessons I learned was to master the '"Art of Delegation". Delegation was the tool that gave me back the freedom to live my life the way I had always dreamed it could be. It allowed me to realize that the work I did in my office was not the "Why" of my existence, but it was the "How". Mastering delegation allowed me to maintain my focus on the importance of my role as a healer to my patients. As chiropractors, we thrive on the daily miracles, both large and small, that occur in our practices. When you maintain your focus on your patients, practice is an exciting and rewarding experience. So what is the ""Art of Delegation"? Before we explore the concept of delegation, it's vital to know what delegation is not. Delegation is not abdication. It is not relinquishing your responsibility. It's not shuffling the tasks you'd rather not perform to someone else. And it's not assigning a task to a team member and then forgetting about it altogether. Delegation is empowerment. When properly executed, delegation acts as nourishment for youself and your stall. Delegation builds a sense of "team". It enables all the members of your team to feel the pride of ownership of ihe practice and all that it means to your patients and your community. The art of delegation begins with accepting that everything doesn't need to be perfect all of the time. You must realize that your staff is not you and may not do things exactly the way you would. This is not to be confused with accepting second best. It simply means that there may be more than just your way of getting things done. This step requires letting go of the means and focusing on the end result. Delegation doesn't mean simply turning your stall' over to the unknown and allowing them to fend for themselves. Lead by example and allow your team members to exercise their own creativity in completing the tasks they are assigned. You will quickly see your practice productivity rise exponentially. Your staff will feel empowered and will gainer a sense of satisfaction from their jobs. An empowered staff ensures that turnover will be at a minimum. Staff members are frequently willing to work for a lesser salary at a job that gives them a sense of personal fulfillment. Delegation means that you must be willing to allow your team to make mistakes. There is a learning curve tc^ all new things. The success that you Continued on Page 26 ...from Page 24 have achieved in your practice is proportional to what you learned through the mistakes you have made along the way. By showing your team that you are willing to let them learn from their mistakes, they will be more willing to exercise their own creativity in solving practice challenges in the future. When your team falters, it's your job. as their coach, to guide them, so that they will be better equipped to handle the situation the next time it arises. This allows you and your team to experience what your true potential is. Through my coach. I learned that everything could be delegated in my office—everything except the chiropractic adjustment (I thought). 1 mastered delegation to the point that I only had to focus on two priorities: adjusting my patients and managing the follow-up of the tasks that I had delegated to my staff. After a time. this, too, become a limiting factor, and I decided to attempt what I thought was unthinkable. 1 hired an associate to delegate the chiropractic adjustments to. My goal in hiring an associate chiropractor was to find a doctor that matched my philosophy and technique for patient care. The associate did not have to be a perfect clone of me. He or she simply had to have compatible views regarding my philosophy and protocols of care, and had to be coach-able in those areas where there was discrepancy. When I hired my associate, he knew what was expected of him up front, so training was accelerated. Through my mastery of delegation. I was freed to focus on other priorities. I had more time to do the things that I was really good at and that I enjoyed doing. Being committed to performing patient care prevented me from doing all that I enjoyed. By delegating patient care to a capable associate, I became free to pursue higher priorities. I had the lime to locus on marketing the practice, something that I enjoyed and was good at. I was able to spend more time cultivating the referral relationships with the legal and medical community. I was able to focus on those priorities that were the most profitable and made the best use of my time. I now had the time to explore an opportunity that I had desired for many years, to become a professional coach for my chiropractic colleagues. Being a lull-time coach was something I could only dream of when I was actively practicing. I also had more time to spend with my wife and growing family. The Art of Delegation allowed me. at the age of 35, to retire from practice and achieve my goal of becoming a coach. This was something I never thought possible in the days when I was a creature of control. I challenge you to seek out the areas of your life in which you can delegate tasks to free yourself. How much more could you accomplish if you had an extra hour each day? Discover those tasks that are not essential priori ties for you to perform, and delegate them. Use this "extra hour", by acting i with certainty, to accomplish the things | that are most productive lor you and I that give you the greatest satisfaction, j II you allow your "extra hour" to j become idle time, without a specific I purpose, it will be filled with low pri- I ority activities. Create systems for ! managing those projects that you have i delegated. Don't get caught in the j abdication trap! Without proper fol- j low-up and management of the items j you have delegated, you will be disap- j pointed with your results. I With practice, you, too. can master | the Art of Delegation and use it to pro- I duce extraordinary results. It can j become the key to your future that I enables you to achieve all that you | dreamed possible and some things that j you never imagined could be possible. I As Senior Coach with Breakthrough \ Coaching, LLC, Dr. Lew in coaches j chiropractors throughout the country j to help them achieve personal and pro- \ fessional success. He has spoken both j nationally and internationally to chiro- I praetors on areas of practice building j and profitability. He is also a frequent j radio talk show guest. He can be \ reached at Breakthrough Coaching, \ LLCby calling I-800-7-ADVICE. !
