The first question you should be asking yourself now is “How do I ensure that I am included on my referral sources’ team? What experiences have I brought to them? What value do I bring to the table and how well have I communicated that value to my customers (the referral sources)?”
Just as the best physicians are starting to rethink their practices, so too should you. Two weeks ago in my blog I said that your business goal should not be to prevent others from scoring, but rather to score despite what others are doing. Now I want to know if you play to win—or not to lose? The two mindsets are not the same. And they are not even different sides of the same coin. One is assertive and the other is passive. Our good friend John Spence has taught us about “Disciplined Execution.” And the noted business scholar Ram Charan co-wrote a book on “The Discipline of Getting Things Done” in which he shows how “the best plans aren’t worth the paper they’re written on if you can’t pull them off.”
That is where business acumen comes into play. Business acumen is the ability to bring about positive results or outcomes. Sharpening your acumen starts by acknowledging that your behavior can directly affect and improve (or diminish) business outcomes. Patrick McGuigan writes in the July/August 2021 edition of the Journal of Medical Practice Management that “embarking on a journey to improve your business acumen should start with a clear understanding of what a program should and should not accomplish. The first obstacle to improved acumen is recognizing that you might be the obstacle to positive change.
You must be aware of your impact on results and how changes you make can impact the results positively. The tone of the culture in every practice or healthcare system is strongly influenced by leadership. Your stakeholders are watching you.”
It would be foolish to think that a blog is going to give you everything you need to be successful. But you should know that the task is large, and you need to decide how you plan to invest in yourself and your business.
Next month I am going to continue this thought process and talk about your role on the team.
