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Identifying Obstacles

How exposing your weaknesses can strengthen your business

JAY BINKOWITZ

Some of you may have just purchased or opened a new practice or are getting ready to do so. Others may be seasoned veterans of the industry with decades of experience under your belt.

Regardless of your tenure, we all have one thing in common: we have weaknesses.

Too often, I have listened to folks complain about the obstacles they face running their business. And yet, they don’t address the root of these struggles.

The good news is that our weaknesses do not have to be obstacles unless we let them. Actually, our weaknesses can very much be what makes us stronger! Let me explain.

Eye-opening experience

Years ago, I attended a human interaction workshop that had a lifelong impact on me. Essentially, I was locked in a room with a bunch of strangers for a few days with no agenda, no structure and no goals. (Yikes!) What unfolded I could only liken to a reality TV show.

The first thing the group agreed to was to make a circle with chairs. Why? No one told us we had to do it, but it was obvious we needed some structure, some routine, some semblance of what the group considered normal or expected. And the “show” kept surprising us for days. In this type of setting, it quickly becomes apparent who the leaders are, who the followers are, who needs to be involved, who breaks down and dumps their life’s woes on the group and who is a voyeur.

At the close of the workshop everyone shared their weaknesses along with proud moments in their lives, and we all felt stronger and empowered.

Weakness workshop

Now, I am not telling you to conduct an interaction workshop with your staff. In fact, that may be too much information for a team. But, having a meeting with your staff will empower you and your team in many ways.

At a recent company meeting, I began by discussing my own weaknesses — a short list, of course! — to set the stage for my team to feel comfortable talking about their own. I then made a list of the top eight obstacles I am sensitive to in our company.

Next, I split up my team into groups and asked each group to pick two obstacles from my list of eight and come up with one on their own. (For example, a patient asked a question the staff was unable to answer.) They were tasked with creating solutions to overcome the obstacles. These initiatives related more to procedural and organizational polices vs. setting numbers and sales goals, but you can include them as well.

By the end of the meeting, the entire team walked away with a unified approach to overcome our obstacles and the understanding that if what we designed does not work, we would reconvene and look for alternatives. But, we would not stop until we turned our weaknesses into strengths.

Future growth

We must be willing to acknowledge our own strengths and weaknesses with our team to improve and grow both personally and professionally. Let 2015 be your year to turn your weaknesses into strengths. OM

MR. BINKOWITZ IS THE PRESIDENT OF GPN, AN OPTOMETRIC CONSULTING COMPANY BASED IN HUNTINGTON, N.Y. HE HAS HAD EXTENSIVE EXPERIENCE IN RETAIL OPERATIONS, MERCHANDISING AND MARKETING. E-MAIL HIM AT JAY.GPN@GMAIL.COM, OR SEND COMMENTS TO OPTOMETRICMANAGEMENT@GMAIL.COM.