My challenge for you this month: Create a vision of what you want your practice to look like.

THE REASONS

A practice owner recently told me he’s been in practice for about three years, but his practice has not grown nearly as fast as he thought it would. I asked him what his vision of success was at the three-year mark, and he said he hadn’t given it much thought. Without a clear vision of what success looks like at various stages, it’s impossible to know where to focus your efforts.

ACTION STEPS

Below are key considerations for creating a specific vision of success:

• Write exactly what you want your practice to look like by a specific time period. For example, if you want your practice to have several sports vision patients, write this.
• Determine what specific actions you need to execute on to reach the defined goals. In the case of sports vision, you’ll need to come up with plans for internal and external marketing, determine needed equipment and slots for seeing these patients, among other considerations.
• Quantify success by analyzing current practice metrics and setting SMART goals for future growth. (See https://bit.ly/2LDlp0N .) An example of a SMART goal for a thriving sports vision practice: Time-bound: “I will have my internal and external marketing materials created by ______.”
• Make sure staff is clear on their roles and responsibilities. Regarding sports vision, this may include training on the operation of specific sports therapy devices.
• Meet frequently with staff to provide status updates, collect feedback and provide important information.

A FINAL THOUGHT

Don’t let perfect become the enemy of progress. Instead, enjoy the wins along the way, and place the focus on continuous improvement. OM

Find more information about the industry amid the COVID-19 pandemic here.