Owning a practice doesn’t make you an owner
There you sit in the chair of your high school drama class with nervous anticipation. Your stomach is doing somersaults and your hands are clammy. Your teacher has just passed out the script for the lead character and auditions are in two weeks. You go home and pace around your room with the script, trying to master your character so you’ll shine in the spotlight. And suddenly, auditions are here.
Some students feigned illness, stayed home, and refused to audition. Others showed up and looked nervously down at their feet as they stumbled through the lines. But one or two students walked on stage and seemed to come alive and become the character. Anyone can memorize the script, but it takes someone special to do it justice. As a DC, you’re beginning to get a glimpse of the reason 90% of year one Chiropractors become stagehands (associate or independent contract) instead of being the star. TNR is all about bringing out the star quality in DCs so they can shine in their own successful practices.
The Owner
Do you remember the kid who sold more girl scout cookies than the rest of the troop combined? That’s an owner. An owner is a special type of person; they have high talent and ability levels, a mental toughness to rejection, leadership skills, plus an additional ingredient of ambition. Seeing things through to their successful conclusion is a way of life for them. Owners want the whole world to care about their office, and they recognize and welcome the need to promote and champion it. They have a sixth sense for hiring and firing staff and building great teams. They are great clinicians, educators, and almost naturally make great relationships with their practice members. When you meet them for the first time, they leave you with a memorable impression – a star-like quality that is unmistakable.
The Operator
An operator is more inclined to be a clinician or technician only. Speaking to strangers, public speaking, and going out of their offices is terrifying for them. They don’t like anything outside of their comfort zone. Unlike owners, they do not leave you with a lasting impression, rather they blend in with others. They aren’t equipped with and don’t want all the responsibility of being an owner. They are dependent on being liked, friends with their patients, and can’t seem to ask for money or long-term commitment. They always defer to doing things that are comfortable to them – like working backstage. Venturing into the unknown causes severe stage fright, procrastination, and excuses. These DCs don’t want to become involved, nor do they have the skill set, mindset or abilities in new patient acquisition, exponential profit, and building a team. They instead want someone to do it for them.
So which are you, doc? Fill out the ambition scorecard to find out.
