Rick's Business of Audiology Blog

Git to or Got to? It does make a difference!

I’ve got to go to work; bummer.

I get to go to work; better!

It does make a difference how you say it!  Because how you say it impacts how you think and feel, and perhaps more importantly how those around you think and feel.  Think about how it sounds to your kids.  I’ve got to go to work.   Now is that is a way to have them enthusiastic about going to school so they can get a job like you have?  Is that anyway to have them proud of what you do, knowing how important it is to you, them, and society?

I’ve got to go to work.  Do you think your patients and customers want you to be saying and thinking about them?  You are communicating:  I’ve got to tolerate these employees.  I’ve got to tolerate these patients.   I’ve got to tolerate you.

Tomorrow morning stand in front of the mirror and say; “I’ve got to go to work.”  Does your face end up in a smile?  Or a frown.  Or a who-knows-what expression.

Then stand in front of the mirror and say: “I get to go to work!”  How does your face end up?  Admit it, it does feel better.  It always does.    

Every minute of each day we have a chance to improve our attitude or lower our attitude.  I get to go to work improves not only our attitude, but that attitude of those around us.

If you want your kids to look forward to a profession, then make sure they know you do also.

If you want to look forward to each day, knowing each day is filled with opportunities to help people, then tell yourself so!

Rick

Your Attitude: No one can take it from you.

They can steal your money, take away your car, steal your job, damage your integrity, and take away your house.  They can even take your life and the life of those you love.

No one can ever take your attitude; except you.   

No one can give you a poor, bad, disgusting, harmful, middling, good, great, excellent, or triumphant, attitude; other than you.

Your attitude is yours and yours alone.  You control it completely.  

Think about it; is there anything else you are completely in control of.  Not your finances, not your health, friends can let you down, family can become a burden, you don’t even control the length of your life.    Your heart could stop beating right now, and you could do nothing about it.

You can however control your attitude.  You and you alone are in complete control.  Absolute control!

If you aren’t confident you are in complete and absolute control then practice, or give me a call.

Rick

1440 Minutes: Use them or Loose them!

In each day we are given 1440 minutes on a use them or lose them basis.

Minutes are the ultimate perishable item. Once a minute is gone it can never be retrieved. If one is wasted it can never be regained.  

Those minutes are given to us for free. We aren't charged for our minutes. The President of the United States gets the same number as the homeless unemployed person sitting under the bridge. The teacher the same number as the student. They are the ultimate equalizer. Everyone gets the same daily 1440 minute allotment.

4 Keys to Employee Loyalty and Productivity

1. Purpose:

Clearly state your purpose: Why are you here?   And how will you know you are successful.  People like to win, enable them to win.

Clearly state what their role in achieving that purpose is.  If you want them to be a productive member of the team, they must know what they are to do, and how it helps the team achieve success.

Purpose: Do what is important!

It is often better to do something worthwhile poorly, than something of no value perfectly.

I find often we tend to drift to doing things we enjoy, or feel comfortable with, and avoid things that we are less confident in doing.   I think this is a part of human nature.  We tend to feel better when doing something we are comfortable with.   When we aren’t confident, we tend to shy away. 

You are invited to have some fun while we learn!

Your Invitation is here!

Learning can be fun, or a chore. Let's make it fun. If you are an Independent Audiologist, or want to be one, then this invitation is for you.

If it is fun, and also FREE, then why not? If it is fun, FREE, and worthwhile, then that is even better. One of my mottos is: "If it isn't going to be fun, then it has better be really really useful." I am so confident you will find this fun, free, and really really useful I am willing to be the person who invites you to the playground to play.

This will give you an opportunity to experientially learn about some financial concepts including things like active vs. passive income. Some team building concepts including the difference between, accidental team members, intentional team members, and detrimental team members.

And perhaps most importantly how you define your purpose and others define their purpose, as you see it played out on your screen.

You will learn how to use online tools, like Facebook, to improve your ability to achieve your personal and professional purposes.

It will give you a forum to meet some other Independent Audiologists in other parts of the country and add them to your support team network.

It will give you the opportunity to pick my brain on topics of interest to you without paying me! (Yes, my purpose is to help you succeed and this is like an invitation into my virtual office.)

It is completely self paced and you can participate or quit at any time.

We will use a Free online business building game called Farmville on Facebook.

Please send me a friend request using Facebook. (In you aren't sure how, and at one time we all weren't sure how, then send me an e-mail or call and I will walk you through the process rick@thrivingaudiology.com or 1-866-737-6243. If you aren't a Facebook user expect it to take about 5-10 minutes.)

Then start the online game Farmville by entering Farmville in the search box on the top of the page and most likely the top search result will be Farmville with a mini green headed duck on the box logo and some 80+ million monthly active users.

I will send you an invitation to a group on Facebook where we can interact and learn about Facebook groups.

All of this for perhaps 10-30 minutes a day, on the days when you can participate.

Rick

If you have any questions please give me a call or send an e-mail.

1-866-737-6243

rick@thrivingaudiology.com

Everyone Keeps Score: The question is what are they measuring?

Everyone keeps score. The question is how? All you need is two kids and two bowls of ice-cream to see this in action. Which is biggest?

If your staff is getting ready to leave on a Friday when you are wondering about the work getting done then they are just keeping score differently.

They are keeping score based on leaving on time, or perhaps they will "win" and leave a little early.

You are keeping score on sales, or patients served, or reports being completed, or …… who knows what.

Just as a plant will turn its leaves to the light, employees will turn their actions in the direction they are keeping score.

Rick

Public Friends

If you have ever been to a Rotary function, or a wedding, or a pick up basketball game you have interacted with people you don't know well.

Some may have become long term good friends, some never pass your view again.

Online you can do the same.

Just as you don't post your credit card information on your forehead when at a wedding, you don't do so online.

However you might sit next to someone at your kids ballgame and talk to them enjoyably for an hour learning about kids, your community, school functions, or their business, or tell them about yours, without worry. Allow yourself to do the same online.

You are spending thousands of dollars to send messages to people who haven't told you they are interested, online you can send messages to people who have said they are interested for free. Don't let your fears get in the way!

As Facebook seems to be the dominant player it would be a good place to go, a good tool to use.

Don't be afraid to give it a try!

Rick

Value Message: The Basis of Your Marketing Efforts

Your Value Message: Why is your profession valuable? Why does the world need Audiologists?

Your value message answers the question: Why is the world a better place because of what you do?

People have a lot of choices when it comes to spending their time and money.

If they are going to spend money on hearing health care they must believe that not will they get more perceived value from what they buy from an Audiologist than they will get from buying something else. They also must believe spending their money on hearing health care is a better use of the money than saving it for a future need.

Own Your Practice

Own Your Practice & Own Your Profession

As the end of the year approaches we often think about our life and assess how we are doing. Are we being successful personally, professionally, financially?

If you are working in an organization where the leadership has priorities other than Audiology, their first priority is something other than serving the needs of the hearing or balance impaired; you will want to think of making a change.

Not only for your personal health and wealth, but for the profession you represent.

Pick up, borrow, or check out, a copy of the book Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki and spend a couple of hours with it. You don't need to read the entire book to understand how the rich people want you working for them; they want you building their family wealth. The wealthy want to keep you in debt so you are dependent upon a job working for them.

Remember the time your peers have made decisions based not upon patient care, as in your ethical guidelines, but upon keeping a job, or with the direction of a non-audiologist. Only by becoming an Independent Practitioner can you remain true to your values.

Think about it.

Rick