Creating a productive chiropractic team

Wouldn't it be great if you could spend all your time doing what you love and have a team in place that handled all the rest?

How would you like to walk into the office and know that everything is being taken care of? Imagine being able to leave on time while your staff closes out for the evening. Or, being able to spend a minimum of five weeks per year on vacation while your practice purrs along like a well-oiled machine.

Sound like paradise? Well, it is -- and you can accomplish this with a highly productive chiropractic team. The trick is attracting the right kind of people who can turn your practice into that paradise. I can't give you an exact recipe for assembling the right team, but I can tell you what has worked for me.

First, get really clear about your purpose and mission. Walk the talk. Live a chiropractic lifestyle with your family. Teach the wellness model in your office and take it with you everywhere you go. Pretty soon, you'll find yourself surrounded by people who share your chiropractic beliefs.

If you walk your talk and take your wellness model to the masses, you will become a magnet, attracting people -- and potential employees -- to you who want to further your mission and vision. The people around you and the people you touch will be inspired by you and want to be connected with you.

Happily, you'll find that these individuals have unique talents and abilities that can be utilized either as members of your staff or contract employees to enhance the way you serve your community. Invite them to participate in your team.

Once you've hired them, make sure that you spend a lot of time with them. Make the vital investment of communicating your concept of the big idea of chiropractic to them, and then turn the them loose to manifest your vision. Your practice can become a paradise when you depend on people who can work independently.

When you turn staff members loose, when you give them autonomy and empower them to make decisions, you'll find your perfect team of "chiropractic commandos." These highly efficient employees will love to clean up messes, keep your office organized, collect your money, and help your practice grow!

These chiropractic commandos who share your mission and belief system are also referral machines. They will love setting up as many lectures and screenings as you could possibly want (and may even offer to do them) because they want to talk about chiropractic as much as you do.

Once you have your commandos committed to your vision, then hold them accountable for achieving your practice's mission and goals.

One of the best ways to do this is with weekly staff "empowerment meetings." Make it mandatory that staff members observe the rule of bringing solutions -- not problems -- to the table.

Each meeting should include a review of: the case of the week; each new patient and his or her needs; office statistics and policies; and special projects, goals, and promotion strategies. Be consistent in the time of day that you hold the meeting and make sure that everyone comes prepared to discuss his or her area of expertise.

Then delegate...and hold your people accountable! When you delegate, you empower your staff and you will have more fun than ever being a chiropractor. You'll be able to do what you love while your team takes care of the rest.

And, you deserve it. This is just one more way that "magic" happens in chiropractic.