October 2006

Creating boundaries for your practice members ‑‑ Part 2

by Dr. Kevin Pallis and Dr. Ed Plentz

By creating boundaries for your practice members, as we mentioned in part one, you identify yourself as a leader and not a follower. A leader has the freedom to teach new concepts to his or her people and a follower does not. The leader is spared the rhetorical, non‑stop questions that people will ask a follower. DCs who are new to our contrarian concepts remark that it's about time we put an end to the inmates running the asylum.

If there's one concept that you grasp from this column series, it should be this: People do not know what health is, period. They're well‑versed on disease, mayhem, and symptoms, but health remains an enigma. Until you forge a connection of trust ‑‑ what we call an "emotional connection" ‑‑ you won't be granted permission to teach your practice members anything they don't already know. And that includes chiropractic.

Failure to forge this emotional connection or even realize its existence is where much of the frustration in chiropractic occurs. You know this is happening when your people "yes" you to death. They nod their heads in approval, commit to your recommendations, promise to attend your dynamite new patient orientation and then mysteriously offer reasons or excuses why they aren't able to follow through with what they agreed to.

When people ask you questions, they usually know the answers. The question is an identifying strategy that's actually testing you as a leader or a follower. Remember, most of your practice members are referred in by others whom are familiar with your office. They already know your fees. They can do the math by multiplying the number of visits with your fee to calculate the cost. What they are really interested in is your reaction to their question. Whenever you hear questions about fees, time, distance, or insurance coverage, your practice members are really asking you to set clear boundaries for them.

When chiropractors are centered and have a high belief in themselves and chiropractic, these kinds of questions rarely occur. However, when they do, the questions are not answered, rather boundaries are set. How long are you going to answer questions in a straightforward manner only to have another question fired at you?

Let's take a real life example that comes from our coaching files.

A DC's confronted by a practice member who proclaims he doesn't have the money. Many DCs reading this are involved with this scenario on a daily basis. The answer to this daunting dilemma is not to answer the question, but instead to identify yourself as a leader and set boundaries.

For example: "John, I've been at this for a while now and I know one thing. There are two groups of people who come to this office. The first group is made up of individuals who'll do what it takes for themselves and their families. They embrace change, they follow procedures, take full responsibility for their actions and they always get what they came for. They genuinely enjoy their experiences in the office. In the second group are individuals who don't "play full out." They're intimidated by any change, they constantly offer "reasons" why they can't be successful and are in conflict with someone or something all the time. It's always someone else's fault for their misfortunes. They always find fault with their experiences in this office. John, which group do you belong to?"

As the dust settles, some of you reading this dialogue are saying, "This is great, what a unique way to stop answering the same silly, rhetorical questions, and understand what my practice members are really saying." Others are thinking, "I would never say this to one of my people." If you're one of these "others," you probably won't stand up in other relationships in your life.

When you set boundaries, you give something for the person to respect and the relationship grows stronger. The consequence of not setting boundaries is being walked all over. By setting boundaries you learn to speak the language of your practice members and identify yourself as "the doctor they want in their corner." They understand from your boundary setting that you are the kind of doctor who will not let them down. This is really what they want to hear. Not what your class rank was, where you graduated, or what technique you use.

One last thought about setting boundaries. Once your boundaries are created and maintained, your practice members will refer in people just like them who respect you and your boundaries and will happily commit to your procedures and patient education. They're a joy to be around. They love you, your office and chiropractic. What could be finer than that?

(The New Renaissance is a movement of passionate chiropractors dedicated to changing the world. The leader in patient education since 1977, the Mentor IV Coaching Program is a step‑by‑step navigational guide that embodies the very essence of The New Renaissance vision of healthier people creating a healthier world. Without patient education, your patients won't "get it." To learn more about The New Renaissance, contact world headquarters at 800‑525‑3879.)