Ginny Hegarty

CIO Magazine and Lauren Capotosto recently published the 2007 book list for the Regional Leadership Forum (RLF). The forum is all about individual growth and overall business intelligence. You may not want to read all 30, but there’s bound to be a few titles here that speak to you.

2007 RLF Reading List

1 Adler: How to Read a Book
2 Boyatzis & McKee: Resonant Leadership: Renewing Yourself and Connecting with Others through Mindfulness, Hope and Compassion
3 Kotter: Heart of Change
4 Bridges: Managing Transitions
5 Buckingham: First Break all the Rules
6 Dotlich, Noel and Walker: Leadership Passages
7 Conger: Winning ‘Em Over
8 DePree: Leadership is an Art
9 Frankl: Man’s Search for Meaning
10 Friedman: The World is Flat
11 George: Authentic Leadership
12 Ghandi: the video
13 Goleman: Working with Emotional Intelligence
14 Hammerschlag: The Theft of the Spirit
15 Jamison: Nibble Theory
16 Katzenbach: The Wisdom of Teams
17 Lencioni: Death by Meeting: A Leadership Problem about Solving the most Painful Problem in Business
18 Machiavelli: The Prince
19 Mackenzie: Orbiting the Giant Hairball
20 Marquardt: Leading with Questions: How Leaders Find the Right Solutions by Knowing What to Ask
21 O’Toole: Creating the Good Life
22 Patterson: Crucial Conversations
23 Rousseau & Cranston: The Social Contract
24 Shafir: The Zen of Listening
25 Jaworski: Synchronicity
26 Useem: Leadership Moment
27 Wallis: Two Old Women
28 Whyte: The Heart Aroused
29 Ishiguro: Never Let Me Go
30 Michalko: Thinkertoys

It’s the quintessential comfort food - most everyone loves macaroni and cheese. Did you know there is even a website maccheese.com? The website suggests that even if it clogs your arteries, the blood can flow through the little macaroni tubes! Too funny. What’s Mac & cheese got to do with this Blog? It’s an example of how we love our comfort foods … our comfort zones… how we love to protect the status quo.

Doctors, your employees want strong leadership from you. Last week I spent two days leading a group practice to break through their comfort zones and their uncomfortable zones. One sign of great practice leadership is to provide a forum for constructive group discussion. It takes courage to tear down barriers to team work but the rewards are great. By the second day the business staff, hygienists and assistants were all working together to build new treatment protocols and create solutions. Mid-day I noticed a sign had been posted on the wall saying ”We love working for you” and the team had signed it.

Even Mac & cheese has changed through the years from my mother’s one cheese style to four cheeses, sun dried tomato and even lobster Mac & cheese. The possibilities are out there for you to imagine and create for yourselves. Don’t settle for the status quo… treat yourself and your team to something better.

Stephen Covey taught us that time management is really much more about managing ourselves than managing the clock. The authors of “The Power of Focus” offer a 4-D solution to help you say “yes” to the important and “no” to tasks that will take you away from your priorities. This is a easy to remember, simple system to pass onto your team. Be sure you (or your office manager) monitor the process initially so you are certain that everyone’s priorities are in line with yours.

1. Dump It… Learn to say “No I choose not to do this.” Be firm.
2. Delegate It… Learn to ask yourself “Who else could do this?”
3. Defer It… Learn to schedule time to handle tasks that can be deferred.
4. Do It… Learn that important work needs to be done now so just do it and avoid the negative consequences of procrastination.

Here’s a great quote from Napoleon Hill, the author of ‘Think and Grow Rich’ “Every well-built house started with a definite plan in the form of blueprints”

Your practice is your home away from home. Do you have a blueprint for your success? Does your team know about it? If you’re like most of your colleagues, you started out with a business plan but how often have you revisited and revised your plan?

It’s a great time of year to move from a day-to-day tactical approach to a strategic approach to planning your success. The Practice Renewal System will take you through a 10-step process to engage your team to build new growth and opportunity. Begin now and create a whole new energy in the practice to jumpstart 2007. Details are on our homepage at ginnyhegarty.com

Have you ever walked by your front office, heard the sound of laughter and wondered how much work was getting done? I’ve had doctors and clinical team members tell me from time to time “it sounds like they’re having way too much fun up there.” That fun may be what sets your practice apart and will result in loyal patients who are raving fans… and I have the proof.

Valmont Research recently completed a patient survey for one of my consulting clients. This group practice was interesting in learning about how their patients rated their experiences in each department of the practice. The survey produced extremely valuable information about how patients perceive the sights and sounds of the practice and how to improve the overall experience. Seeing the practice through your patients’ eyes is an invaluable gift for you and your team. Greg Drevenstedt and the team at Valmont make the process easy for you.

One very positive response we received was how much the patients loved the warmth and friendliness of the front office team. Specific comments included various versions of “keep up the fun in the front office.” Walt Disney’s philosophy of building success by treating visitors like guests in your home continues to ring true.

I returned a doctor’s phone call today and the call began with the dreaded “Dr’s office, can you hold…click” I was then on hold for nearly four (4!!) minutes before being told, “I’m here all by myself, can you call back later?” I wish I could tell you that this was shocking to me. Unfortunately, it happens more often than you’d think.

This phone call and the greetings I received are disturbing for several reasons. First and foremost, every team member should know the value of presenting news so it reflects positively on themselves and the practice. Second, every team member needs and deserves to be trained in how to handle the telephone professionally.

Consider the difference that exceptional verbal skills would have made, for example “I’m currently speaking with another patient, may I please have your name and phone number so I can call you back within ten minutes when I will be able to give you my undivided attention?”

Every phone call is an opportunity for practice growth yet far too often the least experienced team members are sent to the phones. Your practice could be paying a very high price for this error. If your team needs training, check out the Office Magic Book of Scripts and our telephone skills coaching program.