Do you use the 3-pile method of sorting incomplete tasks? Many of my new clients do. Here’s how it works: the first pile is made of the tasks and projects that you absolutely have to get to right away. The second pile is made of the things that were in the first pile last month, but you didn’t actually get to. The third pile is made of the things that were in the second pile last month. At the end of each month, you dump the third pile in the garbage, slide everything over one notch and start again. Very efficient, right? In reality, completion of open cycles is an ongoing challenge for … [Read more...] about Completion of Cycles Part 1
Office Management
Bulletproof or Foolproof?
Many business information sources revolve around making your organization bulletproof. This concept implies that all destructive forces originate outside the company. After all, it’s a tough world out there, and your competitors and detractors would like nothing more than to attack you and sink your ship, right? Protecting yourself is certainly a sensible thing to do, but that’s only half the story. What about destructive forces that arise from within? The concept of foolproof has many meanings… Individually foolproof The major force that can interfere with growth and productivity is … [Read more...] about Bulletproof or Foolproof?
Soft Skills in Health Care and Business
Since my son will be attending the University of Chicago in the fall, I had the opportunity to sit in on the incoming student forum. This is a high powered academic liberal arts college with several heavy duty graduate programs. The first two sessions were about pre-med and business/economics. By the way, they don’t actually call it pre-med anymore, now it’s pre-health. The department chair elaborated that many of the students use the undergraduate education to go into other health fields, such as dentistry or veterinary medicine. Nothing about chiropractic education, but that’s a topic for … [Read more...] about Soft Skills in Health Care and Business
The Healthy Company
How can I make it so everyone on our team works towards a common goal? How do I deal with agendas, politics, poor communication, clashes in value systems, etc.? Every practice manager is faced with these types of questions and challenges. This is not specific to a health care practice, but is present in all business groups regardless of size or scope. Patrick Lencioni is one of the most prolific and acclaimed writers on this subject. His basic book, “The 5 Dysfunctions of a Team” is written in allegory, narrative style. It’s quite easy to read through and digest, and has become … [Read more...] about The Healthy Company