Take the essential items list you have now created and prioritize them in order of their relative significance to achieving your goal . Those items that are highly significant will go to the top of the list while those that are moderately or minimally significant will go to the bottom of the essentials list or drop from the list entirely .
You now have a list of perhaps eight to ten essential tasks that should demand the majority of you time and focus . Those items that fail to make your essentials list are considered to be nonessential and should be delegated to staff or out sourced . This is not to say that these unessential tasks are insignificant . They may be quite significant . They just don ’ t have to be done by you .
As an example , I have a doctor client and friend who finds himself in the office five days per week . His is a very successful clinician , but after thirty plus years of practice he would like to find a way to cut back to at least four days per week in his dental office . He admits to being a poor delegator , so I asked him to keep a journal of his weekly activities for us to review . We both had a good laugh when we realized that he had recently spent a good portion of his Friday afternoon checking the dates on the drugs in his emergency drug kit . When we came across this item , I couldn ’ t help but reply ... “ You ’ ve got to be kidding me !” He laughed as well and knowingly said , “ You mean someone else can do this ?” Enough said .
Create boundaries .
To receive a free copy of my “ Core Values Exercise ” please contact me at joel @ joelsmall . com .
I am also available for a complimentary coaching session to discuss your practice-related issues .
Dr . Joel C . Small is a practicing endodontist and the author of “ Face to Face : A Leadership Guide for Healthcare Professionals and Entrepreneurs ”. He received his MBA , with an emphasis in healthcare management , from Texas Tech University . He is a graduate of the University of Texas at Dallas postgraduate program in executive coaching and limits his coaching practice to motivated healthcare professionals . He is a nationally recognized speaker on the subjects of leadership and professional development . Dr . Small is available for speaking engagements and for coaching healthcare professionals who wish to experience personal and professional growth while taking their practices to a higher level of productivity . Dr . Small can be reached at joel @ joelsmall . com .
Boundaries create clarity with regard to what is or is not an acceptable action or behavior . Consequently they assist us in avoiding non-essential actions that cause us to deviate from our chosen path . For example , in my office , we want our staff to have the freedom and empowerment to make independent decisions regarding our patients overall experience in our office . We also want to make the decision making process as simple and clear as possible . My office staff knows that their actions are bound by only two critical considerations : is their intended action consistent with our practice values and in the best interest of the patient ? Our staff finds that this degree of clarity and simplicity enables them to effortlessly act within these boundaries and function expediently without agonizing over the decision making process .
Values dictate the nature of our boundaries , and boundaries are intended to protect our values . In today ’ s world our values are challenged on a regular basis , and the most successful and fulfilled doctors are those that make values non-negotiable . It is their self-imposed boundaries that make this possible .
Boundaries are vital to our ability to focus and use our energy efficiently . Boundaries come from a firm sense of commitment to what we value and they can only exist if we respect ourselves enough to insist upon them . They are the natural progression of the process I have shared ; identifying values , determining the essential , prioritizing , and delegating . www . northtexasdentistry . com | NORTH TEXAS DENTISTRY 25