January 2002

The Four Phases of Practice Growth

by C.J. Mertz

Champion chiropractors know how to lead through all four phases of growth; vision, planning, pressure, and conviction. But that’s not what separates them from the rest. Where struggling chiropractic clinics repeatedly return to ‘Square One’ after each accomplishment, Championship chiropractic teams maintain the sustained purpose and passion to return back to the first phase of growth after achieving each goal; again, and again and again. I’m amazed at how exact the process of growth occurs among such a diverse group.

            In every single one of my coaching experiences, a chiropractor manages to “get stuck” in one (or more) of the four phases of growth. The first phase of growth begins with the romance and courtship of a brand new thought, idea or vision. This is where most chiropractors are initially thwarted and never really recover. They become so totally consumed by the demands and challenges of their current practice, they are unable to generate feelings of enthusiasm and motivation needed to rejuvenate their clinics with broader goals in sight. I’m not talking about a ‘thought flash.’ The new vision must include a sustained feeling of enthusiasm and burning desire that you must harness and launch toward your newly inspired, exciting vision of practice growth. In this phase of excitement about wonderful opportunities to improve and expand patient services, this isn’t about going from two hundred adjustments per week to three hundred or going from four hundred to five. . . this is about realizing a brand new state of enthusiasm, even without any evidence in favor of your reasoning for wanting to grow your practice.

            Chiropractors who succeed in the first phase often fail in the second because they assume their newly adrenaline vision alone will take them over their goal. But by not translating this hustle-and-bustle into a specific goal, they fail. Without solid organization and framework, and a specific goal to be achieved, it is virtually impossible to create a winning stratagem and have it work. You see, this is the time where the team has to make a stand and be together on the same page: plan your work, then work your plan. The second phase can be such a rewarding time as both the appetite and enthusiasm for success are matched by the confidence of constructing a plan which is destined to surpass its goal. The danger, however, is procrastination. Enthusiasm is a delicate, precious commodity. Once you’ve harnessed it, you must direct it, or its energy will soon fade away and leave you back at square one. Growth has become a task again, which virtually guarantees its failure.

            For those struggling chiropractors who actually make it to the third phase of growth, the pressure stage, it becomes a testing ground that separates “the men from the boys.” This area of the growth process is filled with both positive and negative intense pressure. If you are not aware that it is coming, the pressure can knock you right off of your feet and your practice right out of the community!

            There are many debilitating forms of pressure, but there are two most apparent types that must be overcome. The first comes from the under performance of the plan. Either the plan was not detailed enough, lucid enough or comprehensive enough to be executed successfully. For example, the team is producing tremendous amounts of energy but the return is less than expected.

            The second most common form occurs when your plan exceeds itself. The pressure of serving three times the number of new patients than usual, of a room full of patients waiting to get adjusted, so many x-rays to be marked, reports to be done and having your CA keep up with the mounting heaps of data entry and filing.... Many a team simply buckles under the overwhelming positive pressures and stops having fun serving patients. When this happens, the practice immediately begins to lose any ground that it had gained during this phase of growth. As a practice growth specialist, it is absolutely heart wrenching for me to watch a chiropractor hit the wall of pressure (positive or negative) and lose the faith, confidence or belief that they can make it over the top.

            You must turn the pressure back into passion, reassess your plan and keep the light of your vision shining bright. No one escapes this phase of growth or the pressure that ensues. You must embrace this challenge or you will be knocked off your feet enough times that you eventually stop trying. You can do it! But you have to dig in and push back with equal force to break through to the next and final level of practice growth. If not, it’s back to Square One.

            The fourth and final phase is jam-packed with the conviction —- there are no other options than to reach your goal. You experienced the pressure, handled it with grace and determination, and now your finish line is in sight. You can never coast to the finish line of growth; your team must have an insatiable hunger in the fourth phase of growth equal to the adrenaline-based excitement generated in the first phase. The focus it takes to finish strong is hugely underestimated. This is a time that often brings the distraction of other opportunities, which can pull from the intensity needed to successfully accomplish the goal. I can’t tell you though, how many chiropractors I’ve seen get within five to ten adjustments of their goal only to have the wheels fall off of their machine. This is where a great coach can step in and make the difference, blueprinting the exact steps necessary to explode your goal, once you get there.

            Ultimately, the pursuit of growth for a chiropractor can be translated into saving more lives. When you learn how to maintain your focus on the people you serve and why you are serving them, you will manifest the growth you seek. To master growth, you must associate with other like-minded chiropractors who also have a burning passion to serve and the will to endure the four phases of growth. If you start right now, you’ll be one day closer to reaching your next goal in practice! Until next time, practice with passion!