Are You Tired of NOT Being in Control?
Life on the assembly line: From the time you walk into the office until you leave someone else is controlling your time, your schedule, your availability. Calls and visitors are screened and everything within your staff's power is focused on keeping you on-time with your patients.
I often find it fascinating and somewhat depressing that a group of individuals who tend to rank in about the upper 99.7 percentile of our population in terms of learning ability, work ethic and what most of us would generally simply call "smarts," function in a working environment that so closely resembles an assembly line.
That said, even assembly line workers have more flexibility in their average work day than do most physicians.
I was talking recently with a client and comparing his practice day to what his "executive" day would likely be like. We talked about rather simple things... the ability to have a dental visit in the middle of the day, stepping our for lunch if your spouse drops by to say hello... or simply to retreat to the confines of your office to look into something that tweaked your interest. Those little things are difficult for the vast majority of physicians I speak with daily.
No, they - and you, if you're reading this, live in a very structured world where any unplanned deviation in the daily schedule is met with panic, frustration and sometimes anger. Your job is to show up and adhere to the daily schedule. Unfortunately, that can carry through to how you're treated more generally. That is, you're there to produce, not to socialize. And, you may find yourself feeling excluded from much of the socialization of the office. Once you make the leap to the nonclinical world. you will generally find a much more integrated environment. And an environment not just concerned about your production, but concerned about "you." Today, in corporately owned medical practices, physicians are providers... replaceable and interchangeable providers.
Interestingly, in corporate American, high performing executives are considered quite valuable. And, while, yes, no one is irreplaceable, it's better to keep good talent than to constantly be searching for it. In your new nonclinical job, you'll likely not just be seen as someone who "produces," but rather as someone who participates, who engages, who innovates, and supports. You'll be seen as someone quite valuable. And importantly, you'll find your have much greater control in nearly every aspect of your life.
Are you ready to be in control?
That said, even assembly line workers have more flexibility in their average work day than do most physicians.
I was talking recently with a client and comparing his practice day to what his "executive" day would likely be like. We talked about rather simple things... the ability to have a dental visit in the middle of the day, stepping our for lunch if your spouse drops by to say hello... or simply to retreat to the confines of your office to look into something that tweaked your interest. Those little things are difficult for the vast majority of physicians I speak with daily.
No, they - and you, if you're reading this, live in a very structured world where any unplanned deviation in the daily schedule is met with panic, frustration and sometimes anger. Your job is to show up and adhere to the daily schedule. Unfortunately, that can carry through to how you're treated more generally. That is, you're there to produce, not to socialize. And, you may find yourself feeling excluded from much of the socialization of the office. Once you make the leap to the nonclinical world. you will generally find a much more integrated environment. And an environment not just concerned about your production, but concerned about "you." Today, in corporately owned medical practices, physicians are providers... replaceable and interchangeable providers.
Interestingly, in corporate American, high performing executives are considered quite valuable. And, while, yes, no one is irreplaceable, it's better to keep good talent than to constantly be searching for it. In your new nonclinical job, you'll likely not just be seen as someone who "produces," but rather as someone who participates, who engages, who innovates, and supports. You'll be seen as someone quite valuable. And importantly, you'll find your have much greater control in nearly every aspect of your life.
Are you ready to be in control?