Best Practices

At a fork in your road? Take a SWOT.

This self-assessment analysis can put you back on track; your practice will benefit, too.

By Allan Walker

A physician-client in his 50s asked if it was appropriate to question his career/business choices and the direction in which his life path was taking him. While somewhat unexpected in this case, the consultant wasn’t surprised by this line of questioning, given the near-constant, escalating challenges facing physicians today — one of them being stagnant income, like this physician was dealing with, in tandem with putting two children through college. The consultant had fielded these types of life-path questions before from physicians. The practice of medicine is a business, and today’s business climate is difficult, even for the intelligent, focused and highly skilled individuals who gravitate to health care.

Our consultant recognized that his client did not want to discuss the standard tactical, operational or strategic questions they usually covered. Rather, he was looking for a session focused on self-reflection and self-assessment. He needed to ask more important personal questions and to answer them honestly. In short, he was ripe for a personal SWOT analysis.

TAKE IT PERSONALLY

Successful management teams regularly conduct strategic planning sessions that focus on the current state of the practice. A major component of strategic planning is a SWOT — that is, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Insights gleaned from a detailed SWOT analysis are essential to developing a comprehensive action plan that includes realistic short- and long-term objectives.

Physicians also should regularly conduct a personal SWOT analysis. Periodically assessing individual strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats can rejuvenate, refocus and inspire. While a personal SWOT occasionally may reveal uncomfortable but important information, the drill likely will help physicians feel better about themselves and their practice.

To turn weaknesses or threats into strengths and opportunities, physicians should answer the following SWOT questions:

• Am I happy? A contented physician directly impacts the mood and productivity of staff. Look around and determine what you like most about your position, your coworkers and your work environment. Focus on what excites and motivates you at work. Don’t dwell on the negatives. It is important to have a positive management attitude and style.

• Do I feel good about my professional growth? Challenge yourself to grow professionally. Never become too comfortable with yourself, your position or surroundings; otherwise stagnation and burnout could follow. Set stimulating professional goals that will help the practice reach that next level of professionalism. Look for new solutions and ways to do things.

• Am I providing the leadership my position requires? Your staff looks to you for leadership and guidance. Are you giving them what they need, and more? Today’s business climate mandates that physicians adapt. Continuously assessing your role in the practices’ leadership, training and decision-making chain of command will make you more responsive to identifying and meeting the changing needs of management, staff and patients. Continue to assess and hone your leadership skills.

• Am I committed? The passage of time can breed complacency. Ask yourself if you are as enthusiastic and committed to your profession as you were post-fellowship. If that dedication has waned, find out why. You need to be “all in” and it needs to be obvious.

• Am I a problem-solver? Good leadership empowers staff members to solve their own problems and confront their own challenges, but you must do the same. Within reason, are you the roll-up-your-sleeves, take-charge problem-solver your team needs? Are solutions discovered and implemented as quickly and efficiently as they should be?

• Do I set a proper tone/style for the practice? As a leader, establishing a “culture of success” falls under your job title. You want to create a respectful, courteous, professional setting that inspires your staff members’ loyalty and motivates them to provide the best possible service to patients. To accomplish that, you need to emulate what you want from your employees. Set high but realistic standards — and follow them. Dress professionally, be punctual, and treat everyone with respect and compassion. Staff will mirror you.

• Do I promote camaraderie? Staff members are part of an extended family; they spend nearly as much time at work as they do at home. Do you provide opportunities for staff to celebrate individual and practice successes appropriately? If not, you should. Staff models that promote a balanced amount of professional and social interaction reward management with increased productivity and harmony.

• Do I understand the practice’s mission and vision statements? These statements must be more than just words to you. These documents need to be well-constructed road maps for success, each meaningful and inspiring to staff members as individuals and to the practice as a whole. As the leader, it is imperative that you review these statements regularly and act and speak in a way that demonstrates you have a clear understanding of what they mean.

• Will I work in the trenches when necessary? If you want to foster a “team player” mentality with your staff and gain maximum respect from employees, be ready to help out once in a while when needed (and when appropriate). Your reward is a staff that models your collaborative spirit and is willing to go the extra mile to provide excellent patient care. It also forces you to understand exactly what your team does, which can provide insight into various management issues.

MEANINGFUL SELF-ASSESSMENT

Today’s challenging work environment requires physicians to be as grounded, effective and efficient as possible. Taking the time to conduct a meaningful self-assessment can help identify individual improvement opportunities that will enhance a practice’s competencies and fortify its foundation. The physician in the example didn’t leave the practice. Instead, the SWOT helped confirm his desire to remain on his path and led him to take actions that renewed his passion for leadership and commitment to the practice. OM

Allan Walker is director of publications with BSM Consulting, an internationally recognized health-care consulting firm headquartered in Incline Village, Nev. and Scottsdale, Ariz. For more information about the author, BSM Consulting, or content/resources discussed in this article, please visit www.BSMconsulting.com.