How Will You Emerge Stronger…?

At the time of this writing, most orthodontists in the US are either “closed” to routine care, or headed in that direction for anywhere from 2 weeks to 3 months and in some cases, “indefinitely” .
A lot of the recent discussion has been around what to do with teams, governments, loans and the now ubiquitous “virtual” exams and consultations. Yes, I think it’s important to create strategies and protocols to mitigate the impact on our practices as well as figure out how to serve our patients who are in active care, with no ability for us to actually actively treat them. However, there is one discussion that seems to be in the background…
How can we use this impending down time in our practices to come back stronger when this is over?
Yes, the Coronavirus will not be the end of humanity or orthodontics and there will be a time -in weeks or months from now- when we will go back to operating our practices with a “business as usual” approach. I know it sounds crazy right now, and things are likely to get worse before they get better, but it will happen. So, rather than worrying about things we cannot change, I have a suggestion.
Work on yourself as a leader, manager and entrepreneur while you have the chance.
Sure, it’ll be great to spend time with family…in isolation…for a while. Don’t get me wrong. I LOVE my family, but I can tell you that our two favorite days of the year are the day school ends and the day it starts again. It’ll be great taking walks, going on bike rides and spending quality time as a family while we endure our sequester. Maybe you can learn how to play an instrument, write a book, master a new game or app. That’s all amazing stuff to do.
However, there will be a lot of hours in a lot of days that you simply haven’t had up until now and won’t possibly get again. Use them wisely to help your practice emerge with a stronger core.
There are so many resources out there for you to develop your “emergence strategy” using books, webinars and online workshops. Ever wanted to become an expert in Photoshop so you can edit images? There are online workshops. Want to learn Adobe Premiere Pro to edit videos for social media? There are resources. Want a new logo? Master your PM software? Clean up your virtual case photo albums for your practice?  For everything from business plans to entrepreneurial goal setting, management courses to books on adapting to chaos, it’s all there for you.
So, knowing the resources are there and you have a lot of time on your hands, what steps are you committed to taking to make your life better when we go back to work?
You’ll have the time, but will you have the discipline?
Wishing you the best,

If you want to be a part of a geographically exclusive Facebook group (OrthopreneursRD) where we come together to help each other build better practices and lower stress, please message me. To learn more about your region’s availability and what it’s all about, click HERE.

GLENN KRIEGER IS AN ORTHODONTIST WITH 20 YEARS OF RESTORATIVE AND COSMETIC DENTISTRY EXPERIENCE BEFORE HE RETURNED TO ORTHODONTIC RESIDENCY. DR. KRIEGER LEARNED ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF WELL-DESIGNED PRACTICE POLICIES AND SYSTEMS DURING A YEAR AT THE SCHUSTER CENTER FOR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN SCOTTSDALE ARIZONA, AND AN UNDERSTANDING OF GENERAL ACCOUNTING PRACTICES AND INDUSTRIAL PSYCHOLOGY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON GRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOL’S “DENTIST AS CEO” PROGRAM. HE IS THE HOST OF “THE ORTHOPRENEURS PODCAST”, MANAGES THE ORTHOPRENEURS FACEBOOK GROUP AND RUNS THE ANNUAL ORTHOPRENEURS SUMMIT.