The heart of strategic planning is about asking the right questions. It's about focusing beyond the daily noise in our life and looking at how it all works and fits together.

I believe that the quality of our lives often depends on the quality of the questions we ask ourselves. For instance, it's not enough to say that you wish you had more time to spend with your family – almost everyone says that. You have to ask yourself what you really mean by that and what it would take to achieve it.

With that approach in mind, ask yourself the following questions:

  1. What types of cases do I enjoy most and what if I could have those make up 30-40 percent of my day?
  2. What changes in how I spend my time would create the ideal life for me?
  3. What changes in the facility, technology, or practice environment would allow me to maximize my enjoyment of working in the practice?
  4. What changes in team alignment, motivation and energy would transform my team into the best group of people I can imagine working with?
  5. What changes in my approach to patient care would give me total satisfaction that I am providing uncompromised quality at all levels to every patient?
  6. What changes in practice economics would eliminate all current and future stress around money, both within the practice and in my personal life?

These are just a few "starter" questions to get you thinking along the right lines. No doubt you have your own priorities that are of special significance to you. In any case, this is an exercise people who are serious about improving their lives must do. Because before you can arrive at the right answers, you have to start by asking the right questions.


Be first to post a comment