Posts
Over the past few months I've hinted about a group of progressive physical therapy practice owners that have come together from across the country to redefine competitive advantage and in doing so create new possibilities and prosperity for their practices. They are clear-eyed professionals who understand one does not take the lead by playing follow-the-leader or running with the crowd.
When everyone is zigging there's a lot of value in zagging. They are zagging - big time!
Maybe you should too...
Each has purpose, autonomy, and mastery in their clinic practice, business operations, marketing, and in themselves as leaders. Each is practicing differently, each is practicing better, each has taken control of their own future and reward is seeking them out.
Times have changed. Old patterns of practice are no longer adequate.Old patterns of professional association have lost potency. The playing field is not level and will not become level. Risks are greater as are their consequences. The rules and economics of practice have changed forever.
This coming together of like-minded private practice owners is called InVisage. It is doing together what no one practice could do alone. InVisage is a game changer. It is an exclusive collaboration of premier practices in exclusive markets that are innovating fast, gaining momentum, and getting results. InVisage is not out to change the profession; but rather to progress beyond the profession. Its not about surviving. It is about thriving.Invisage is for progressive physical therapy private practice owners who belief there is more, much more, than the tightening constraints and frustrations of traditional PT practice.
Interested? Contact me.
Perhaps InVisage is in your future...
All the Best!
Bob
(c) copyright 2011
Performance Builders
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Friday, August 12, 2011
You are the Gold
"Recent fluctuations in the stock market have driven the price of gold way up. Many people believe that when currency weakens, gold is a standard that you can depend on.
I’m not an economist, so I cannot say if this approach is correct. Yet whenever I hear about people flocking to buy gold, I remember the advice I once heard a spiritual teacher give a student who could not seem to get a handle on prosperity. “You are the gold,” he told her.
We all like the idea of what money can do for us, but few of us recognize what we can do for ourselves. Spiritual guide Bashar predicts that, at some point, our economy will shift from a standard based on commodities such as gold or oil, to a standard based on the value of people and the skills and talents we have to offer. We will cease to trust in stuff and begin to trust in spirit.
This makes a lot of sense to me. There is much strife in the world as people fight over commodities with limited resources. Meanwhile, human beings are the ultimate renewable resource. The most successful people are those with good ideas, which are infinite and eternal. Stephen Jobs, for example, has commandeered ideas that have revolutionized the computer, audio, and PDA industry. He is wealthy, not because of what he gathered from outside himself, but because of what he brought forth from inside himself.
Buy gold if you want to, but don’t overlook the gold inside you. You are precious and powerful beyond measure and not at all subject to fluctuations around you. Bashar suggests, 'Take stock in yourself.'" - Alan Cohen
All The Best!
Bob
Performance Builders
I’m not an economist, so I cannot say if this approach is correct. Yet whenever I hear about people flocking to buy gold, I remember the advice I once heard a spiritual teacher give a student who could not seem to get a handle on prosperity. “You are the gold,” he told her.
We all like the idea of what money can do for us, but few of us recognize what we can do for ourselves. Spiritual guide Bashar predicts that, at some point, our economy will shift from a standard based on commodities such as gold or oil, to a standard based on the value of people and the skills and talents we have to offer. We will cease to trust in stuff and begin to trust in spirit.
This makes a lot of sense to me. There is much strife in the world as people fight over commodities with limited resources. Meanwhile, human beings are the ultimate renewable resource. The most successful people are those with good ideas, which are infinite and eternal. Stephen Jobs, for example, has commandeered ideas that have revolutionized the computer, audio, and PDA industry. He is wealthy, not because of what he gathered from outside himself, but because of what he brought forth from inside himself.
Buy gold if you want to, but don’t overlook the gold inside you. You are precious and powerful beyond measure and not at all subject to fluctuations around you. Bashar suggests, 'Take stock in yourself.'" - Alan Cohen
All The Best!
Bob
Performance Builders
Monday, August 8, 2011
Compensation
David, in response to your question about negotiating compensation...
Fair question... here are my thoughts.
The underlying principle is fairness - win/win. When a one time transaction is involved, the issue of fairness is transient and short lived. But when the transaction is ongoing as with employment or service contract, the matter of fairness is always on the table and is likely to shift due to changing circumstances - what was fair yesterday may no longer be fair going forward. Thus periodic review is warranted. Employment is about mutual exploitation of value. When the value is no longer mutually beneficial or overly constraining it will end.
Compensation is all about contribution. At the heart of mutual value exploitation is the fairness of compensation relative to contribution. Increased compensation assumes there is a proportional increase in the creation of value. If one desires more compensation, one must be willing to contribute more value creation. Since one's compensation is assumed to be economic (i.e. not just heart felt gratitude), then one's contribution must also be economic. Just because someone is handsome, really liked, and smart does not mean they contribute economic value. The value of knowledge is proportional to its fruit. I frequently see GIFT Fellows who expect higher compensation because of the knowledge they have acquired. That knowledge is worthless in an employment situation unless it is translated into economic value - more clients, more revenue, better profit. That's just the way it is.
Professionals are not motivated primarily by money. Compensation needs to be adequate but it is not what drives knowledge based workers. In fact, financial incentives only work in manual labor. Financial incentives actually have a negative impact in knowledge based work. Professionals are motivated primarily by Purpose, Autonomy and Mastery.
Tenure has little economic value in employment. People are not worth more simply because they have been with a company for a long period of time. Their value is determined by their current level of contribution. As such annual increases make little sense unless they correct a market inequality or contribution has increased.
The first responsibility of a business owner is the survival of the business. Employees who demand too much compensation can and often do undermine the vitality of the business, reduce job security for all who are employed, and reduce the company's ability to serve its customers.
So with compensation there is the matter of contribution and business vitality.
Shift gears...
If I'm an employee and I want to earn more, first I must demonstrate incremental, or even better, exponential financial value creation. That is what justifies higher compensation. I need to be willing to give it before I get it. I need to prime the pump. Oh, and I also need to practice good loyalty, team work, and good company citizen ship. Employees with low productivity, who are high maintenance, demanding, or generally a "pain in the ass" are in a poor position to negotiate anything.
Next I must find out what I'm worth in the market place. To do that I can: ask around, seek other job offers, and research compensation databases (many available on the internet and through professional associations). This is all about benchmarking - where do I stand in comparison to others and how do I contribute in comparison to others. Keep in mind that compensation involves wages, benefits, working conditions, growth/advancement opportunities, flexibility, etc - compensation is the whole package. There is always variation across employment situations. Sometimes these are negotiable and sometimes not. Employers do have certain legal and practical fairness obligation.
As to actual negotiations, I'd recommend stating what financial compensation you want and why you deserve it - value creation, economic contribution, comparative compensation, commitment/loyalty, and willingness to share financial risk Then talk about the time line for achieving your financial goals - it may not be possible tomorrow, but can you at least launch on on a favorable trajectory. Be creative - what can you substitute for dollars, how else could you contribute, how much risk are you willing to accept in exchange for greater opportunity? For instance, would you be willing to risk a 20% reduction in compensation in exchange for a 20% upside opportunity depending on your financial contribution to the business?
One thing is for sure - if you go into a compensation negotiation with attitude, anger and threats it will backfire eventually. Conduct your negotiations professionally and respectfully. Be factual. Be creative. Be accountable. Be patient. Be fair!
I hope there's a nugget or two in all of this that you can use.
Fair question... here are my thoughts.
The underlying principle is fairness - win/win. When a one time transaction is involved, the issue of fairness is transient and short lived. But when the transaction is ongoing as with employment or service contract, the matter of fairness is always on the table and is likely to shift due to changing circumstances - what was fair yesterday may no longer be fair going forward. Thus periodic review is warranted. Employment is about mutual exploitation of value. When the value is no longer mutually beneficial or overly constraining it will end.
Compensation is all about contribution. At the heart of mutual value exploitation is the fairness of compensation relative to contribution. Increased compensation assumes there is a proportional increase in the creation of value. If one desires more compensation, one must be willing to contribute more value creation. Since one's compensation is assumed to be economic (i.e. not just heart felt gratitude), then one's contribution must also be economic. Just because someone is handsome, really liked, and smart does not mean they contribute economic value. The value of knowledge is proportional to its fruit. I frequently see GIFT Fellows who expect higher compensation because of the knowledge they have acquired. That knowledge is worthless in an employment situation unless it is translated into economic value - more clients, more revenue, better profit. That's just the way it is.
Professionals are not motivated primarily by money. Compensation needs to be adequate but it is not what drives knowledge based workers. In fact, financial incentives only work in manual labor. Financial incentives actually have a negative impact in knowledge based work. Professionals are motivated primarily by Purpose, Autonomy and Mastery.
Tenure has little economic value in employment. People are not worth more simply because they have been with a company for a long period of time. Their value is determined by their current level of contribution. As such annual increases make little sense unless they correct a market inequality or contribution has increased.
The first responsibility of a business owner is the survival of the business. Employees who demand too much compensation can and often do undermine the vitality of the business, reduce job security for all who are employed, and reduce the company's ability to serve its customers.
So with compensation there is the matter of contribution and business vitality.
Shift gears...
If I'm an employee and I want to earn more, first I must demonstrate incremental, or even better, exponential financial value creation. That is what justifies higher compensation. I need to be willing to give it before I get it. I need to prime the pump. Oh, and I also need to practice good loyalty, team work, and good company citizen ship. Employees with low productivity, who are high maintenance, demanding, or generally a "pain in the ass" are in a poor position to negotiate anything.
Next I must find out what I'm worth in the market place. To do that I can: ask around, seek other job offers, and research compensation databases (many available on the internet and through professional associations). This is all about benchmarking - where do I stand in comparison to others and how do I contribute in comparison to others. Keep in mind that compensation involves wages, benefits, working conditions, growth/advancement opportunities, flexibility, etc - compensation is the whole package. There is always variation across employment situations. Sometimes these are negotiable and sometimes not. Employers do have certain legal and practical fairness obligation.
As to actual negotiations, I'd recommend stating what financial compensation you want and why you deserve it - value creation, economic contribution, comparative compensation, commitment/loyalty, and willingness to share financial risk Then talk about the time line for achieving your financial goals - it may not be possible tomorrow, but can you at least launch on on a favorable trajectory. Be creative - what can you substitute for dollars, how else could you contribute, how much risk are you willing to accept in exchange for greater opportunity? For instance, would you be willing to risk a 20% reduction in compensation in exchange for a 20% upside opportunity depending on your financial contribution to the business?
One thing is for sure - if you go into a compensation negotiation with attitude, anger and threats it will backfire eventually. Conduct your negotiations professionally and respectfully. Be factual. Be creative. Be accountable. Be patient. Be fair!
I hope there's a nugget or two in all of this that you can use.
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Entitlement
It's been a tough week to escape the federal financial debate, no correct that, "Debacle". The country is less faced by a debt ceiling than by a leadership deficiency. At the heart of every conversation is the issue of entitlements. Nearly half of Americans pay NO taxes, but all want what is "entitled" to them... think social security, medicare, medicaid. The federal government more than doubled since 1965 - of course state and local governments have also grown. None of this is a surprise. The financial implications of baby boomer retirement has been well documented for decades by the Menniger Foundation and foretold by Kotlikoff in his book The Coming Generational Storm (2004). But somehow the inevitable is conveniently pushed aside.
There is another entitlement issue. It is one faced by nearly every physical therapy practice in the country. It is the entitlement of compensation driven by labor shortages but supported by third party reimbursement. Over the past 2 decades, I have had the pleasure of working with over 100 hospital systems, and several hundred private practices. Interestingly, I've never found a hospital based PT service that knows what its profit margin is - yes they know how they compare to budget with all its arbitrary and rationalized allocations but not whether they in fact are creating economic value or even covering their own expense. Likewise, it is rare indeed to find a private practice PT owner that can simply answer the same two questions. Then there are employed PTs... are they creating financial value for their employer and for their own job security? Is that value proportional to their compensation?
The US federal government will be paying over half of the entire US health bill by next year - that's even before national health insurance (2014). Do you think that the federal government solvency might impact Medicare spending? Do you think Medicare spending might impact PT provider reimbursement? Do you think PT provider reimbursement might impact PT compensation?
BELIEVE IT!
PREPARE FOR IT!
BEGIN NOW!
Are you entitled? Think again!
All The Best!
Bob
(c) Copyright 2011
Friday, July 22, 2011
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Issues
Every professional runs into issues from time to time, forcing uncomfortable confrontations. This happened to a client of mine recently. Here was my advice...
- Attack the issue not the person. Doing this reduced defensiveness and enables alternative endings other than win/lose.
- Make your points in questions rather than statements. Doing this keeps you off the defensive and support #1 above.
- Approach the issue as if you were discussing it on behalf of someone you care about rather than yourself. Doing so reduces your emotion and positions you to speak on behalf of what is fair, just, and right.
Don't avoid confrontation when it is necessary; instead position it for success.
All the Best!
Bob
(c) copyright 2011
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Breeding for the Future
“Breeding is a way to brainstorm fast and loose; engineering is a way to fine tune and control”
-Kevin Kelly
Health related practices tend to focus on fine tuning what is - design a new form, save a minute, reassign a task, comply with a new rule, refine a technique, teach an old protocol.
You know the routine...
But what if the future will be different from the past?
- What if we had 6+ billion people on earth rather than the 2 billion that were here when I was born? Hint - we do!
- What if they all want what we have? Hint - They do!
- What if the earth lacked the resources to achieve that? Hint - It does!
- What if health was more impacted by lifestyles than disease? Hint - It is!
- What if government funds were inadequate to meet financial obligations? Hint - They are!
- What if healthcare spending couldn't keep up with healthcare expectations? Hint - It can't!
- What if new health legislation were to slash entitlement healthcare spending? Hint - It will!
- What if all of this were not far off into the future but just around the corner? Hint - It is!
Then, fine tuning what we do will not be enough.
It's time for breeding not engineering. It's time for innovation, experimentation, and iteration.
It's time to get real! It's time to see ourselves differently. It's time to think differently. It's time to seek new solutions. It's time to embrace new opportunity. It's time to reinvest in our future.
Is your practice breeding or engineering?
What are you investing toward thriving not just surviving tomorrow?
Tomorrow is today!
All the Best!
Bob
(C) copyright 2011
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Update
Friends
I'm taking a little time off from blogging. Should be posting again mid June.
Two reasons:
1. Celebrating our 40th wedding anniversary.
2. Launching a new venture that will transform how Physical Therapy Private Practice is conducted and rewarded. We have begun with 6 independent practices from across the USA and will be inviting a second round of practices to join us over the summer. If you are a private practice owner, particularly one with Applied Functional Science interests, please get in touch with me SOON.
All The Best!
Bob
(c) Copyright 2011
Performance Builders
I'm taking a little time off from blogging. Should be posting again mid June.
Two reasons:
1. Celebrating our 40th wedding anniversary.
2. Launching a new venture that will transform how Physical Therapy Private Practice is conducted and rewarded. We have begun with 6 independent practices from across the USA and will be inviting a second round of practices to join us over the summer. If you are a private practice owner, particularly one with Applied Functional Science interests, please get in touch with me SOON.
All The Best!
Bob
(c) Copyright 2011
Performance Builders
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Leadership - Matters
Leadership is not about being important or influential. It's about helping people to realize their potential, to remember the values that are shared, To focus on the purpose to be achieved, to realize what it is they are building, and why it matters.
So what matters?
All The Best!
Bob
(C) copyright 2011
Performance Builders
So what matters?
All The Best!
Bob
(C) copyright 2011
Performance Builders
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Leadership - Getting Personal
Leadership is about change. If change isn't the priority, a good manager will do.
Change involves both individuals and a collective community.
Individual change always precedes community change.
Individuals change when provoked at an emotional level. But most change initiatives are premised on rational information - facts and figures, the bigger the better typically. Most such initiatives fail to deliver change.
Change is driven by emotion not rationality. In fact, we might say that change is driven by irrationality. Science and history has demonstrated that repeatedly.
People are first and foremost emotional creatures. They need to be emotionally changed to support change.
Change occurs one person at a time. Each person wants to know just one thing - how will the change affect ME. It's not selfish, its just human nature.
Whether we are changing policies for a handful of people or changing lives on a global scale, there is one important understanding to never loose sight off...
To be and effective leader, Get PERSONAL...with yourself and others!
All the Best!
Bob
(c) Copyright 2011
Performance Builders
Change involves both individuals and a collective community.
Individual change always precedes community change.
Individuals change when provoked at an emotional level. But most change initiatives are premised on rational information - facts and figures, the bigger the better typically. Most such initiatives fail to deliver change.
Change is driven by emotion not rationality. In fact, we might say that change is driven by irrationality. Science and history has demonstrated that repeatedly.
People are first and foremost emotional creatures. They need to be emotionally changed to support change.
Change occurs one person at a time. Each person wants to know just one thing - how will the change affect ME. It's not selfish, its just human nature.
Whether we are changing policies for a handful of people or changing lives on a global scale, there is one important understanding to never loose sight off...
To be and effective leader, Get PERSONAL...with yourself and others!
All the Best!
Bob
(c) Copyright 2011
Performance Builders
