In his book The Great Connection, Arnie Warren writes "You can never fully express yourself, never truly explore the outer edges of your talents, until you know what holds you back and what propels you forward."  Although Mr. Warren is referring to "you" as an individual, the same theory could be applied to your organization.

 

Because your practice is a service-based business, its greatest asset is its overall skill at delivering that service.  And at the forefront of this delivery of service is Communication.  In order for you to deliver your message to your clients, you must deliver it in a way that enables them to receive it, whether that message is about a treatment plan, a invoice balance, or an expression of empathy for the loss of a pet.  So now consider...what if your practice is being held back by an overall unawareness of communication styles and an inability to align the message with the receiver (because after all, the onus for facilitating this alignment rests with the service provider).

 

One method we have used for creating an awareness of communication within a business is the use of something called "DiSC".  DiSC is a four-quadrant model for describing communication preferences.  The four quadrants include Dominant, Influence, Steadiness, and Conscientiousness.  By working with people within the practice (leader(s), managers, and those delivering the actual service) to develop a self-awareness of communication style, including the ability to modify communication style based upon the situation and the receiver's style, we have seen conflict and frustration turned into collaboration and satisfaction.

 

So, what if you found out that the thing holding you or your practice back could be turned into the thing that propelled you or your practice forward?  If you would like to know more about DiSC, let us know....we have a certified DiSC facilitator on staff!