Are You in Control of Your Practice or Does it Control You?

One of the most common complaints that business owners have today is that they feel their practice is running them and that they're being pulled in every direction instead of really running the business themselves.

Well, I'd like to tell you, when I was in practice I experienced the same thing. I was working too many hours, not seeing my family as much as I should; my staff always came to me looking for the solutions to day-to-day scenarios and so on. I found I was lacking the amount of time necessary to really do what I loved best which was working with my patients, seeing their results and being able to live life.

After 5 years of burning the wick at both ends, I decided something needed to change quickly because my candle was getting ready to burn out.

I realized that in the midst of running my business with all its stresses and being a husband and father, I needed to get my priorities straight, re-evaluate my purposes and really become the very best administrator possible to make my practice and personal life efficient and enjoyable again.

You're probably thinking what you're going through is normal or that's just the way it's always been or supposed to be. Take a patient who's had headaches all this life and has lived on drugs to handle it. As a physical therapist, I know there is a solution to that and that he doesn't have to live with headaches or be on drugs. Well, I'm telling you the same thing. It's not normal, that's not the way it is and you don't have to live with these administrative difficulties or be controlled by your business.

So, how do you change it and get off the roller-coaster ride? There are a few important factors to look at in order to accomplish this. First, take a look at why you became a business owner in the first place. Are you fulfilling that dream the way you envisioned it in its entirety?

Now, look at everything that is not optimum or that you're experiencing that is not part of your dream. Look at things such as: Are you spending enough quality time with your clients without interruption? Do you spend time with your family? Does your staff know their positions fully? Does your staff put problems or situations on your plate that you need to now solve? Does your staff get along or are you a mediator to their continuous problems? Are you working too many hours and lacking the return? Are you pounding the pavement to generate more referrals with little to no success? Are you behind in your financial plans or goals?

These are to name just a few of the common areas of concerns that business owners face. Take a look at those things that come to the top of your mind that concern you the most. Then prioritize those things which are causing the most difficulty for you in your business or life.

It's easy to list out what may be going downhill, but the ultimate question is how do you turn those things around?

The way you do that is by becoming the very best administrator possible so that you can manage, train and delegate in order to create the most effective and efficient machine possible. What is an administrator exactly? Well, per the Webster's College Dictionary "Administrator: n. 1. a person who manages the direction of a government, business, institution or the like. (Latin- administrare to assist, carry out, manage the affairs of.)

There is no other person in your business that is more responsible for your business than you. And when you assign that responsibility to someone else and detach yourself from it, you get into trouble. Now, I'm not saying you should be handling all the positions in the office, because after all that's what is making the business control you. What I am saying is you should know every aspect of the positions in your office and train those under you to handle certain tasks in their entirety and then manage them from above. This is one of the most basic fundamentals of being a good administrator and when you can successfully master this fundamental you will be on your way to a happier life.

Shaun Kirk is President and Co-Founder of Measurable Solutions Inc., a consulting firm engaged in all areas of business management. Measurable Solutions trains entrepreneurs and executives how to be consultants to their own businesses, so they not only can expand their own business but any business. With his partner, he has built the most rapidly expanding company of its kind in the world. Visit his website at http://www.measurablesolutions.com

---

Google News Updated : Fri, 10 Oct 2008 17:49:09 GMT Help Support Breast Cancer Awareness With Lifespring Health - MarketWatch ChattahBox Help Support Breast Cancer Awareness With Lifespring Health MarketWatch - 1 hour ago Lifespring Health will be Donating $5 to the Susan G. Komen Foundation Each Time you Shop Online This Month SUNNYVALE, Calif., Oct 10, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- October is breast cancer awareness month! Go "Passionately Pink for the Cure" on Oct. 17 Atlantic News Telegraph Panera Bread to sell pink bagels Times Herald-Record SkinInc.com - BurlingtonFreePress.com - Chambersburg Public Opinion - Penn State Worthington Scranton all 68 news articles Publ.Date : Fri, 10 Oct 2008 16:05:31 GMT NATO agrees on Afghan drug role for military - The Associated Press Boston Globe NATO agrees on Afghan drug role for military The Associated Press - 1 hour ago BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) - NATO defense ministers Friday authorized their troops in Afghanistan to attack drug barons blamed for pumping up to US$100 million (euro74 million) a year into the coffers of resurgent Taliban fighters. NATO Joins Drug War in Afghanistan Voice of America NATO to Hit Drug Trade in Afghanistan New York Times AFP - Bloomberg - International Herald Tribune - Times Online all 1,309 news articles Publ.Date : Fri, 10 Oct 2008 16:11:48 GMT States probe possible voter registration fraud - Chicago Tribune ABC News States probe possible voter registration fraud Chicago Tribune - 1 hour ago Questions about possible cases of fraudulent voter registrations were being raised this week as officials in several states investigated hundreds of questionable or duplicate registration forms submitted by an advocacy group. Carnahan statement on ACORN registration mess Kansas City Star Republicans try to tie Obama to vote fraud cases Boston Globe ABC News - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review - Inter Press Service - MyFox Tampa Bay all 1,193 news articles Publ.Date : Fri, 10 Oct 2008 16:48:10 GMT Coleman calls off negative ads - Minneapolis Star Tribune MinnPost.com Coleman calls off negative ads Minneapolis Star Tribune - 24 minutes ago By Patricia Lopez, Star Tribune ...and it has nothing at all to do with several outlets (including one of Franken's ads) letting us know that a Coleman ad that wants us to … read more see Franken looking out of control/angry, is actually video of ... Coleman: I'll remove negative ads and urge others to do same Pioneer Press Coleman says he'll pull negative ads to focus on economy Minnesota Public Radio KAALtv.com - The Hill - The Associated Press - OpEdNews all 460 news articles Publ.Date : Fri, 10 Oct 2008 17:25:04 GMT UPDATE 1-Bush says US moving quickly to solve market crisis - Forbes Canada.com UPDATE 1-Bush says US moving quickly to solve market crisis Forbes - 1 hour ago WASHINGTON, Oct 10 (Reuters) - President George W. Bush said on Friday the US government was moving aggressively to address the financial markets crisis, but he acknowledged that anxiety was feeding on itself as stocks continued to plunge. Bush appeals for confidence CNNMoney.com Bush Says Markets Must Remain Calm Despite Challenges Washington Post Reuters - The Associated Press - TheStreet.com - CNN all 1,456 news articles Publ.Date : Fri, 10 Oct 2008 16:33:45 GMT Eagles' Westbrook out for Sunday's game - Sports Network Sports-Odds.com Eagles' Westbrook out for Sunday's game Sports Network - 28 minutes ago Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - Philadelphia Eagles running back Brian Westbrook will not play on Sunday at San Francisco. Westbrook, who has been hampered by a sprained ankle he suffered in the Week 3 victory over Pittsburgh, fractured his ribs in ... Brian Westbrook: Ruled Out Rotowire Les Bowen: Eagles vs. 49ers: The pick Philadelphia Daily News WILM News Radio - NFL News - Kansas City Star - The Associated Press all 642 news articles Publ.Date : Fri, 10 Oct 2008 17:20:18 GMT A Cautious Approach to Gardasil Shot - U.S. News & World Report Canada.com A Cautious Approach to Gardasil Shot U.S. News & World Report - 34 minutes ago News today cheering the fact that 1 in 4 teen girls has received the Gardasil vaccine sounds to me like some serious spin from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the government agency pushing girls as young as 9 to get the shot. Cancer Vaccine Used by 25% of Girls 13 to 17 New York Times Quarter of adolescent US girls received HPV vaccine Reuters WebMD - dBTechno - Wall Street Journal - eFluxMedia all 463 news articles Publ.Date : Fri, 10 Oct 2008 17:14:13 GMT RSS For Web Pages More Web Site Traffic

PARLOT::Ebooks, Scripts, Websites, and more...

Adsense websites

Top 5 Services Your Company?s Accounting Department Should Outsource

Accounting is one area which every company has to maintain... Read More

Benefits of Virtual Assistance

A virtual assistant is an individual who provides business services... Read More

Virtual Assistance: A Money Saving Opportunity For Employers

What is a Virtual Assistant? A Virtual Assistant is a... Read More

Motivation - You Get What You Reward

There's a programme currently running on BBC Television in the... Read More

Meeting Your Meeting Expectations

"To get something done a meeting should consist of no... Read More

Innovation Management ? Reducing Hierarchy

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More

Quick Tips On Bringing Out The Best In People

Want to bring out the best in people?Edward W. Smith,... Read More

A Fast and Simple Way to Update Your Business

You open your computer, the flashing button says, "We have... Read More

What Is Business Sense?

What is the principal thing you need to succeed in... Read More

Five Ways to Increase Profitability By Doing The Right Thing

1. Base your business in the Magic Triangle. Honesty, integrity,... Read More

Effective Multi Cultural International Business Meetings

Of the many areas in international business where cultural differences... Read More

Never Punish Yourself or Others for Failures

If you want to find success in various ramifications, be... Read More

Focus Leads To Nonprofit Success: Is Your Organization Rowing or Drifting

Picture yourself standing on the bank of a river watching... Read More

Communication in Business

Effective communication in business is not about creating the perfect... Read More

Performance Appraisals: Questions for Smarties and Dummies

In numerous programs I've conducted on performance appraisals, with Human... Read More

Give Yourself a Boss? Day Gift

Become a better boss and reap the benefitsAnother interesting study... Read More

Unlock the Hidden Creativity of Your Employees

To release creativity in employees, managers must get involved in... Read More

Creating A Vision ? Bringing Your Dreams Into Reality

Do you have some goals you want to achieve or... Read More

Truth or Consequences: How to Give Employee Feedback

In the bestseller, Good to Great, Jim Collins discovered that,... Read More

Bosses Are Out ? Managers As Coaches Are In

There is a new trend taking hold in business today... Read More

Performance Management - By Assuming Nothing

Unhappy as Jenny undoubtedly was, she held on very tightly... Read More

Employees - Treat Them the Way They Expect to be Treated

When you have to deal with one of your team... Read More

Marketing Miracle: Outsource Your Creative Services

The current economy is causing most companies to tighten their... Read More

Leadership in Troubled Times

Leadership in Troubled Times The... Read More

Knowledge Management - Keys to Successful Communities of Practice (Networks)

How can I make my community of practice truly effective?How... Read More