226 - Valuing & Backing Your Podiatry Skills with Dr Richard Chasen

For the sake of the podiatry profession, every podiatrist needs to start valuing what they do. They need to back their knowledge and skills when treating foot and ankle problems, and they should never take a backward step when dealing with other healthcare providers.

My guest, Dr Richard Chasen, is the owner of The Lower Limb Clinic in Melbourne, Victoria, and was previously on Ep 99 – More Than Just A Pod; on this episode, we discuss why most podiatrists live the life that happens to them instead of the life they want. {media id=1173 width=300 height=300 allow_crop=false link="https://www.tysonfranklin.com/Coaching/REBOOT" use_caption=false class="right"}

Misconception

When it comes to your career, you have the choice to do what you want, and GPs should not control you, nor should they be in a position not to make you sink or swim.

Also, there's a misconception that allied health professionals are a diluted version of a GP. This is not true; we are all professionals in our own right.

If you don’t believe in what you do, why should your patients?

Communication & Discounts

What you say to a patient only accounts for 8% of your communication; the rest comes from your body language and facial expressions.

If you're giving patients a discount or spending more time with them each consultation, it's useless unless the patient is aware you are doing this. If you provide them with a discount, point it out. If you're spending more time with them, over and above what you usually would allow, make sure they know this.

You lose value in the consultation by not communicating all the extra things you for them that they may take for granted.

Extra Time May Be Hurting Your Business

When you spend extra time with patients because you do not have a patient booked immediately afterwards, do you know it could annoy your patient, especially if they need to be elsewhere?

They may be asking themselves, is this going to happen every visit? Or, they get used to the extra time, and when you cut it back to the correct amount of time, they will think they've been underserviced.

Price Rises

As soon as you put your prices up, it adds value to your skill set. Patients chasing the cheapest podiatrist don't care who they see or the quality of the work.  

If you value who you are, your patients will value you as well.

How Do Podiatrists Run A Bulk-Billing Business?

The only way a podiatrist can run a bulk-billing practice is by not knowing their numbers or not understanding how revenue and profits work.

Or, they've set the bar so low for themselves and over time, they have devalued who they are and what they do.  

You can't say you're the best at treating a particular problem in the foot and ankle and then not charge correctly. Incongruency will kill your business.

Side Note

If you needed neck surgery and one surgeon said they could do it for $4500 and the other said they would do it for $450, who would you choose and why?

7 Things That Happen When You Charge More?

1. You provide a better patient experience.
2. You can attend better CPD (National and International)
3. You can attend more events, conferences and workshops.
4. You'll have more up-to-date equipment.
5. You can offer more treatment services.
6. You'll have a happier team.
7. You'll be a more content employer, parent and partner. 

If you think you’re not worth what you’re charging, then you’re right.

Give Patients an Experience

When patients visit your podiatry business, you need to make their visit an experience, not just a transaction. No different to going to a top-end restaurant.

Be the Best

If you want to be the best in the foot and ankle space, and you think podiatrists are the best profession to look after that space, you have a responsibility to do a couple of things:

1. You've got to be the best at it, and you've got to know your stuff when it comes to treating the foot and ankle.
2. You've got to communicate with other people (referrers, etc.) to help them understand that their patients are better off seeing you because you're in the foot and ankle space all the time.
3. Educate the patient to help them understand the importance of their treatment.

Final Tip

You have a responsibility to be a podiatry futurist. Where will the world be, and what is the next stage for podiatry? Try and skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it's been.   

If you have any questions about this episode, please email me at tf@tysonfranklin.com 

Business Coaching 

Are you looking for a Podiatry Business Coach who thinks differently? If you are, please reach out via email and let's have a chat to see if we're a good fit for each other. 

YouTube

Are you SUBSCRIBED to my YouTube Channel, Tyson E Franklin - Podiatry Business Coach? This is where I upload all the uncut videos from my podcasts and other short business tip videos. 

Podiatry Business Owners Club

Please visit my group, the Podiatry Business Owners Club, on Facebook if you want to connect with like-minded podiatrists who enjoy business. 

12-Week Podiatry Business Reboot

Have you done the 12-Week Podiatry Business Reboot? It will change the way you think about your podiatry business. 

Check out this episode!

225 - The Dance Clinic with Kirsti Mann

Kirsti Mann is the owner of The Dance Clinic and Highett Podiatry in Melbourne, Victoria, and she is known as the Dance Podiatrist and renowned for her work with dancers.

Kirsti enjoys the challenge of a difficult injury, and her ‘Return to Dance’ program has been instrumental in building a collaborative environment with teachers, other allied health professionals, doctors and the dancer to achieve the best outcomes for each dancer.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Opening her first business within 12 months of graduating.
• Positive and negative experiences with employers.
• Why it’s the employer’s responsibility to look after new graduates.
• The need for Dance Podiatry.
• Pre-Pointe Assessments
• Creating a sub-business based on your interests.
• Spending time on your special interests within podiatry will make your job and career far more exciting.
• Approach your employer and talk about the special interests you have. They may be excited to help you introduce this special interest into the clinic.
• At 32 years of age decided to have a baby via IVF.
• Podiatry offers you flexibility and a great lifestyle.

Final Tip

Remain Positive and maintain a positive outlook. Really connect with your peers and form good relationships.

If you want to contact Kirsti and learn more or attend one of her upcoming Online Workshops, please visit thedanceclinic.com.au.

If you have any questions about this episode, please email me at tf@tysonfranklin.com 

Business Coaching 

Are you looking for a Podiatry Business Coach who thinks differently? If you are, please reach out via email and let's have a chat to see if we're a good fit for each other. 

YouTube

Are you SUBSCRIBED to my YouTube Channel, Tyson E Franklin - Podiatry Business Coach? This is where I upload all the uncut videos from my podcasts and other short business tip videos. 

Podiatry Business Owners Club

Please visit my group, the Podiatry Business Owners Club, on Facebook if you want to connect with like-minded podiatrists who enjoy business. 

12-Week Podiatry Business Reboot

Have you done the 12-Week Podiatry Business Reboot? It will change the way you think about your podiatry business. 

Check out this episode!

224 - Forensic Leadership with Paul Kinkaid

When a podiatry business grows, you end up with a team, and that team needs to be led, and how you lead them will leave both positive and negative traces, which are referred to as Green Traces (positive) and Red Traces (negative). 

In this episode, I am joined by Paul Kinkaid, an Executive Leadership Coach and retired Commando-trained Lieutenant Colonel in the British Army, and we're discussing how private practice owners need to step into the leadership domain if they want to thrive. 

We also discuss: 

• The difference between leadership and management.
• Self-awareness.
• The best leaders are always studying leadership.
• How you lead could be based on elements you've seen before, but did these examples of leadership leave positive traces (Green) or negative traces (Red) on you?
• Not asking questions results in the Law of Unintended Consequences.
• Difference between servant leadership and servile leadership
• A good leader will have a clear INTENT (Goal) and they need to paint this picture of the future for their team to follow.
• How a business benefits by creating leaders instead of followers.
  • Followers will ask you constantly what they should do next, whereas leaders will tell you what they intend to do next and will keep moving forward.
  • Creating leaders around you creates more space in your diary and mind, allowing you to be more strategic in your thinking.
• Managing processes is not leadership.
• Born leaders are doing leadership by default. This is also no good leadership. 

Three guiding principles of forensic leaders:

1. Lead from a position of care.
2. Notice people and, where appropriate, give recognition or notice when they are struggling and lean in and help out. That’s when the leader gets their hands dirty. They see patients when it's busy and when required, they get back on the tools.
3. Be appropriately transparent and communicate your intent - your vision, your purpose, and your strategy in a compelling way so everyone understands their part in the plan and therefore they’re going to get on board.

Doing the right thing always leaves GREEN traces on people and doing the wrong thing will leave RED traces. 

The standard you walk past is the standard you accept.

You’ve got to sweat the small stuff; you’ve got to look at the details; they are that important.

When you start leading poorly and leaving red traces on your team, the good people will leave because they back themselves to get another job, and the less than good people will stay. This is damaging for your business.  

Forensic Leadership - pay attention to the guiding principles and traces.

4 Key Questions

1. What will happen if I do it?
2. What won’t happen if I do it?
3. What will happen if I don’t do it?
4. What won’t happen if I don’t do it?

When you put the answers to all these questions through the forensic leadership filter, what green and red traces are going to be left and what is the impact on my people, then you know what the right decision is.

Every successful podiatrist leaves clues, green traces, and every unsuccessful podiatrist also leaves clues, red traces. 

If your employer says the wrong thing in a meeting, you can easily say that was a bit red, or if was very red, you could say that left a really big red trace. As an employer, you don’t want to leave red traces.

Habit stacking

When you get up in the morning, what version of you has gotten up? Sometimes you’re just grumpy, or maybe you get cut off on the road on the way to work. Be aware of how you feel, as this will influence your leadership ability that day. 

Make leadership deliberate, conscious and intentional.

Think about how you lead, the traces you leave on other people, and the traces that are left upon you, and you have to own those traces.

Combine that with a compelling narrative that gives the intent in a clear and compelling way you will have a fantastic team.

If you want to connect with Paul Kinkad, you can find him on Linkedin, or you can visit his website, Forensicoutcomes.com or send him an email at Paul@forensicoutcomes.com

If you have any questions, please email me at tf@tysonfranklin.com 

Business Coaching

Are you looking for a podiatry business coach who coaches differently? If so, consider booking a FREE 30-Minute Discovery Call with me and let's see if we're a good fit. 

YouTube

Are you SUBSCRIBED to my YouTube Channel? This is where I upload all the UNCUT videos from my podcasts and other short educational business tips and ideas. 

Podiatry Business Owners Club

Please visit the Podiatry Business Owners Club on Facebook if you want to connect with like-minded podiatrists who enjoy business. 

Check out this episode!

223 - AFTER the Richie Brace with Dr Doug Richie

Before inventing the Richie Brace, Dr Doug Richie was content growing and developing his sports podiatry practice; however, that all changed when podiatrists started using it to treat Post Tib Dysfunction. 

In this episode, we discuss:

• What happened AFTER the Richie Brace was invented.
• The changes it made to his career. 
• How he pivoted and embraced this change to create a booming podiatry business that was no longer sports-focused.
• The positives of changing your patient demographics. 
• Reinventing yourself, which many podiatrists do about 15 years into their careers. 
• Leaving your EGO at the door. 

How did the Richie Brace become so popular? 

It was all by accident; there was no self-promotion. Dr Doug Richie was unexpectedly invited to speak at many conferences and, along the way, developed a series of educational lectures and workshops on the correct use and application of the Richie Brace and Post Tib Dysfunction treatment. 

Make sure you listen to Episode 216 - Before the Richie Brace. 

If you have any questions, please email me at tf@tysonfranklin.com and if you're looking for a Podiatry Business Coach that thinks differently, visit my website, tysonfranklin.com 

Check out this episode!