First and foremost, the successful doctor of chiropractic must embrace the fact that they have a responsibility to lead. Then they must choose to lead and hold themselves accountable to be the example. DCs have to understand they cannot expect from others that which they are not willing to do themselves. From having integrity to having a strong work ethic, to being healthy and fit, you have to be what "right" looks like and set the example for others to follow.
So, how do DCs do that? You must engage both your heart and your mind. That's right: leadership is the fusion of heart and mind. We must combine our emotional intelligence with our intellect. Leading takes character (heart) and competence (mind) – not one or the other.
To be successful, you also have to be willing to serve and to follow; which means placing others first, making yourself available and being approachable. I begin my leadership book, 24/7, by presenting what I believe are five simple, but not simplistic, truths about leadership. I believe they are helpful for setting the stage on the subject of leadership:
There are endless benefits of leading, whereas the cost of not leading, like Newton's Third Law of Motion, results in an equal and opposite reaction, and it's not a positive one.
Every DC wants to establish and operate a successful practice. To do so, you must lead and set the conditions for success by creating an ethical, fair, organized and effective work environment. You must also deliver a service to your patients, and that requires being competent, compassionate and having character.
Like any business or profession, there will be times of challenge and crisis, and DCs will have to be leaders who create the calm and provide hope, direction, wisdom and solutions. You will be required to make the tough decisions. You must communicate and connect to your team and to your patients.
When you are leading yourself and your practice well, the environment will be productive, patients will feel connected and comfortable from the minute they arrive until they leave, they will return – and they will heal.
The cost of not leading well is the opposite of all those positive impacts: there will be friction among the team, turnover of patients, striving instead of thriving, and you will find yourself in a constant challenge to keep the practice going month to month.
I encourage you to take some time, quiet time, and reflect on your leadership style. Evaluate yourself and think about how you interact with people and how you make decisions. Most importantly, assess and identify what values are most important to you as a leader.
I recommend you start by writing down your top five values on a 3x5 card, and then carry that card in your pocket or purse for 30 days. As you make decisions, and interact with your staff, patients, family and community, you should evaluate yourself – are your actions and behaviors reflecting your values? If not, then you need to either change your actions / behaviors or reassess your values. It can be a very powerful exercise.
I also recommend you ask those you lead (your staff, your children) and lead with (if you are sharing a practice and if you are married or in a relationship, your spouse / partner), what they think you could do to be a better leader for them. I often did this with my people and was amazed by some of the feedback!
I also encourage you to be yourself! Yes, having role models and mentors is important, but you must be yourself. Leaders must be comfortable and confident in their own skin. I don't believe in "fake it until you make it." Stay real, be humble, place others first, and define your success by how you make others successful.
Leading is about the led. Leading is not about the general; it is about the soldier. It is not about the doctor; it is about the patient.
I suggest you ask yourself, "What is my definition of leadership?" By defining it yourself, you begin to focus on what you believe is required to lead others, and why it is important. In other words, you take "ownership" of your "leadership."
At the very end of my book, I provide my definition of leadership. It is crafted from my experiences, knowledge, relationships and values that are important to me. The beauty in the exercise is that there is no wrong answer! I believe your definition changes over time because every day we should be learning something new, developing new friendships, and dealing with new experiences that influence how we think and act.
Last, but not least, be willing to keep learning every single day. Watch others lead, read about leadership, mentor others, coach your peers, and always lead yourself first. You can teach an old dog a new trick. The day we stop learning is the day we stop leading and living.
When sports chiropractors first appeared at the Olympic Games in the 1980s, it was alongside individual athletes who had experienced the benefits of chiropractic care in their training and recovery processes at home. Fast forward to Paris 2024, where chiropractic care was available in the polyclinic for all athletes, and the attitude has now evolved to recognize that “every athlete deserves access to sports chiropractic."
It is estimated that 61% of patients with CTS avoid taking surgical options due to postoperative complications and costly surgical procedures. Chiropractic care offers a comprehensive and effective treatment for carpal tunnel syndrome, addressing the condition from multiple angles. Recent studies also have unveiled a game-changing adjunct to chiropractic treatments for CTS: nerve flossing.
Some doctors thrive in a personality-based clinic and have a loyal following no matter what services or equipment they offer, but for most chiropractic offices who are trying to grow and expand, new equipment purchases help us stay relevant and continue to service our client base in the best, most up-to-date manner possible. So, regarding equipment purchasing: should you lease, get a bank loan, or pay cash?
