Ready, Fire, Aim: A Strategy For Practice Growth

This seems out of order in that we are taught "ready, aim, fire." But the reality of life in and out of our dental practice is ready, fire, aim.

Whatever it is that we have in our minds to do, we must ready ourselves both physically and mentally. At team meetings, we share our vision. Around the family dinner table, our thoughts and plans are revealed. We do the proper research, get advice from those we trust, and then we are ready to pull the trigger.

“Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.”
― Napoleon Hill, Think and Grow Rich

Bang! Things are happening. You are starting to see the fruits of your efforts. But are these fruits sweet? Are you getting the results you anticipated and planned to achieve? Maybe yes, but more often there are tweaking and adjustments needed to hit the mark.

“We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be.”
― Kurt Vonnegut Jr., Mother Night (one of my favorite authors)

So now it is time to revisit with your consultants and recalibrate your aim. You now have more data to prepare you for the next "go" round. Some data is pleasing to look at, and some will be painful. But both are helpful as the journey continues. Your aim will be better because you know where you have been. You now know what works and what does not. Understanding and evaluating the information you now have will help you level your sights.

“To persist with a goal, you must treasure the dream more than the costs of sacrifice to attain it.”
― Richelle E. Goodrich

An example would be adding a service to your practice. You first hear about this service at a dental meeting, in a journal or from friends. You start to think how this can benefit you and your practice. You anticipate the future successes and the steps to make it happen. Team meetings add different perspective from the team members and ideas that will aid in the execution. The plan is set and everyone is ready!

You launch the ship with great fanfare and watch its journey. Now you gather data and see if the results are, in fact, what were expected. Whether the outcomes were better than, equal to or less than your expectations, you will make modifications to help, maintain or manage the effects.

So ready, fire, aim is the reality. I hope you hit your target, and remember: that the target is always moving. Always be willing to modify your aim.

Good luck on your journey,

Carl Steinberg, DDS, MAGD, LLSR

www.DentistryinPhiladelphia.com