These are the questions that I often get.
- My Customers/patients want only me. What should I do?
- Mr Ajay Shesh ji… I’m pediatrician. My hospital is 20 bedded…patients come by my name. So, if I’m not on duty, they will not come. So is my role queen bee role? I would be thankful if u answer me…….🙏
- Sir – I run a shop and have a small team of 9 employees. I cant trust them fully as I fear they will goof up and I will get a bad name. Anyway their commitment will never be like mine, isn’t it? I do all decision making and major working in my business. Moreover – My customers are not satisfied with anyone else, until they talk to me. Customers insist on seeing me only. How can I automate in such a condition?
Yes. Customers ask and come looking for us only because we have always promoted ourselves and not the hospital or institute – this habit of customers to insist on talking only to you is because of your earlier stand when you started your business. You wanted to make a great name for yourself. You name is made now. You are locally famous. And there lies your trap.
Hence now everything is dependent on you, and you became a slave of your own practice. Practice cannot grow beyond 10 hrs of our work. It will never become a business. Its a practice (S quadrant, self-employed) and not a business (B).
We have to start promoting and marketing the institution first e.g. Apollo or Thyrocare or a Shankar Netralay. Let people come to the hospital for its facilities and not for a particular doctor.
Please have a strict SOP (like in other corporate hospitals) which all doctors and paramedical team will follow.
Turn from Person Dependent to Systems Dependent institution. Gradually phase yourself out and let other Doctors/Professionals work under the system. You become a businessman of you work only “ON” the business, not “IN” the business.
You may do some clinical work but let not the institution be dependent on your working.
Decide which Train You want to catch. The Famous Doctor Train or a The Great Institution Train. Former train will have a limited reach in time, numbers and impact. The latter train will be unlimited in all parameters.
Not only doctors – for any businessman – this is the only way to automate the business so that its unlimited growth happens even in your absence and growth continues even after death.
Basics and principles of Automation and Management are the same. Yes, Every business and industry will have their own unique issues. We address that when we do 1 to 1 meeting.
After initial resistance – most patients will get used to the new system and doctors. Yes – some customers and team members may leave, but you will get unlimited newer customers and team-members – who got introduced directly to the new system/personnel, and hospital can serve unlimited patients then.
Pratap Reddy promoted Apollo chain – not himself. Velumani, a non-medico, promoted Thyrocare, not any particular pathologist.
They took and hired capable doctors and management professionals. And there lies the difference.
Dr Ajay Shesh is a Pathologist, a Life & Business Coach and an acclaimed Youth Empowerment activist with two Guinness World Records and National and State awards for his nation building work. You can write to him at support@lcecosystem.com
