5 Steps To Rise Above The Fear Of COVID-19 And Focus On Growing Your Practice
In a matter of just a few short weeks, we have gone from living how we’ve always lived to changing just about everything we do. Schools are out for weeks if not months. Cruises have stopped sailing, and air transportation may be next. Bars and restaurants are closing, sporting events are nonexistent and so many people are now unemployed. If you watch the news or follow social media and see the number of infected keep rising, you can’t help but wonder when (or if) life will return to normal.
As a result of these unprecedented life changes in such a short amount of time, so many people today are frozen in fear. They don’t know what they can do and what they can’t do. They’re numb, fearful and questioning everything.
I believe that the accomplished and determined Practice owners in our world are facing a unique brand of fears: Will I lose sales and revenue due to the coronavirus? What if I have to lay people off? How can I keep my team and keep them working hard? How will I continue to provide for my family? How long will this last?
Here are five steps you can start taking now to stop being frozen in fear and move forward with your Practice, your family and living your life.
Step #1: Communicate Often.
You should make an effort to constantly communicate with all of your stakeholders. From your employees to your customers to your partners and vendors, stay in communication with them to share how your Practice is doing and how you can continue to serve them.
While in-person visits may not be ideal at this time, you can always resort to the good ol’ phone, e-mail, videos or webinars. You can bet that if your patients aren’t hearing from you, they think you are closed.
Step #2: Be a Valuable Resource.
While money is always important, now is the time to be a trusted resource and friend to your current and potential new patients. People today need to know your there for them. If you’re actively seeing your patients, it could be because they think you are too busy for them.
Step #3: Lean on People.
It’s ironic that the one time we need people more than ever before, we are supposed to socially distance ourselves and stay in our homes. Through telemedicine and web conferencing, work together with your staff and your patients to lean on one another. Because nobody has gone through anything like this before, nobody has all the answers. But as a collective group, you will find most every answer you need.
Step #4: Be MORE Than a Healthcare Provider.
They may be your employees, your colleagues and your patients. But they are PEOPLE first. And just about everyone you interact with in your Practice world has endless stresses when the workday is done. Their kids are home from school all day getting into who knows what. They’re worried about going to the supermarket and if there will be meat and toilet paper. They’re concerned about keeping themselves and their family healthy.
When your staff and patients start to see you not just as an healthcare provider, but as a friend and someone who truly cares, that’s when they want to be your employee and patient for life.
Step #5: Be Informed But Not Obsessed.
People were glued to their TVs for weeks after 9/11. As a result, although they were informed, they were also more stressed, depressed and fearful. Don’t do that to yourself. Yes, it’s prudent to know how to “flatten the curve” and protect your family, but watching too much news or social media right now can dominate your thinking and actions. That can negatively impact your Practice.
During this otherworldly pandemic, it’s good to have a little fear. To keep us safe. To keep us making good decisions. However, if you want to ensure your Practice is stable and growing, to help your family cope and get through this, you should take these steps to rise above the fear.
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