You’re Being Watched!

Before we go off on a conspiracy tangent, let me clarify! While we certainly could have an interesting and compelling discussion about surveillance technology, drones, and Internet monitoring, that’s not the point of this blog. Instead, I wanted to remind you that our actions speak much louder than our words, and people are watching. (If you’re a parent, you probably have a few stories from your child-rearing days where this was embarrassingly obvious.)

How does this apply to a healthcare practice? It’s simple. Every action or inaction on your part is observed and judged by someone. Just as children watch their parent’s actions and learn…patients also watch YOUR actions and learn! Perhaps it’s the server at the local restaurant who notices the cardiologist ordered the fried fish platter. Maybe it’s the cashier at your grocery store who sees the processed junk food in your cart and remembers when you came in to talk to his class about nutrition. Could be the gym owner who realizes you never come in to work out anymore… Or maybe it’s the patient you’ve lectured about living a healthy lifestyle who sees the soft drink or fast food on your desk.

While leadership and making community connections can help provide a solid foundation and growth for your practice, it comes at a price. And that price is that when you’re part of a community…the community is watching. Although people won’t call the exercise or nutrition police on you, they DO take notice when your actions aren’t congruent. The good news is that the community also notices when you sponsor a 5K run, participate in the local PTA, or host an awareness event for a health issue plaguing your community.

Your community is trusting you with their health. Make sure you’re worthy. Lead by example. Strive to make your actions congruent with the messages you send out. No one’s perfect, but we all have areas where we can improve. Do you have an experience to share where someone called you out because your actions didn’t match your words? (Or maybe you called someone else out!) How did you turn it around?

Please share your comments, suggestions, and stories at dr-kelley.com and help me create a larger community of successful healthcare professionals!

For more information on building community connections, I encourage you to read my new book Community Connections! Relationship Marketing for Healthcare Professionals. If you want more valuable information about how to Connect with YOUR Community, you can find FREE healthcare practice marketing content, PowerPoint Presentation Jumpstart Kits, workbooks, blog articles, and my FREE “Practice Marketing Planner” Now!