Dentists score low on risk in psychometric tests – bad news for business

By DR SIMON HOCKEN

 

We’ve been business planning with our clients over the last few weeks. Helping them add some shape to 2015 so that their personal objectives are served by their business objectives and so that their business objectives have an effective strategy and tactics to bring them to fruition.

 

Of course, that’s what you would expect from a business consultancy, and you might also expect me to berate all those practice principals who haven’t spent time creating a business plan for 2015 and are just turning up to their practice day in day out, same old, same old.

 

Well, I could, but I won’t. Many of the new clients we meet have been doing the same thing or a version of it for several years now and have watched their practices gently slide as their turnover stalls and their costs go up. What really interests me about these practice owners is that they tend to be risk averse. We know this because we use a psychometric profiling tool when we first meet them (www.kolbe.com/) and out of a score of one to nine (one being a preference for low risk) 80 per cent of practice principals we survey score between one and three. This means they like to mitigate their risk and they resist early adoption of new services or ideas.

 

However, a mixture of a preference for low risk and not having a set of achievable personal and professional objectives for 2015 seems like a curious paradox given the current rate of change and the disruptors at work within the dental market place.

 

For our more successful clients, their 2015 plan is just a chapter in a bigger three or five year plan which is leading them towards a compelling vision for their personal and professional life. The components of their vision will include their wishes for their:

  • Business and professional life
  • Relationship
  • Health and fitness
  • Income and wealth creation
  • Family and friends
  • Spiritual life
  • Spending on houses, planes, boats, cars etc
  • Fun and recreation

 

And their 2015 plan will move them forwards significantly in each of these areas.

 

Without doubt, the clients who are successful in that they create a life they love, have spent a few days, usually with our team, creating their vision and their plans in order to have a road map for their lives. This massively powers and motivates them and they often reach their destination well ahead of their timeline.

 

Among the 1,000 or so dental practice owners I have met over the years, only 10 per cent or so have been wise enough to take some time out to get hold of what they really want to do with their time. And they are the happiest and most fulfilled practice owners (or ex-practice owners!) I know.

 

We can help you achieve this during a few days at the end of April if you’re interested. Have a look at our website where you can read about the experiences of others who have done this work with Breathe (http://www.breathebusiness.co.uk/how-we-help/breathe-retreat/). If you’re interested get in touch so that we can discuss whether this is right for you.

 

Best wishes

 

Simon

 

Call 07770 430576

Tweet @simon_breathe

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One Response to Dentists score low on risk in psychometric tests – bad news for business

  1. Neel says:

    Great article Simon, thanks!

    I remember doing the Kolbe at the first Breathe breakthrough course and had forgotten about it… this prompted me to look at it again and its freaky how after finally starting a squat it describes my preferences so strongly. My score was 5-2-9-6.

    5> yep need some research not much before I’m happy.

    2> really rubbish at follow through… that’s not changed much!

    9> hmmm not risk averse, I think….thanks now I know I am a freak compared to other dentists!

    6>sort of eventually get things going and figure it out as it happens or once the s*** hits the fan!

    It’s so true I am going to talk about it at our practice meeting next week so my team understand why I start a lot of things but never get anything done! LOL.

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