“Begin with the end in mind.”
It’s the second habit of Stephen R. Covey’s “The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People” and it’s how we’ll kick off this blog that shares the successful habits of physical therapy owners.
The “end” in the case of the Physical Therapy CEO is to lead a successful, profitable and, above all, helpful private practice that benefits the patients, the staff and the owner in a variety of ways. And while Covey’s iconic book is a great place to get productivity and leadership advice, our practice management experts at MEG have put together our own habits that specifically target the physical therapy CEO and what it takes to reach their end goals.
If you’re dedicated to having your Best Year Yet (check out our special, limited offer), then make sure your playbook features these best practices:
The Five Habits of Highly Successful Physical Therapy CEOs
1. “Hold the vision of what you want.” Les Brown
Having a clear vision in your mind of what you want is a big step in a successful journey.
When you as a physical therapy CEO manifest a vision of your “ideal scene,” you can begin to work towards that goal and establish what is necessary (and what isn’t necessary) to reach it. Also known as an “organizing principle” – your vision will make you a better decision maker and doer which ultimately improves the efficiency of your operations.
2. “Successful people seek counsel, where failures listen to opinion.” George S Reid
Good news: You’re not in uncharted territory. There are many physical therapists who have created empires or scaled to the point of selling or conquered the competition – and they can help you understand how they did it.
A great CEO will look for advice from those that have been there before. This is a key principle behind MEG Business – the more you surround yourself with talented people who you are willing to invest in personally and professionally, the more successful you will be in physical therapy private practice.
3. “You do not rise to the level of your goals, you fall to the level of your systems.” James Clear
In his best-selling book “Atomic Habits,” Clear explains that small habits impact big changes, which is why consistency and repetition are important.
So, when CEOs set aside 20 minutes or so per day for professional development training, they continue to grow in their personal and professional lives and develop the systems and skills that make them a successful leader. Without those skills, they will continue to grasp at straws when confronted with new challenges and waste time and money reinventing the wheel each time.
4. “Become so good, they can’t ignore you.” Tom Bilyeu
The Physical Therapy CEO must create a clinic that stands out in their community. And to become an expert in the industry, they must invest in the training, services and equipment that will set them apart from the competition.
When this is done properly, patients who are reviewing the different physical therapy clinics in their area will be able to see which one rises above the rest. This is why your marketing, and website design especially, is so important to making the best first impression.
5. “Tell them what’s in it for them.” Dr. George Fraser
In the same vein as the last habit, a physical therapy CEO should focus on the benefits and service for the patient. As outlined in Simon Sinek’s “Start with Why” message, people won’t buy into a product, service, movement, or idea until they understand the WHY behind it. Good marketing starts with “you” not “me.”
By targeting the challenges or goals of your patients or physician referrals, show them a world where those challenges become opportunities and those goals become milestones in an ever-growing journey. Physical therapy CEOs must become a professional at making a good first impression – across every touchpoint, physical or digital, in their business.
Ready to Reach Your Potential as a Leader?
In our experience, the Physical Therapy CEOs who power their private practice with these habits reach the top 10% of best-performing clinics in the industry and achieve their mission faster.
We make it easy to learn more with a virtual physical therapy management program that is engineered according to the best practices of the physical therapy owner. Our CEO & Executive Training Program delivers an in-depth approach to helping you become an effective leader – from managing others to optimizing operations to setting up the bonus structures, etc.
Experience this training and more with MEG Academy, the interactive development platform for physical therapists.
