Reflecting and Looking Forwards
The end of another year, and it always seems a good time to reflect on the year that is drawing to a close, and think about how it went. What did I achieve? What did I not do that I intended to, and what could I have done better? And of course, what do I want next year to be like?
As a practice manager, it is so important to review what has been and decide with your Principal(s) where you are going and how you intend to get there. All the questions above apply equally to your practice. In business, such reflection should be done more often than annually, or things that are not going so well might have already run away on you, but at least once a year, having a good planning session with your team, away from day to day distractions can help you focus (maybe refocus) on what is important for the business.
One of the new RACGP accreditation 5th edition standards now includes having a business plan, or at least an action plan for smaller practices. And ideally, the plan is reviewed periodically to assess your progress in achieving the goals you have set. Too many practices do not have a documented strategy or plan, even if they have lots of good ideas, and I have enjoyed assisting practices to get their ideas down on paper with documented timeframes and responsibilities in preparation for accreditation. Having a documented plan helps make people accountable and gives you something solid to measure progress against. When things aren't going to plan, you can use the PDSA quality improvement model to shift direction or take further action as necessary in order to achieve your goals.
When I reflect on 2018, it certainly was not the year I was expecting as things can and do change unexpectedly. In Mid 2018 I had a few months of unexpected ill health which took me out of the picture for a while. I feel fortunate to have fully recovered and am grateful to my clients for their patience while I was not available. Professionally, there have been a number of highlights. I was honoured to act as MC at the official opening of a new practice that I had helped to set up and have been delighted to help several practices achieve their first ever accreditations. I have loved working as a Mentor and the ongoing professional relationships I have developed with several Mentees. On the personal side, I had a fantastic opportunity to attend to my creative interests, which included attending a painting workshop in beautiful Venice. Despite a hiccup mid-year, I am pretty happy at how my year turned out, and am looking forward to working with new and existing clients in 2019, developing further as a trainer and also doing a bit of painting too.
Whatever your plans, I wish you and your business a happy, healthy and prosperous 2019. If you are having trouble making plans for your practice in the year ahead, I would be glad to help you. Happy New Year!