The Infamous “C-Word”: Change!

Change prompts a spectrum of emotions, from anticipation to frustration. Within the structure of everyday routines, team members often find comfort, making the prospect of change a daunting one. Yet, for practice leaders, recognizing the need for dynamic evolution is imperative—a strategic response to the evolving demands of the industry within and outside our practices.
 
The initial stages of change, such as team restructuring or transitioning to new software platforms, may present challenges. However, beneath these disruptions lie opportunities for process improvement and increased efficiency.
 
I remember when my first team member submitted her two weeks' notice. She had to leave my team due to her husband’s job change. Oh man! I felt so let down. I was genuinely naïve enough to think she might one day retire with us. Fast forward a few weeks, we replaced her with a new member and never looked back. We were able to implement changes during the transition with no resistance and became a lot more efficient. In fact, most of the team members you start your startup with will not be with you after a few years. In my opinion, it's because your practice grows faster than they do. As I said earlier, change can be daunting for some.
 
2024 is the year of changes in our practices. We are planning to retire Orthofi, Cloud9, and Align in our practices. To do so, we need to have systems in place to avoid setbacks. We also need extensive team training for both learning and executing the new programs. In a nutshell, our entire new patient onboarding, financing, and communications will change. My goal is to lower our overall overhead by about 10% by the end of 2024.
 
Navigating change is a strategic process—a measured response to uncertainty. As practice leaders, our role is to guide our teams through these shifts, offering support, reassurance, and a clear vision for the path ahead. There are those who will tag along and others who may find comfort elsewhere.