As most readers know, 2020 was a year of change for Caring Medical. We closed our Illinois office, moved equipment and staff to Florida, hired an upper cervical chiropractic physician specialist, and opened the new Hauser Neck Center in the building next door to our first building after a complete overhaul and renovation of the building. More change is on the horizon for our team. In preparation for our new Cone Beam CT (CBCT) Scan, we needed to make even more changes to our original building.
Because we are wholistically-minded, we walk to the beat of a different drummer, thus, change happens frequently, having tried many different treatment modalities to better help our patients, striving to learn and seek better ways of doing things.
As we were discussing the upcoming plans with our team, it came to light that not all people are lovers of change. In fact, many people hate change. Change can lead to chaos if not planned well. But in our opinion, change allows for new chances, growth, and challenges. If change makes you want to run for the hills, have you thought about why? Do you worry about what “might happen?” Do you fear failure? It might be a good idea to examine those thoughts.
When starting in business, we learned early that implementing change for optimal outcomes occurs using a more structured approach vs just making decisions randomly. The changes can have far-reaching effects on the company as well as the team. To best manage change, here are four principles of change management from Mind Tools Content:
- Understand change. Know why you are making the changes so that you can convey how the change will impact others positively.
- Plan change. Effective change does not happen by chance. Think about what successful change looks like and what goals are needed to produce it.
- Implement change. How exactly are you going to make the change? Ensure everyone involved knows what is needed to produce successful change.
- Communicate change. Make sure your changes are clear and relevant so that people understand and embrace what they need to do and why.
Are you facing some major change? Starting a huge construction project, helping your kids through major life events, encouraging an aging parent to find ways to embrace some age-related physical challenges, or choosing a different career path?
Sometimes change involves a decision that was made freely and other times it’s something that happened without our input and now forcing us out of our normal routines. Either way, embracing change and planning out how it is going to happen will make the process a lot easier.
Oh, and you may be wondering what a Cone Beam CT scan is! This new technology will help us visualize our patients’ heads in 3D showing any abnormalities that may be blocking blood flow from the brain, such as enlarged styloid processes. More to come on that…
