A recent article in Entrepreneur, titled “Steve Jobs and the Seven Rules of Success” got me to thinking. We have just lost a true visionary, an entrepreneur who changed the world and left a legacy.  I’d like to see how the lessons from Steve Jobs can help save chiropractic.

Right now, our profession as we know it, is at a crossroads.  Will we go the way of the osteopaths, being swallowed up by medicine? Or will chiropractic remain a separate and distinct profession?  We must start taking action to save our profession immediately, and then start to embody Steve Job’s rules for success to have chiropractors be the recognized leaders of true health care and the wellness revolution.

To get in the mood for Steve Jobs Seven Rules of Success, if you have not seen the Steve Jobs Stanford Commencement speech, please watch before we begin.

1. Do What You Love.  Do you LOVE being a chiropractor?  If not, it’s time to move out of the profession and into something you do love, or do whatever it takes to fall in love with helping people get healthy, stay healthy and give them a chance at living the best life possible.

2. Put a Dent in the Universe. To do so, it is necessary to have a powerful vision.  Are you fixing low backs, or are you transforming people’s lives?  Do you truly understand the power of an adjustment, of clearing someone’s nerve system so that they can function and thrive at their optimum potential?  If you do not have a big vision, your practice and your ability to put a dent in the universe remains small.

3. Make Connections. While chiropractic hasn’t changed much since 1895, how can you evolve the profession? What connections can you make with the current global trends and how that might relate to a niche market? Are you connecting to your culture’s specific changing needs and wants?  We must connect a strong message of what people REALLY want to what chiropractic can REALLY do for them!

4. Say No to 1000 Things.  Much of our profession, in my opinion, has become a ‘jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none’.  Many office are chiropractic and and and….We must master the philosophy, science and art of chiropractic.  From Rosen Coaching’s perspective, a true wellness model of chiropractic means removing nerve interference AND showing them ways to not re-create their subluxations over and over again!  The public needs to understand what they can receive from a chiropractic service: remove nerve interference. Then whatever other techniques/approaches you do to help people to stop recreating nerve interference is up to you.  But we have to connect the dots so people ‘get’ what we can do for them.

5. Create Insanely Different Experiences.  What can you and your team to do make every interaction with your office an exceptional experience for your clients/customers/practice members/patients?  Are you giving them the Red Carpet VIP Experience?  If every interaction in with your office isn’t a WOW experience, we’ve got to improve it so it is.

6. Master the message.  Sadly, the chiropractic lifestyle is the best kept secret to getting healthy and staying healthy and having the best life possible!  We MUST as individual chiropractors and as a profession, learn how to communicate chiropractic if our profession is going to survive.  Our mission at Rosen Coaching is to help chiropractors become the recognized leaders of true health care worldwide!

7. Sell dreams, not products.  Get clear about who you want to serve, what their needs are and how you can help!  What is it they dream of? How big is your dream, for them, for your practice, for what legacy you want to leave in the world?

Tags: Apple, chiropractic, Entrepreneur, Rosen Chiropractic Coaching, rosen coaching, Steve Jobs, Success, vision

Dr. Rosen and I had the honour of speaking a few weeks ago at the UAC (Ultimate Achiever’s Club), founded by Dr. Patrick Gentempo. These are the most visionary, heart-centred and ‘wild’ chiropractors we have ever had the privilege of speaking to!

I am inspired by this group, in many ways, in which I hope to summarize (yet not oversimplify) here.  Despite each chiropractor in this group coming from a different part of North America, with different techniques and backgrounds, there were three common denominators that I observed:

1.Big Vision & Purpose ~ First and foremost, each chiropractor had a vision of what they wanted to achieve. Not just padding their bank accounts, but truly serving and bettering humanity.  Their purpose of why they do what they was very strong and guided their actions.

2. High Executors ~ When people ask me why some chiropractors are successful, and others are not… taking action is the answer.  It’s simple, but not easy.  Knowing your vision and purpose has to come first, but taking consistent action, literally doing what you say you will do, is the largest factor in success. Each person sitting in that room was a success because they took action (and continue to do so) to create the practices of their dreams.

3. Blur lines of work and play ~ Having fun at what they do, blurring the lines of work and play are essential to keep their energy high.  A Ferrari going with the pedal down to the floor will eventually burn out, and so will you!  These chiropractors understood this, and they know how to work hard, and to play hard. And they don’t need to be exclusive of one another!  How much fun can you have in your office?

Both Dr. Rosen and I are honoured to have been able to spend time with and share our insights to this group.  We know that these folks are on the path to help us achieve our mission, having chiropractors be the recognized leaders of True Health Care worldwide!

Tags: Chiropractic Practice Success, Dr. Angie Meyer, Dr. Russ Rosen, Rosen Chiropractic Coaching, Success, UAC

At Rosen Coaching, one of our main tenants that we bring to our chiropractic coaching and speaking around the world, is the concept of “Care vs. Scare” communication. Both Dr. Russ Rosen and I work hard to help chiropractors communicate and practice chiropractic in a congruent model with our philosophy. Our vision is to have chiropractors step into their rightful place as the recognized leaders of true healthcare, worldwide!

Recently, while speaking at an EPOC group in Ottawa, and day in and day out in our coaching conversations with our clients, how deep this concept is embedded in the chiropractic profession really sunk in.

With each interaction in your office, you have a choice: To inspire others to action or to try and manipulate them.  This shows up initially during Visit 1 and 2, but will continue on through your daily interactions, and show up strongly again in your re-evaluations and re-reports, and especially how you handle difficult questions!

Inspiring others requires communicating the ‘why‘ behind chiropractic care and why you do it.  It requires a conversation of finding out where they are at, what they think and teaching under the radar to help them see there is another way. It means empowering people, giving them truth and consequences and leading them to choose what is right for them.  It doesn’t mean sugar-coating the truth, or not talking about consequences, but the intention is to inspire action and empower people.

Manipulating others uses scare tactics to coerce and strong arm people to choosing what you think is right for them.  It means a harsh tone and over-dramatizing the negative, making assumptions, painting people into a corner, giving them one good choice.  Yes this can work in the short term, but it’s not a good way to build strong relationships over the long run, in our opinion.  The intention is to manipulate people to do what you want.

The trick is to REALLY find out what is going on with them, and how we might be able to help them.  Then simply find out what they really want and show them how they can have it!

If you are up for it, I’d like to challenge you to see where in your practice and in your community you can inspire others more.  Will you take me up on it?

Tags: care tactics, Care vs. Scare, Chiropractic Coach, Chiropractic Practice Management, Chiropractic Wellness Model, communication, Rosen Chiropractic Coaching, scare tactics

Are you inspiring action? Do you lead your community to make healthier choices, for them and their entire family?  Are you communicating our message from the inside-out, congruent with chiropractic principles?

In this video, Simon Sinek explains that, “People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it”.

It explains why chiropractors who download information about what chiropractic can do for patients and how they are different from other doctors, may get a few people on board.  But those chiropractors who lead through inspiration, allowing people to connect to their purpose, beliefs and motivation, the ‘WHY’ of their messages, can build big practices.

At Rosen Coaching, it is our mission to have chiropractors step up to their rightful place as the recognized leaders of true healthcare worldwide!  We know that every human being deserves the chance to get healthy and stay healthy and have the best life possible.  Are you sharing that message in your community?

Tags: action, communication, Health Care, Inspiration, Leadership, Rosen Chiropractic Coaching, Wellness Chiropractors, wellness revolution

In recent coaching conversations with Rosen Coaching clients, as well as in our Wellness Practice Blueprint program, it’s becoming more and more clear to me a key distinction in communication in the chiropractic profession.

Most of us were taught to communicate by telling, teaching, and downloading information with a one-way monologue.  This method can be frustrating as people don’t seem to ‘get’ what we are trying to get across, therefore the chiropractic practice results we are seeking (retention, referrals etc.) don’t seem to follow.  Eventually we start to doubt our ability and our certainty waivers.

Instead, how about opening up a human-to-human, two-way dialogue?  It will take time to learn to communicate this way, to literally re-wire your chiropractic brain to ask instead of tell, but it is worth it.  The dialogue instead of the download is the way to help people really understand your message, and also be empowered to take action from it.  It will generate the practice results you desire when you master your communication starting with Visit 1, and Visit 2 all the way through your Daily Interactions, Re-exams, Re-reports and how you handle Difficult Questions.

Rather than just downloading and telling them what you think and getting them to ‘YES’ you, how about having a conversational dialogue so that you can also find out what they think, what they want and find ways to show them how to have it?

This dialogue approach leads to greater practice success and being able to help more people, as well as less frustration and less burnout.  Do you want to master the dialogue?  Check out our training materials or send us an email for a free 30 minute consult.

Tags: Ask vs. Tell, Certainty, Chiropractic Coach, Chiropractic Practice Management, Chiropractic Practice Success, communication, Rosen Chiropractic Coaching, wellness practice blueprint

The first quarter of 2011 comes to a close today. Today is the future you’ve been creating for the past three months. How does it look? How does it feel?

I often have a discussion with our Rosen Chiropractic Coaching clients about a Magic Wand. I often ask our coaching clients if they’d rather have a Crystal Ball or a Magic Wand?  (We have a poll right now on Facebook if you’d like to vote!)

Many people say right away, “A crystal ball, of course!  Then I could see into the future of what will happen.”  After discussing the value of seeing what is going to happen to adapt or prepare for it, up comes the discussion of the Magic Wand.

What if you held, in the power of your heart and hand, the ability to create the future?  What if  you could waive your Magic Wand and, voila!

The reality is, you do hold the power in your head, heart and hands of a Magic Wand.  But instead of just waiving it, you have to get clear on what you want, set objectives and take consistent action and do the work to achieve it!

Sometimes when our Rosen Coaching clients get stumped by an obstacle or a roadblock, I love to come back to the Magic Wand.  I say, “IF you had a Magic Wand right now, what would you create, what would you do?” It opens up a world of possibility that wasn’t there before.  It’s not a stroke of coaching genius, just a simple way to see what is possible.

Oh, how I truly wish I had a real Magic Wand!  I’d waive it and make the world a happy, peaceful place where chiropractors are the recognized leaders of true health care and the wellness revolution.  A world where people trust in their bodies, and in life itself.  I’d make every chiropractor’s office as busy as they could handle!

The reality is, I have the power of a Magic Wand to envision what I want to create and the dedication and drive to do what it takes to get there.

Do you want to borrow my Magic Wand? It’s simple, but not easy.

What will you create for your future next quarter?

Tags: Chiropractic Coach, Chiropractic Coaching, Chiropractic Consultant, Chiropractic Practice Success, chiropractic profession, Crystal Ball, future, Goals, Magic Wand, Rosen Chiropractic Coaching, rosen coaching, Success, wellness chiropractic practice management

In any profession or sport, there are those who play safe within the boundaries of what is ‘known’ and what is ‘possible’.  And then there are those who are out there, close to the edge, innovating and creating what is possible, doing what has never been done before. Or doing it differently than it’s ever been done before.

In mountaineering, being the first to climb a mountain is deemed a First Ascent. The climber pushes their skill on the unknown route, charting the way as they go. The danger is high, and the glory is high. And it is what evolves the sport. As soon as one person climbs it, it opens up a whole new realm of possibility for other climbers.

In surfing, there are those who surf the known spots. And there are those who explore and test what most deem ‘impossible’.  I prefer warm water surf myself, but this is a beautiful short film about pushing the limits of surfing.

At Rosen Coaching, we interact with many different types of people who are chiropractors.  Are you going to be a chiropractor who is evolving our profession? Or one who plays it safe with what you’ve always done?

My question is, “What are you going to do this year to better yourself as a chiropractor?”

Here is our Top 10 Ways to Be A Better Chiropractor:

1. Lead by example.

2. Be in the best physical shape of your life! Eat, exercise and move how your body was designed to, daily! If you are not the epitome of health, how can you lead pepole to health and wellness?

3. Clear up any mental or emotional weights from your past. Get therapy, support, coaching, or whatever it takes to allow yourself to be present and free!

4. Clean up any relationships that aren’t 100% happy or healthy.  Be present and loving to your family. Spend time with those you love.

5. Strengthen your team at the practice. Create a strong vision that everyone supports. Design a powerful mission that you all work towards each and every day. Click here for a powerful presentation for you and your team!

6. Deepen your understanding of Chiropractic Philosophy. Pretend like you are getting a Ph. D. in Chiropractic Philosophy: read, write, and think critically. Our philosophy is the ‘why’ behind what we do.

7. Study the science of what it is that we do. Without a thorough understanding of neurology, physiology and anatomy fresh in your mind, how can you feel certain on what effects are created from an adjustment, let alone convey that to your patients or the public?

8. Master your art.  Do you love your technique? Do you get great results? If yes, than learn more of it.  What would take you to the next level in your skills? If you don’t, find a technique that resonates and you can immerse yourself in. Learn all that you can to clear nerve interference and help those in need in your community.  If you were a professional athlete or musician you would practice daily. You are a professional chiropractor, behave like one and practice your butt off!

9. Spend time learning how to communicate effectively.  All the knowledge, philosophy and skill does nothing unless you can share your message in a way that people can hear it. Learn to communicate in a way that is congruent with our philosophy and healing. And in a way that empowers rather than controls.  If you can share your message better, you can help more people, guaranteed!

10. Develop your certainty.  Increase your confidence.  Address any doubts, fears or demons so that you be clear on who you are and what you offer. Get your passion, motivation and excitement back for what this profession can do for the world.

If you dedicate yourself to being a better chiropractor by the end of 2011, tackle each of these things and work diligently on them, you will be!  Train like a professional at your craft. Play like you mean it. It’s your life, what are you waiting for? It’s time to help the masses!

Tags: Chiropractic Coach, Chiropractic Practice Success, communication, first ascent, Leadership, pushing limits, Rosen Chiropractic Coaching, rosen coaching, Success, True Wellness Model

I’d taken a little writing hiatus over this last month of summer ~ but this is an important concept I have been working with our Rosen Chiropractic Coaching client’s lately as it seems to be a recurring theme.  So I wanted to share!

It is important to pre-frame some important things during our initial conversations with new people to avoid pitfalls down the road and have clear expectations about chiropractic care.

For example, after someone receives their first adjustment, it is important that you outline the different outcomes that may occur (and we don’t know how they will respond). It’s what I like to call “Door #1, Door #2, and Door #3″:

Door #1: They may feel better (a lot better)!

The pitfall is that once they feel better, they think they ARE better! We need to pre-frame this thought process by letting them know that symptoms are the last thing to appear and the first thing to go away. Just like the tip of an iceberg slipping below the surface, the symptom is gone, but the underlying pattern and what caused the symptom has not yet been addressed.

Door #2: They may not feel much change (if any)

The pitfall here is that they could be disappointed in you or your care.  Without pre-framing this, they may think that chiropractic doesn’t ‘work’ and not come back. I like the analogy of taking a vitamin for the first time to help explain and pre-frame this one – you may not feel anything right away.  There are lots of cellular changes happening but nothing perceivable as of yet.  So let them know not to be disappointed if this option occurs for them.

Door #3: They may feel worse

Eek!  The pitfall is they might think you’ve made it worse, or caused it to worsen. Without pre-framing this one, you may never get a chance to have a second conversation!  So you need to let them know that although rare, just like after exercise, that the body might have some soreness afterwards.  And because the adjustment clears interference from the nerve system, the body will be functioning better than before.  It could even have cleansing symptoms that don’t feel good, but are a sign the body is working better!

In essence, pre-framing does a few things:

1. Avoids major pitfalls or crisis conversations down the road and gives a foundation to build on for future conversations during daily interactions

2. Helps stretch their consciousness and understanding about chiropractic care and their body’s intelligence by planting good seeds

3. Improves your level of influence and leadership

Tags: communication, Leadership, Pitfalls, Pre-Frame, Rosen Chiropractic Coaching

At Rosen Coaching, we speak with chiropractors around the world, day in and day out, about how to improve their communication so that people ‘get’ the chiropractic message.  Initially this concept arose out of a conversation with one of my doctors who was working on the ‘Whole Story‘, one of the most powerful parts of our visit 1 and visit 2. But it’s become a theme as of late and I’ve distilled three important pillars of communication that I’d like to share with you.  They are, what I have been calling, the 3 C’s of communication:

1. Clear

2. Concise

3. Concrete

None of this is going to appear like rocket science, but it’s important to look at each one closely and realize the bigness of small things.

If we are going to convey or transmit communication, it is essential that it is clear. We need to be 100% clear on what we are trying to accomplish, what we want to say, and be sure we articulate it with clarity. No fair having a communication subluxation when you’re trying to transmit your message!

Next we need to be sure it is concise.  If a Ph.D in biochemistry was trying to explain a concept to you, it is important that he doesn’t go into a 30 minute monologue about many different aspects of biochem. It is essential that he  keep it not only clear (so that you can follow), but also concise (so that your brain does not go into overwhelm).  Many chiropractors, when I ask them to tell me what they can offer, they give me a 30 minute lay lecture, sidetracking with research, vaccinations, health care stats etc.  We need to keep it concise, especially if we are going to ask them to repeat back to you what they understand so far!  Set them up to succeed, not to fail.

Lastly, but not least importantly, is making our communication concrete.  This means making it real for people! It is not to your benefit to use big latin words and appear ‘smart’ to the patient, at the expense of  not being able to articulate or understand what you are talking about.  It is to your benefit to use concrete examples and real world analogies, so that they can understand and share their new understanding with others. Chiropractic itself is an abstract concept, so let’s help them understand a paradigm shift by integrating new concepts within their current framework of how the world works.  For example, a great analogy to describe a subluxation is ‘static on a cell phone’.  Everyone has experienced this, or could at least imagine it.  So I challenge you to use real, concrete analogies at every step of your communications.

If you have any questions about the 3 C’s of communication, please comment below or join our global community on Facebook where we are happy to answer any and all of your questions!

Tags: Chiropractic Coach, Chiropractic Coaching, Chiropractic Consultant, Chiropractic Practice Success, communication, Leadership, Rosen Chiropractic Coaching, rosen coaching

Can a famous rock star perform the best show to his fans without the support of his road crew and managers?  Imagine if a rock star had to lug and set up his own equipment, do all the sound checks and then expected to perform at a high level and give his fans 100% of his creativity, music and performance.  Seems unrealistic, doesn’t it?

Well, that’s what most chiropractors do!  As a chiropractic coach I see it day in and day out.  They do all the details of running the office, cleaning it, micromanaging their team and then wonder why their practice isn’t at the level they’d like it to be! Like it or not, as a chiropractor you have to have a strong team to support you, ones you can rely on to do everything that isn’t what only you can do: serve people through the chiropractic adjustment.  We need roadies (our team) to have all the details handled, AND we need to trust that they will!

Many chiropractors I speak with don’t have any structured team training or team management, past the initial hiring.  We need to be creating an environment, AND leading by example, of always refining and striving to be better at every interaction with a patient.  Ongoing training and continuous learning is the key to having a Dream Team you can rely on.  Next is outlining performance expectations and creating weekly action plans to take performance to the next level and reviewed at a weekly staff meeting.

Lastly, ask yourself, “Do I really want a Dream Team”?  If so, we need to understand our team’s behavioral style and values and motivate them in an appropriate way!  Bonuses and rewards are key to having a team be on board to growing a practice.  Why?  Well, let me ask you…”Would you want to work twice as hard for the same pay”?

It’s time to get the right people in place, to get them well trained, to get them motivated to serve more people in your community.  We want your team to help you grow your practice so that you can really have a Dream Team and serve the masses. You are the rock star, they are the roadies.  I would argue that the roadies are more important than the rock star in the grand scheme of things, and it’s important that they know this!

At Rosen Coaching we are dedicated to chiropractors leading true health care and the wellness revolution.  If you want to THRIVE in a TRUE Wellness Practice, we’d love to see if we can help!

Tags: Chiropractic Coach, Chiropractic Consultant, Dream Team, Health Care, Rock Stars, Rosen Chiropractic Coaching, Success, Team Management, Training, True Wellness Practice