I am a fan of checklists and follow-ups using intrinsic validation as a strategy. self-esteem often goes down. As an alternative way, in helping transformation and growth, identify the specific problem and have the person compare themselves to their checklist and self-rank in comparison to the masterful performance they’d devel-oped. Ask these questions to gain insight: What am I learning about myself? • • How could I have handled this differently? What would work better for me? • What do I need to accomplish this? • What is my plan as a go forward? • If we are really interested in their self-awareness and taking responsibility, any question we have should get them thinking of ways to solve the issue without us necessarily solving it for them. If they are stuck, then and only then do we jump in and offer a solution that begins with, “May I make a suggestion?” or “What if you were able to…?” Second challenge: “If I delegate something, what if I’m left out of the loop?” I was scared that something would happen and I wouldn’t know about it so I micromanaged my team. Then I got frustrated when every detail was reported to me and I was back to telling everyone how to solve problems. I felt like I couldn’t win. However, I realized I’d created the environ-ment for these behaviours to occur and they did not have to be mutually exclusive. Find the harmonious point of checking in on a regular basis, but do so in an overarching way. Have them provide brief summaries to account to you on a set schedule and help them to provide solutions to what’s arisen if they’re stuck. Have a checklist of absolute “must tell me “ items. Initially, it’s difficult to let go, but in doing so, it provides you freedom. Third challenge: “They won’t do it the right way.” This essentially means, “They won’t do it my way.” As much as I’m really good at what I do, I’ve learned that not everyone else has to or should do it the same way as I do. That was a hard pill to swallow. People have different approaches to how a task is done, and as long as the per-formance indicators are reached in a standard that you’ve set, let them self-express. Being open to new approaches and letting them try it on creates interest and connection for them to deliver their best. Keeping abreast of quality control through checklists, staff training, performance evaluations, and them knowing the overall vision for the practice are connection points for following up. While addressing this with staff, the same goes for pa-tients. Consider the old model of “me-doctor-you-patient” www.canadianchiropractor.ca or “I’ll tell, you listen and do.” With this method, our pa-tients rarely transform their lives. It stifles their creativity, personal growth and robs them of their responsibility in the process of taking charge of their own health. If we ask patients more generative questions first, they too can begin to transform. Get to the deep probing ques-tions because many times we help them gain clarity. What do you want and why? • Did something or has something in your life con-• tributed to this current challenge? What do you feel needs to change? • When do you want to do something about this? • Then we can begin to follow up with their chiropractic care, and more importantly self-care, and help them move through this into something better. A simple statement on transcending and transforming where we currently are by changing our perspective in this moment was well stated by holocaust survivor, Victor Frankl: “We can discover this meaning in life three differ-ent ways: by creating a work or doing a deed; by experi-encing something or encountering someone; by the attitude we take toward unavoidable suffering and that everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedom – to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances.” September 2014 Canadian Chiropractor 37
Chiropractic + Naturopathic Doctor September 2014: Page 37
