HONOR, by Dr. Ogi Ressel

Friday, January 16th 2009

Warm hellos to everyone,
Honour.  Now there is a concept!

I don't think there is a higher bar to living your life than maintaining
your honor and integrity.  To a patient in your community, your word
means everything.  When you give your word, your community should
know that you stand by it! Honor means your patients and community
trust you! And when people trust you, you are going to see their
children - tons of them! This is the fastest route to the Practice of
your Dreams.

"Old outdated values," you think? Think again. As a society, we are
moving back to some old world values - values that were so important,
people died and were jailed for maintaining them not that long ago.
These values meant and stood for something. 

And as we move forward ever faster in our technological advance,
more and more people are beginning to embrace the family values
that were instilled in them from childhood - values such as honesty,
integrity, truthfulness, and honor. Yes, honor!

For example, the concept of the written contract is fairly new.
Most people on the planet still use their word of honor as a guarantee.
Your patients and business friends should be able to count on you
unconditionally in that same manner. Period.

When you give your word, it should stand for something - no matter what happens.

You need to remember that we, as a profession, are in a service industry.
This means that our patients needs come first. Your behaviour, your
purpose, and your honor reflect Chiropractic.

It is a sacred trust. Please guard it with your word.

Contrast this higher calling with the games some doctors are taught to
play with their public trust by some unscrupulous practice management seminars:

How do glibby, fear-invoking phrases such as telling a patient that
"It's worse than I thought" figure into this picture of honor? Or, "...your spine
is rotting, your bones are fusing....." and the patient is in her early 20's, fit
into the picture of honor?

Or, "I need to see you right now - this can't wait," or playing the "Yet game" -
asking a patient if they noticed this symptom yet, or noticed this other problem yet?  

And some seminars are very clever - they disguise their cheap tactics in
the name of Christ - makes it all Ok. Right!

Are these examples of honor? Or examples of desperation?
Are these the traits of a wonderful doctor, or one who is needy?
You decide.

You see.....I'd like all of you to practice from the perspective that your
patients need you, you do not need them - you are not needy. I like that!

It's true - these techniques work on people because they evoke a sense
of urgency and fear in the patient - and those are powerful motivators.
But is there honor in these?
Would you like to be handled in that same manner by an unscrupulous
brain surgeon who just told you that you need brain surgery immediately,
or else? I think not!
The problem I have with this approach is that it is solely based on fear.
Yes - fear of the unknown. This approach preys of the fact that patients
are not clinically educated so it is easy to scare them into accepting and
signing up for care. Place yourself in the shoes of a patient - would you
respect a doctor if he ever said something similar to you?

Using these phrases to get a patient to sign up with you is the same as
 psychological abuse - not well tolerated by your community.

Listen.....We all know that good news travel slowly and bad news are like
lightening - they strike fast.

Using fear-based marketing is the fastest way to kill your practice that I know.
It may work initially but your office soon begets a certain reputation and your
credibility becomes irreparably damaged.  The name "HUSTLER" comes to
mind - I embarrassed to say that I've met a few - and they call themselves
chiropractors.

I think you'll agree with me that women, moms in particular, are more
 intuitive than men and the transparency of these doctors and their approach
is readily seen by them. Do you think you'll ever see their children or family
in your office? Hell would freeze over first.

Listen...when you tell the truth, you never need to remember what you've said.
And Truth has that certain ring to it that never needs to be explained, or justified,
or rationalized.
It just is! It reaches down to the very recesses of the Soul and people innately
and instantly know when you speak Truth. If you don't, you need to spin
elaborate tales that need to sound plausible to the average Earthling - a
tough thing to do.

Honour.
It cannot be replaced.
It should be your highest calling.

Warmest wishes,
Dr. Ogi Ressel