Can do vs. Can’t do

As much as you can make broad generalisations, I’ve found most people fit into one of two categories.

Those who think of new ideas and give things a go and those who can find seven reasons why we should not try a new idea.

You can see it in team meetings:

“How about we try doing X?”
”No you can’t do that because…”

I’ve an (older) friend who had a state-of-the-art practice in the mid 1980s. It really was something to behold. We were in awe.

But since then they haven’t moved with the times. Now, nearly 40 years later the practice looks like a museum and the financial performance is pretty poor.

They got too comfortable. The dentist stopped innovating. The new ideas stopped flowing.

And, you can’t stay still. If you are not moving forward then you will go backward.

In my practice we used to have meetings where people were encouraged to throw out ideas. Nothing was off the table and we agreed that there was no such thing as a stupid idea.

If you go in with that attitude, pretty much any idea can be made to work.

The other nice thing about trying new ideas is that it keeps practice fresh and exciting.

How long since you tried out something new in your practice?