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S P E C I A L E D I T I O N 2 0 1 5 • O P T O M E T R I C M A N A G E M E N T . C O M 47 M Y THOUGHTS on Band-Aid removal mimic my response to making innova- tive changes in your practice. You know it's going to hurt. Because of that, you con- template ways to reduce the pain — all the while delaying the in- evitable. Te fact is, it's going to hurt whether you do it quickly or slowly. Why delay the inevitable? Rip it of quickly and move on! MOVING FORWARD Now that the Band-Aid is of, let's talk about innovation in your practice. It's a given that in- novation is all around us, so I'll spare you the stats and clichés. Instead, I'll talk about what's more important: How making faster innovative changes in your practice vs. making small, incre- mental changes, helps your prac- tice's bottom line. Tere's more to innovation than "bigger, faster, better, cheaper." Te reason to quickly rip of that Band- Aid is simple: Doing it slowly is read- ily seen by your patients, who will endure the pain alongside you. Your patients don't hear about new innovative products incrementally. Tey see them launched as "new" on TV and the Internet. New products aren't slowly dribbled into your pa- tients' psyche. Tey hear about them from friends in one complete en- counter — not throughout time. Of- fering new products slowly, and tak- ing a "wait and see" attitude is totally out of step with your patients' reality and puts your practice on the wrong side of genuine innovators. BREAKING OLD HABITS Te tendency for optometrists to innovate via small, measured, titrat- ed steps is logical and understand- able when viewed historically. We, as O.D.s, are trained to think and practice that way: Examine a patient and collect data. Treating minimally for maximal efect is a tenet of years of science and training. Making "fell swoop" changes with innovative products goes against our DNA. Yet, to survive we must acknowl- edge business Darwinism and not think in terms of being the strongest, but rather the most adaptable. And in this case, as others around us adapt quickly, we must do the same. AN EXAMPLE Here's an example: Multifocal contact lens X is introduced to you as, "Finally, a lens that really does work for presbyopia!" Your response, based on hearing that at least 100 times before is, "In order to save the aggravation of having to take in a ftting set, learn how to ft the lens and, ultimately, disappoint a lot of patients, I'll wait. I'll wait until I hear that the lens is/isn't working from colleagues. Let them go frst." In this instance, the Band-Aid is being ripped of slowly. Please recognize that even if you DO choose to wait, the acid test of the success of this lens will NOT be what you hear from colleagues, read in a journal or hear from a podium. YOU are your own ba- rometer of success, and only YOU will determine if this new lens is successful when you fnally de- cide to try it. Terefore, there really is little advantage in waiting, as you are the fnal arbiter of success anyway. Te gains of waiting are minimal compared with the potential to grow your practice and help your patients — and be an innovator. RIP IT OFF With that said, I can attest that innovative changes in your ofce rarely carry the pain of removing Band-Aids and usually, no pain at all. So go ahead, rip it of — now! OM GARY GERBER, O.D. is the president of the Power Practice, a company specializing in making optometrists more proft- able. Learn more at www.powerpractice.com, or call Dr. Gerber at (888) 356-4447. RIPPING OFF A BAND-AID MAKING FASTER INNOVATIVE CHANGES IN YOUR PRACTICE HELPS YOUR BOTTOM LINE BUSINESS BUSINESS STRATEGIES