I’m sitting in the Red Carpet Club at ORD (that’s O’Hare airport in Chicago for those of you who don’t know every major airport by its three letter moniker) and, since it’s a Sunday, I’m sharing the room with an eclectic bunch. I’m just flying home from a speaking engagement with an orthodontic study club followed by a weekend in the city with my wife.
In many ways it’s a normal Sunday afternoon. I’m thinking about brochure copy that needs to be written, client websites that need tweaking, the Dental ED meeting we held last week featuring Dr. Peter Dawson and the web project for Charlene White that I started working on last week when I was sitting in this very airport club (yes – I spent some time at ORD last week as well.) But today I’m aware that there’s more – – – it’s December 13th and I’m just beginning to think about the upcoming Christmas holiday followed by the end of a very interesting year.
Admittedly, all too often at this time of year I find myself looking forward to the coming year – looking forward to the end of the current year and reflecting on what I’d like to do differently with the next turn of the calendar. I think it’s important to pause and evaluate what you do and how you do it on a regular basis – and this time of year always seems to bring that moment to the fore. Are you in that same place?
For me, this Christmas marks the 11th anniversary of life without my father, the 10th anniversary of my business focus on orthodontics and the 5th anniversary of the end of my avocation as a musician. Don’t get me wrong – I’m still a musician, still handle accounts outside the dental profession and still talk to my dad from time to time (he just doesn’t talk back.) As I reflect back on this first decade of the new millennium I miss my dad, miss the way my boys used to run to the front door screaming “Dad’s home!!!!” and smothering me with hugs and wish I had more time to play my guitar. But the fact is, my Dad’s in a better place and my kids are grown and would knock me over if they all tried to hug me at the same time (note to boys – it would be totally worth it:-)
There are lots of ways to measure success but I think the most important measure is not found on your financial balance sheet. That one is a given. But if success is about always improving, always getting better, the most informative way to learn from experience includes listening to others – specifically, your family, your staff/coworkers and, last but not least, your customers.
I’m going to take some time this coming week to speak to each of those groups. I already know some of things I’ll hear, but I imagine I’ll learn some new things as well – the kinds of things that inform good decision-making. I’ll let you know how it goes. Hope you’ll do the same.