Owner Burnout

Build a Practice That Doesn’t Take Everything You’ve Got

You built your practice to help children and families.

You didn’t build it so every question, problem, decision and mini-emergency could find its way back to you.

But somehow, there you are.

Treating. Managing. Hiring. Fixing. Following up. (Stopping at Costco to buy toilet paper.)

And even when you leave the office, the practice comes home with you.

Your body may be on the couch.

Your brain is still at work.

Burnout Doesn’t Always Look Like a Breakdown

Sometimes burnout looks like:

Dreading Monday before Sunday is over
Feeling your blood pressure rise when someone says, “Do you have a minute?”
Working all day and still feeling behind
Putting off decisions because your brain is toast
Canceling your plans because something came up—again
Wondering how much longer you can keep doing this

You may still be holding everything together.

That doesn’t mean you’re okay.

You Were Never Meant to Carry the Whole Practice

The staff brings you routine questions.

Managers wait for your approval.

Projects sit until you get involved.

Problems make a full lap around the building and land right back in your lap.

Then there’s the money.

Payroll is due. Reimbursements are shrinking. Expenses keep climbing. You’re wondering whether there’ll be enough left to pay yourself—or sometimes whether there’ll be enough, period.

And because you care about the kiddos, the families and your team, you keep carrying all of it.

But there’s only so much one person can hold before something gives.

Usually, it’s the owner.

Doing It Yourself Keeps You Stuck

When you’re tired and short on time, doing it yourself can feel faster.

So, you fix the schedule. Call the family. Correct the mistake. Finish the project. Handle the employee problem.

You may solve today’s issue, but you also teach the practice to keep depending on you tomorrow.

The answer isn’t to become faster at doing everything.

It’s to build a practice where more gets handled correctly without you jumping in every five minutes.

The Practice Needs Better SOPs—Not More of You

Burnout isn’t always a time-management problem.

Sometimes the real problem is that the practice isn’t set up to function without your constant involvement.

That may mean:

Jobs aren’t clearly defined
Managers were promoted but never taught how to manage
Routine decisions keep coming back to you
Work gets assigned but not followed through on
Inefficient systems create extra work
Too much information lives in your head
Important plans get buried by the crisis of the day

You may not need to become more organized.

The practice needs to become better organized around you with management SOPs that do the work for you.

Why Are You Always Last on the List?

Pediatric practice owners have very big hearts.

You care about the kiddos, the families and your team.

But caring doesn’t mean giving the business every ounce of your time, energy and sanity.

You should be able to take a day off without wondering what’s falling apart.

You should be able to go home without dragging the whole practice behind you.

Your life counts, too.

We Find Out What’s Wearing You Down

Owner burnout is typically caused by a combination of things wearing you down.

It may be poor organization, no management SOPs, inefficient staff, constant interruptions or too much work that should no longer be yours.

That’s why we don’t hand you a canned checklist and say, “Try yoga.”

We look at what’s really happening inside your practice.

We find out why so much keeps coming back to you, where the work is breaking down and what needs to change so you’re not carrying the whole ball of wax.

Depending on what we uncover, the right help may include:

Management and efficiency coaching
Leadership development
Practice organization and planning
Customized Accountability Coaching

What we recommend is customized because the problem is customized.

We Help You Get Your Life Back

The goal isn’t to make you a better juggler.

It’s to stop throwing so many balls at you. We help you:

Clarify who should be doing what
Train managers to handle more
Reduce unnecessary questions and interruptions
Improve staff productivity
Put practical SOPs in place
Stop the same problems from coming back
Build a practice that doesn’t depend on you for every little thing