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A little fear can be a good thing
A small village by the sea depended on fishing to survive. Each year the boats they sent out had to go farther and farther from shore to catch enough fish to feed all the villagers. But as they ventured farther away, they encountered a problem. Their usual practice was to put the fish they caught…
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The Starting Points for Change – Education and Cultural Adjustment
Most people working in community pharmacies recognise that there is a need to change. But the change needed is so broad that the starting point remains hidden. What needs to be changed? How do we achieve change? And how do we go about it? The essential starting point is a progressive change in culture and…
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Get to the root of your problems
A rancher left 17 horses as a bequest for his three children. When the rancher passed away, his children opened his will. The will stated that the eldest child should get half of his 17 horses. The middle child should get one-third of the 17 horses. The youngest child should be given one-ninth of the…
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Throw The Map Away And Just Use The Compass
One of my hobbies is genealogy and I find it deeply satisfying when I can apply some areas of this discipline to my professional activities. For example, the origin of surnames for when I am involved in a formal interview, I will often use the patient’s surname as a conversation starter by asking the patient…
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Creativity and Innovation – In Pharmacy, both may need an injection
Creativity and innovation are terms constantly used in the world of business, but what do they really mean in that context? The dictionary defines creativity as: “the ability to transcend traditional ideas, rules, patterns, relationships, or the like, and to create meaningful new ideas, forms, methods, interpretations, etc.; originality, progressiveness, or imagination” For an actual example of creativity I turned to Seth Godin, and he did not fail me. “One of my favorite triumphs of all time happened…
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Blue Ocean Strategy – It Fits a New Pharmacy Model
Pharmacists have described the community pharmacy environment for as long as I can remember, as being restrictive and confined, no matter the physical size of the pharmacy. They call it the “four-wall syndrome” and it is, in fact, a form of depression. The one thing that characterises the profession overall is that there is little…
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You can’t win if your head is not in the game
The late Yogi Berra was playing in the minor leagues for the Newark Bears before joining the New York Yankees for his Hall-of-Fame career. His manager told him not to swing at balls out of the strike zone. The manager said, “Yogi, next time you’re up, think about what you’re doing.” Yogi said, “I struck…
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How to thrive and not choke in pressure situations
Last spring I was playing a great game of golf. I stood on the 18th tee, and with a birdie on the par 5 final hole, I would shoot an even par 72. I pulled out my driver one last time. Having hit 13 good drives in a row, I was super excited about telling…
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Marketing Focus – Essays in Management & Marketing
1. “We are family”. Three small words. But not a three-word slogan. Collectively, they represent a force of nature in society and business. The importance and power of the phrase were brought home to me at a nephew’s 50thbirthday party. He shared with his guests that he and I had had a counselling session when…
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Increase Your Employability – Build a Personal Brand Through IT & Social Media
Increasingly, it is becoming more difficult for pharmacies to employ a range of pharmacists. It is simply because of the diminishing money supply in the system. This comes about because of the commoditisation of the PBS and the lack of courage by all pharmacy leaders to develop systems and services that are not government funded…