Archive for the 'Special People/Special Occasions' Category

Mar 20 2014

MOVING – ONWARD AND UPWARD!

“Got here safe & sound, Y’all!”

 

AND STILL UNPACKING AND SETTING UP NEW OFFICES . . .

GUESS WHERE?????  Email your guess: Hal@Businessworks.US  (“New Office” in Subject Line) Winning guesses entered in drawing for a FREE first edition signed copy of HIGH TIDE fictionalized account of America’s biggest drug deal! See www.HighTideNow.com

Thank you for your visit.

If you’re new to this blog, please mark your calendar to return on April 16th for the beginning of Tax Return Recovery, and to help kickoff an exciting new series of posts you won’t find anywhere else!

If you’ve been visiting here regularly since the birth of my blog in April, 2008 (and now closing in on 1500 posts), thank you even extra!

You, especially, will want to return April 16th to see what’s in store for innovative, spirited business and healthcare professionals. You’ll get  proven new ways of thinking to boost your sales and make the most of your leadership skills — for profit and nonprofit businesses and professions alike. You’ll get coaching that works in the office and meeting room, on the phone and on paper, on the smartphone and the computer. You will get specific how-tos for building and enhancing your leadership posture in your industry, your marketplace, and your community.

When you return here April 16th, you will get the beginning of an input stream that no one else dares to share . . . on ways to feel better about your SELF (no product or service sales pitches, no lectures, no gimmicks). You’ll get ways to be encouraged, ways to make a difference with your career and family pursuits, ways to rise above the clutter.

You’ll get solid substance based on more years of experience than you probably are old. Not just passive observations, you’ll get frontline/hands-on experience with over 2,000 business consulting and return engagements AND with more than 20,000 students and management training participants. PLUS –as incredible as it’s always been–it will be free on this blog. Try it. You’ll like it. Send your friends.

In the meantime, to better serve our Entrepreneurial Clients (Including Business Startups, SalesPropreneurs©, Doctorpreneurs© and Corporate Entrepreneurs©), BUSINESSWORKS.US and TheWriterWorks.com, LLC will be in the process of relocating to another State. You’ll get the details as soon as we’re settled. In the meantime, Happy Spring!

See you the day after taxes!!!

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Hal@Businessworks.US

Open  Minds  Open  Doors

Make today a GREAT day for someone!

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Dec 18 2013

Christmastime Business

Watch where you’re going,

 

but think about

 

where you are.

                                                                                                                                                                          

I watched a blind man’s yellow Lab thread his master through the parking lot and into the giant retail outlet, through electronic doors and deftly around an oblivious woman who appeared cast in stone, at one with her shopping cart … surely not about to move.

The man and his companion worked their way around obstacles, displays, counters, other shoppers. They passed so briskly and so seemingly self-assured that only a few passerby even noticed just one pair of color-blind canine eyes leading three pair of legs.

But we did. And in a mere matter of seconds after the man’s best friend and the man were devoured by store traffic, my mind snapped to attention from its visual tracking trance and realized we had been witness to a man with no eyes. Mine began to fill with tears. Maybe it was being sad for him, or grateful for me, or simply the season, but …

All my weaknesses, complaints and woes went quickly off into space as I closed my eyes and considered for just a moment what my life would be like without ever or ever again seeing a crepe myrtle in full bloom, the ocean, a blue heron following with its body its spindly silent legs as it creeps along the shore, a laughing toddler, deep woods, a frolicking litter of puppies, snow-topped mountains, my family, a book, works of art, lightening, swooping seagulls, my toothbrush, a roaring fireplace, faces, a Christmas tree…

Who could possibly want a Christmas present who has full use of vision after seeing someone who does not?

So, I am left to conclude

that Christmas is truly not

about either giving or receiving.

                                                                              

Christmas is instead about consciousness-raising, celebration, self-renewal, and setting out once again on our annual trek to make the most of what we do already have, to better ourselves and the lives of those around us.

Christmas is a gentle wake-up call to remember we are here to make a difference on this planet, one day at a time, to focus on making what’s possible happen. Christmas is a time for melancholy, yes, but also for introspection. We remember that we have within each of us the ability to choose the pathways that make existence on Earth as worthy as what lives in the riches of our souls.

Here’s what I’ve learned (often the hard way, mind you) so here’s what I have to share: In both business and in life, watch where you’re going, but always think about where you are. Be grateful for all that is yours, and continue your work to grow your business so you can help others from a position of strength … because the greatest gift of all is love wrapped up in charity.

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God Bless You One And All

And Merry Christmas To You!

 

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Hal@Businessworks.US   931-854-0474

Open  Minds  Open  Doors

Make today a GREAT day for someone!

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Nov 19 2013

In the Sprit of Thanking . . .

THANK YOU, “BREEZY”! [Hal’s 3 year-old Cavachon]

Hal & Breezy IMAG6266-1

THANK YOU Friends, Family,

Readers, Followers, Connections, 

. . . and Kathy, I’ll miss you forever.

 

SPECIAL THANK YOUs to Jonena,

Valerie & Pegi for all the positives

each of you have brought to my life!

And Thank You, Dear Readers, For These

WONDERFUL Book Reviews:

This is blog post number 1,181 and many of you have been with me since day one (April 24, 2008). I am so grateful to each of you! The AMAZON book reviews that follow (for my just-released first novel) are awesome, and I thank each of you as well. Please urge others to read and review, to join you on this list! There cannot be too many favorable reviews on the best-seller path!

I am staggered by the kind and exciting comments about my book, and by the generosity of your time and effort. I consider myself blessed. In the spirit of this season of giving thanks, I am truly appreciative.

For those who haven’t seen the reviews, here are a few:

 

AMAZON High Tide Reader Reviews

 

*****

By Dan Duffy (Massachusetts)

“An engaging mystery story set at the Jersey Shore. Enjoyed everything about High Tide…The Jersey Shore setting was quite realistic and engaged me throughout the story. I also enjoyed how Hal incorporated the story within a college environment. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book like it.”

*****

By Patrat

“VERY Exciting! Great read! Kept me in suspense the whole time. Sorry to see the story end. I am anxiously awaiting Mr. Alpiar’s next book.”

****

By Marie A Drayer (Maryland)

“YOU’LL BE HOOKED! As soon as you begin to read HIGH TIDE, you’ll be hooked! The characters really come to life as the fast-paced mystery unfolds. This is a great read!” 

*****

By Beverly Marsh (New Jersey)

“Jersey Shore Whodunit! Couldn’t ask for a better plot and humor (always a key). ! Can’t wait for the sequel with the Professor, Hal!”

*****

By Kelly Trombino (California)

Loved High Tide! Brought me right back to the early 80s. Professor Rick was a hoot. Loved the romance and the intrigue with the drug dealers. Wasn’t sure how he was going to get out of this mess with those Jersey bad guys.”

*****

By Suresh Kodlikar(Delaware)

“Just finished reading High Tide. The book is absolutely amazing! It deserves to go on New York’s Best Seller list! You have done a terrific job of researching the topics, maintaining suspense and presenting it in an enviable style of writing. We are proud to have such an accomplished writer in our midst! I am already looking forward to the sequel!”

****

By Jo (California)

“High Tide is a riveting story that took me back to my college days where professors looked more like their students and engaged their students like Professor Rick Maddigan, the main character. I was pulled into the story from page one and couldn’t put the book down. With just his first novel, Alpiar showed us his successful transition from writing non-fiction to fiction.” 

*****

By Jim Hall (Delaware)

“Hal’s ability to sketch characters and scenes is outstanding. The book grabbed me from the start and wouldn’t let go until I finished it. Great writing job! And Windy’s Mom thanks you for the exciting diversion into the professor’s life while she was recuperating from her knee surgery. It was wonderful (:”

****

By Sara G. Kraft (Delaware)

“Just finished High Tide and enjoyed it. I had a slow start but plowed through the ending with all kinds of excitement on the edge of my seat – Loved it!”

*****

By Jim Jordan (New Jersey)

“HIGH TIDE appeals to me for a number of reasons. It is about the area where I live, and it was fascinating to see the story unfolding in the NJ marshes of Little Egg Harbor. The Author raises the level of suspense with each drug deal and manages to discreetly work in some tasteful and amusing sexual fun. He skillfully outlines Professor Maddigan’s relationships and the “smoking faze” of that era. I enjoyed the plot and writing style. Both are outstanding. Hal is a wonderful storyteller and an excellent researcher. I wish him continued success with his future adventures.”

*****

By Susan (Delaware)

“Love the Shore, Loved the book! If you like exciting stories and have memories of your favorite beach town, this book is for you. The characters are colorful and stay with you long after the last page is turned. You’ll be asking for the next installment to come soon…as I did.” 

*****

By M Slosberg (New York City)

“THE HIGHEST OF TIDES. Mr. Alpiar has the ability to pull his reader much as a rip-tide drags a swimmer. I may have lost a night of sleep finishing HIGH TIDE, but I gained HIGH REGARD for a powerful new novelist.”

*****

By Bob Wainwright (New Jersey)

“High Tide is spirited adventure and a real page-turner. This story is a throwback to the Jersey Shore –in the easy living 80’s– when life was experienced by doing things, not just keyboarding them.  A brilliant, blackmailed, pot-smoking professor, soulless gangsters, and an adoring student lover make for an exciting mix in this high seas adventure.  Definitely a must-read book!”

*****

By Bo and Lois Wood (Delaware)

“We are both from the Jersey Shore & this book took us back to our roots. We love the action & story line. Great Book!”

*****

By King of La De Dah (Maryland)

“HIGH TIDE is a fast-paced action-filled adventure with interesting characters, unique plot twists, and tongue-in-cheek humor, all wrapped around a “down the shore” love story. With unique turns of phrase and word play liberally sprinkled throughout, Mr. Alpiar has provided his readers with a rollicking journey that is not only fun and stimulating…it is also a book that is virtually impossible to put down. I just had to see what happened next! Mr. Alpiar is a true talent, and I am eager to get my hands on his next effort. I HIGHly recommend the TIDE.”

*****

By Tennant Barron (New Hampshire/Pennsylvania)

“If you’re looking for an intriguing, fast-paced, fact-based novel you’ll want to tell your friends about, HIGH TIDE is the book for you! It’s as gruesome as it is funny, as thought-provoking as it is flighty, and as romantic as it is mysterious. I’m definitely anxious for the sequel!”

*****

By Donna M. Powell (Maryland)

“Great read! There is suspense, humor, love, and wit in this book. I found it hard to put down. I can’t wait for the next book or even a sequel to see what Madigan will be up to next.”

****

By Kathy Mcnulty “Kathy M” (Delaware)

“Mr. Alpiar turned the fascinating events of his real life experience into an intriguing story that is sure to keep you wanting more. The attention to detail provides a clear image of life in the 80’s on the Jersey shore.”

*****

By Robin Standlee (Florida)

“I rarely read novels because a good one will keep me from doing anything else. High Tide did that. It’s based on a true story which makes it even more intriguing.”

*****

By Linda Fleetwood (Delaware)

        “I HATE the author! This book kept me up until three in the morning. I couldn’t put it down. A great read!”

*****

By Ken Peach (Florida)

“High praise for HIGH TIDE! What a fun story, and I also got a lot out of Professor Maddigan’s classroom lessons. In fact, I have a bunch of pages turned down for reference . . . now, that doesn’t happen often when reading fiction! I eagerly await the sequel.”

 

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Hal@Businessworks.US

Open Minds Open Doors

   Make today a GREAT day for someone!

  God Bless You and Thank You for Your Visit!

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Nov 10 2013

Where Leadership Starts and Ends . . .

FACE SMASH

 

STOP thinking for a minute! STOP analyzing. STOP worrying. STOP strategizing. STOP getting to the bottom of things! It’s ridiculously easy to trip over our own feet the minute we lose touch with where we are. As soon as we start focusing on anything other than what’s right in front of us– where we want to be, for example (or worse, where we’ve already been), we run the risk of face smash!

Every great management leader, expert, book, course, and guru — and, for those with religious leanings, even the Bible– urges us to stay focused on HERE AND NOW as much of the time as possible. The minute we divert attention from that power saw or computer app or steering wheel we’re using, CHOP, CRACKLE, BOOM! Am I just imagining this? No, of course not. It’s reality.

Common sense, huh? But how many of us have the ability to exercise common sense once we’re absorbed with past or future issues which are not here, now, and are therefore actually make-believe? And how much of our “life is short” time gets wasted fantasizing? I’m not talking about dreaming. Every great leader makes time to be a dreamer, but great leaders stay in control. They use dreams.

So how what steps can we use to prevent many of those lost opportunities? How do great leaders keep from falling on their faces? There are as many answers to this as there are great leaders (and there are many!). But all the contortions aside, it seems to me that it all reduces itself to: What is your trigger p0int?

In other words, what happens to you physically when you spin off into the clouds or fly off the handle or back quietly out the side door? Your stomach growls, you get a stiff neck, feel edgy, jiggle a foot, play with a flash drive, get a headache, or backache, or crave something sweet? Each of us is different. But each of us has a trigger. Talk to yourself about it.

When each of us can identify our own individual, unique trigger point and become aware of it when it surfaces, we immediately put ourselves on the path toward advanced leadership driven by present moment happenings. That’s a GIANT step in the self-control arena. And, guess what? the more you tune in to your SELF and what makes you tick (especially if you’re in sales — and who isn’t?), the happier and healthier you can be — and you won’t need special vitamins or skin products or addictive behaviors to stoke your euphoric fires.

What’s to lose? Give it a try. Start here with this quick 4-STEP life-saver and then move ahead to taking SELF inventory. It’s not just about what’s good for what ails you. It’s about preventing ailments. It’s about doing a better job of being a leader. Oh, and it doesn’t even cost anything! Have a great awakening!

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Hal@Businessworks.US

Open Minds Open Doors

   Make today a GREAT day for someone!

  God Bless You and Thank You for Your Visit!

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Oct 20 2013

MEDICAL GROUP MANAGEMENT NOW!

Healthcare Management Problems

                                     

Go Far Beyond Technology Tangles

 

Thanks to what many doctors regard as excessive and medically-uninformed government intervention, excessive and medically-uninformed insurance company intrusion, and financially inept hospital consolidations, America’s private and hospital-based medical practices are suffering from excessive (and medically-unacknowledged) stress.

Doctors and Staffs find themselves having to be caught up with power-play control battles instead of with innovating and nurturing methodologies for improved case management and patient care. This is not a condemnation of medical technology advances by any means. It is in fact an endorsement for more tech exploration while simultaneously getting back to basics.

Positive stress enables healthcare managers to answer the wake-up call for effective practice management to realistically occur on two fronts at the same time. EMR and EHR systems and skills represent focal point one. Case management, patient care, and patient family care, focal point two.

But negative stress (or “dis-stress”) surfaces when one of these (like, for example, the current fad for dedicated insistence on “lean” healthcare) enslaves the other.

Relentless interruptions of non medically-trained government and insurance regulators who seek to satisfy their self-importance at the expense of doctor, staff, and patient stress levels, have the same effect as throwing gasoline on a fire.

Whether rulings require doctors to spend just 12 minutes per patient (likely headed toward 8 minutes!), or to conduct patient gun ownership surveys, the result is negative stress.

Negative stress feeds medical errors. It takes its toll on the lives of trained professionals and their families. Often, patients and patient families suffer needlessly because of mixed or contradictory signals lost in busy day-to-day clouds of smoke.

Even monster teaching hospitals, including the highest-rated in the country, fail miserably at basic communication skill levels. Doctors don’t talk with one another. They are too pressured to take the time to advocate on behalf of the very patients they serve.  And –worst of all– they fail to communicate with their patients and patient families meaningfully and consistently.

Practice Managers get the short end of the stick.

My best guess: Most Practice Managers end up absorbing 3/4 of all the stress generated by the madness of keeping Herculean time schedules, by catering to the administrative needs of the doctors they serve, by managing the daily barrage of staff, task and insurance management issues, and by having to deliver “customer service psychotherapy” to patients and families.

There are solutions, but they are not one-dimensional. Healthcare can never have universal value unless those charged as providers can have the freedom they need to function without constant government interference and insurance company strangleholds.

The first step to fixing a leak is to stop the leak. This means making extraordinary efforts to channel stress productively and to commit to implementing improved personal communications.  CHECK OUT  Medical Practice Managers

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Hal@Businessworks.US

Open Minds Open Doors

   Make today a GREAT day for someone!

  God Bless You and Thank You for Your Visit!

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Sep 02 2013

Leadership Talk

Yada, Yada, Yada,

                                                

 Blah, Blah, Blah…

 

Odds are that your best leadership response to other people’s yackity-yack is probably NOT:  yeah, yeah, yeah!

When someone who follows your lead is being busy saying nothing (hmmm, sound familiar?), try taking the person off to the side — or into a private setting — and explain that you want to share the value of some of what you’ve learned from successful sales leaders.

Start by noting that virtually EVERY exchange we have with others EVERY day –both on the job and off– constitutes an attempt to sell SOME thing.

Yes, “EVERY” and yes, “SOME.”

Think about it before jumping down my throat with some condemnation for using “ALL OR NOTHING” language. Before you throw exceptions at me, take a minute to dissect them. Odds are you’ll discover that at least one individual in every interaction has a mission to sell her or his self, or ideas, or products or services, or brands, or affections, or . . .

Here’s what the world’s most successful salespeople know and practice: LISTEN 80% of the time and TALK 20% of the time. Maybe not easy, but it IS simple. And it works! This behavior breeds success in all walks of life with all kinds of circumstances where we seek to make a sale or an impression or gain trust or show understanding.

By disciplining ourselves to listen more carefully to those we are charged with the responsibility to lead, and by being more selective and economical with what we have to say to others, we are also becoming more productive with time and energy spent.

When we can save time and energy by communicating more accurately and productively, we are getting a better handle on what others want and need and suggest, and we are saving on wasted time and energy costs and lost opportunities.

But don’t stop there!

Talking less and listening more does NOT mean talking less and HEARING more. Active listening is an acquired skill that involves open body language (no arms, legs, ankles, wrists, hands, fingers crossed and no peering over the top of your glasses), paraphrasing and asking for examples and diagrams, and nonverbal (e.g., head nodding) as well as verbal acknowledgements.

It means paying attention, staying focused, not allowing distractions. Easy stuff? No. Hardly ever is it easy. Active-listening communication is more work and it takes longer. Ah, but you simply can’t compare the success-level results you’ll get with the productivity (or lack of) that accompanies the typical 80% talking communications that surround our daily lives.

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Hal@BUSINESSWORKS.US  or comment below.

Thanks for visiting. Go for your goals! God Bless You!

Make today a GREAT Day for someone!

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Aug 23 2013

Leadership Priority

 

Your PEOPLE are your

                              

  most important asset.

   

 

Do you think your organization’s product or service inventories are the most valuable assets to protect and nurture? You may want to re-visit where you and your organization/business/professional practice/group/ department/team would be without those who comprise the entity that makes you a leader:  your followers, your people.

Failure to recognize this truism is at your own peril.

Often those who work for and with us can –by virtue of the choices they make– unwittingly draw us into the flames they ignite. And leaders often end up compounding issues that arise by adding more bad choices –like throwing gasoline onto the fire. Victims of circumstance? Rarely.

Victims of failure to nurture and challenge and publically reward and frequently appreciate and reassure is more like it. Laziness and slacking off is more like it. So too is getting too big for one’s leadership britches!

Leadership is a fulltime function and minimizing bad choices is job one.

When leaders fully appreciate and frequently celebrate the performances of those who follow, they are ensuring renewal and continuance of loyalty and perseverance. This is the stuff that has built empires and won wars. The world’s most successful leaders know that the single most important craving that human beings have is for recognition, reassurance, and trust.

Seeking recognition, reassurance and trust is the conscious or unconscious pursuit of practically all human beings in virtually every circumstance of life, and –in addition to employees, associates, staffs, and teammates– this includes the vast majority of all physician and healthcare service patients — even those who go to emergency rooms!

It is our nature as people to look for ongoing approval, reassurance, and trust — a sense that we are performing okay, that we are okay, and that we will be okay.

This does not translate to everyone being neurotic or for leaders having to be shrinks, or having to pat everyone on the head and love every follower. Great leadership is not always transparent!

It translates to the need for leaders to appreciate basic human instincts and directly address them with actions and words by communicating directly, with authenticity and genuineness — instead of ignoring, patronizing or pandering, and beating around the bush. Remember poison ivy often grows around bushes!

 

 # # #

Hal@TheWriterWorks.com or comment below.

Thanks for visiting. Go for your goals! God Bless You!

Make today a GREAT Day for someone!

No responses yet

Aug 04 2013

WORKING WITH VOLUNTEERS

With Volunteers,

                                  

Exceptional Leadership

                                           

Can Bring Exceptional Success

 

But working with volunteers demands exceptional leadership. Why? Because anything less can spell exceptional failure and — at the very least– produce exceptional frustration. When a nonprofit, for example, needs to depend on volunteer groups to handle special or ongoing projects, the odds are that one or more of five problem areas will surface.

According to Ed Bancroft, world renown leader in organization and management development, community development, and race relations, the five “Common Problem” areas that emerge in working with volunteer groups consist of:

1) Having too many goals

2) Lack of an adequate contract

3) Lack of leadership and accountability

4) Lack of rewards or recognition

5) Lack of attention to group process

 

When a volunteer group of any composition attempts to get started, there is a tendency to attempt more than can realistically be accomplished. So the basic tenets of effective goal-setting need to be addressed right from the git-go. Those criteria, together with some other goal-setting thoughts, are here and here and here.

After starting with a Priority Task List, Bancroft suggests charting answers to: WHAT will be done? HOW will it be done? WHO will do it? WHEN will each task be completed? and BY WHAT DATE will the goal be accomplished?

The most successful volunteer groups start with a (very specific) agreement regarding each person’s role and expectations, and in matching each individual’s strengths to the tasks at hand. (Tight agenda) group meetings, (specific) written job descriptions, and a permanent “How Goes It?” focus on ongoing progress are all means to the ends.

A great many volunteer groups stumble along, reluctant to deal directly with leadership accountability. This single shortcoming can undo the best of intentions and efforts. Clear role definition, including having a fulltime volunteer coordinator (or staff member), who links the volunteers with paid staff, helps ensure that volunteer energies are maximized.

Volunteers work for the good of the cause but also for personal recognition, and some form of reward for specific achievements. And, always praise in public! Volunteers should get priority consideration for staff appointments, be offered as much appropriate training as possible.

Remember to appreciate volunteers for what they give up: Besides time and energy, for example, there are often expenses they absorb for baby-sitting, lunches, and transportation. Free or discounted lunches, work time beverages and snacks can go a long way. Some volunteer programs qualify for Federal funds, United Way, or foundation grants to reimburse volunteers.

Most volunteer groups are not tuned into “Process” — how they work together and how they need to work together. They tend to lack awareness of essential communication and decision-making methods. Workshops focused on these skill sets and an appointed (very objective) Process Observer can be designated to provide ongoing feedback on what she or he observes of group dynamics.

 The excitement and enthusiasm levels generated

 in volunteer groups is directly proportionate to

  the attention given to the issues outlined above.

# # #

Hal@TheWriterWorks.com or comment below.

Thanks for visiting. Go for your goals! God Bless You!

Make today a GREAT Day for someone!

No responses yet

Feb 16 2013

Is Obamacare Killing Healthcare?

Doctors know where they’ve been

                                                                                     

but they don’t know

                                                                         

where they’re going!

 

Today’s medical professionals are strapped to a rudderless ship at sea that’s being sucked into a raging storm.

Some politicos would have us believe that the scandalous fifteen-thousand-page Obamacare program (and when, by the way, was the last time anyone you know read 15,000 pages of anything?!) need not be such a shocking insult to healthcare consumers because after all, it helps “less fortunate” people to get medical care.

Steamrollered through an inept Congress, Obamacare appears to have little if anything to do with the realities of healthcare. Instead, Obamacare hints at having everything to do with the crippling economic and personal freedom limitations brought on by the relentless White House pursuit of dictating increased government controls on American lives.

The end result? We will definitely end up with fewer competent physicians.

And those who remain will clearly not be providing adequate care –regardless of competency–  because of the restrictions Obamacare piles on top of the restrictions already imposed on them that limit their ability to deliver meaningful health services.

But computerization is what tightens the noose around healthcare necks, some say. Not so. The mismanagement and misappropriation of administrative computerization advances by interfering and uninformed government misfits and ignorant insurance providers is what is at the root of today’s healthcare delivery shortcomings.

The de-humanizing of humanizing services is the characterization that uninformed and manipulative individuals, agencies, and organizations have wrought as they’ve twisted administrative computerization advances into shortcut invasions of patient and physician privacy. Have we lost even having thoughts of human dignity?

When “DOCTOR’S ORDERS” becomes “DOCTORS ORDERS” (as in orders issued to doctors by the White House) to conduct patient gun ownership surveys to build a bigger “Big-Brother-Watching” database universe designed to gain yet more government control, do you think this might possibly get just a bit in the way of doctors performing healthcare services?

Of course EMR (electronic medical records) and EHR (electronic health records) have succeeded at putting patient care over paper care. But are these important advances enough to be really helping doctors to know where they’re going?

And the Internet has fully armed healthcare consumers to be better prepared to understand and manage their own healthcare issues, to be more informed about diagnostics and treatments, and to work more productively with their doctors. But are these advances enough to be able to really help doctors to know where they’re going?

The whole lean organization, lean management fad (where did Quality Circles go?) may be a solution, but is not THE solution. It is simply a band-aid acknowledgement that things have gotten so bad, we can no longer afford for the physician to spare a minute or two extra with each patient and patient family to help heal, and help ensure and reassure a sense of well-being.

More dollars are saved. Care is more efficient. But –at the ultimate point of care– doctors don’t get to spend more time with their patients, so is this increased efficiency really enough to help doctors know where they’re going?

Being preoccupied with efficiency necessitates lower levels of individual healthcare delivery. And last time I looked, healthcare was a profession dedicated to individual care. Perhaps it’s time to redefine the word “care”? The bottom line is that doctors are literally trapped.

Adherence to rules and regulations designed to increase control over their skills and abilities to earn livings commensurate with their training and societal value is squashing the very lifeblood out of healthcare. And Obamacare will surface as the culprit when it’s too late to matter — unless enough small business owners and practice administrators and doctors start to make waves

. . . NOW.

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Hal@Businessworks.US   302.933.0911

Open Minds Open Doors

   Make today a GREAT day for someone!

  God Bless You and Thank You for Your Visit!

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Jul 01 2012

Getting The Most Out of Creative Services

Writin’ Ain’t No Easy Job!

 

In case you thunk that writin’ business stuff be a snap, thunk agin! (And especially if you’re expecting an office assistant or website designer to be a writer!)

Oh, and just to kick it in gear, you might do the thunk agin part with a blank screen and a blank piece of paper in your face. Thirty years of business writing taught me that very few day-to-day business tasks are more challenging than performing a creative process that most people seem to think is simply a mechanical function. It’s not. Try it. Then be embarrassed.

Write a business plan for us, will you? I need it for an investor meeting next week. (Most effective business plans take months!) And, before you get started, knock out a couple of TV commercial scripts for the sale that’s coming up. (At least a few weeks, if there are expectations of having any impact.)

Oh, and we’ll probably need three or four blog posts (another week) and an online banner ad about that sale too (a couple of days). Will you also fit in a speech for me to give to the Roundtable Club? Say 25-30 minutes? (Another week!)

Sour grapes examples? No: Reality. If you own or operate a business and expect someone to write AND GET IT RIGHT, realize that the creative process doesn’t turn on and off like a water faucet. Effective writing is not about writing; it’s about RE-writing! RE-writing takes time and effort and knowledge and skill and experience. The simpler it is, the harder the task.

Also Reality: “Creative” people in business (or anywhere, for that matter) are more sensitive as a rule than say lawyers or accountants or investors or engineers. So –like flies– you’ll catch more with honey! Try always to give them extra time, to provide them with extra input, and then to stay out of their collective hair!

Nothing wrong with asking for rough drafts or updates, but avoid harsh criticism– as you would with a customer–if you’re interested in getting outstanding work back. Explain points you disagree with the same way you would want others to explain points that they might disagree with you about. It’s not that hard, and you will gain both respect and greater effort.

It’s one thing when someone takes twice as long as you think she or he should to perform a routine mechanical task, but quite another when you assume that the creative process is routine and mechanical and proceed to set unrealistic deadlines . . . unless you really don’t care about a quality image or delivering a meaningful message?

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HAL ALPIAR Writer/Consultant 302.933.0911 TheWriterWorks.com, LLC
National Award-Winning Author & Brand Marketer – Record Client Sales

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