Strategic Management Consulting
Critical decisions in business are often left to chance. Management is treated as a forgotten asset instead of as a necessary comprehensive art and science. Successful business owners have found that by devoting more time to management and planning they can develop action steps that more effectively move them towards their desired goals. A management consultant serves as a guide in this process and helps implement sound management, business planning, and leadership. First problems and challenges are identified by careful attention and analysis. The identified issues are carefully studied and alternative solutions are created. Specific plans and steps are developed and implemented, that will take the business to success.
Great efforts have recently been made to integrate medical care with an emphasis on health and wellness. Unfortunately, these efforts have met with little success; the results have been quite dismal. Our country leads the world in health care expenses but lags significantly in key leading health care indicators. More importantly, the trust relationship between the physician and the patient has greatly deteriorated. Moreover, the satisfaction level of health care providers has plummeted and the burnout rate of health care providers has greatly increased. Suicide rates among physicians are rising.
The reimbursement system and tax policy have put in place incentives to over utilize health care and to reward providers with the volume of services they provide. The patient has very little freedom to use the health care system to help be responsible for health care decisions. Perhaps the saddest aspect of our system is that Medicare and some Medicaid patients receive health care by borrowing money from their children and grandchildren. The current environment is ripe for common sense reform and new models of health care delivery.
I help physicians identify opportunities, and help them build a private practice that is professionally fulfilling, efficient, and effective.
Practice Development Strategic Plan and Implementation
The development of a a strategic plan is the initial service I provide. It is directed towards establishing a specific strategies and steps for implementation. The Plan addresses the following areas:
1. Vision, Purpose, and Values
2. Entreprenerial aptitude
3. Key relationships and personal leadership skills
4. Contractual obligations.
5. Management and Operational Systems
6. Finance and budget
7. Facility and space needs
When I am introduced to a prospective project, I like to get a good sense of what the needs are. I then propose a scope addressing how we might work together. I only feel happy when I know you feel comfortable with whatever approach we develop and agree upon. An initial visit to clarify these steps is followed by a simple MOA that gets the project going.
Other Services
Usually, an on-going relationship is established. Visits and services complementary to monitoring and improving operations are provided. This service helps to identify trends, operational deficiencies, and financial issues before they become major concerns. This arrangement serves as a management and leadership coach. Revision of the strategic plan and strategic direction is the focus.
In another area of service, I work with various health care providers in re-positioning their operation to the current environment. The ability to reduce expenses and operate profitably in the new environment is the focus.
I like to discuss the challenge, get a good sense of what your needs are, and then propose scenarios on how I think we might work together.
I bring three strengths to the table:
Clear Strategic Thinking
Build high trust relationships
High level of morality and ethics
I am only happy when I know you are comfortable with whatever approach we determine.
Top Reasons a Business Fails
Inadequate Strategic Planning
Lack of Financial and Productivity Monitoring
Not understanding the relationship between price, volume, and costs (breakeven analysis)
Failure to manage cash flow
Not managing growth
Failure to borrow properly and manage transitions
Not seeking professional help when necessary
Fraud due to poor internal controls
Not controlling costs
Insufficient working capital
Work Principles
Take the initiative in developing and performing your work
Undertake big and difficult jobs
Never give up until the objective has been reached
Pull the people around you; don’t let them pull you.
Always have a plan it will give you perseverance and hope.
Have confidence; it will give you power, tenacity, and depth.
Keep your brain active, observe everything, don’t be caught off guard
8. Don’t be afraid of friction. It produces progress and keeps you from timidity.
Successful Leaders
Adapt and develop
Establish strong relationships
Build teams
Non-authoritarian
Consistent
High performer
Ambitious
Secrets of Success
Learn new things
See the big picture
Recognize problems
Analyze information
Make good decisions
Set priorities
Communicate well. Be vulnerable
Work with others well
Have purpose
Be able to handle trivia
Learn More about Management
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God is the author of management. Each characteristic we have learned in good management and effective leadership is duplicated in Gods’ management of the world. Planning, organizing, leading, direction, and controlling are evident in Gods’ universe. The key basis in the management plan of the earth is recorded in Genesis 2:15 when God delegated the management of earthly resources to people: “take care of my creation”. The first management consultant was Jethro the father-in-law of Moses. He gave management counsel to divide the Israelites into manageable groups for governance and administration.
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Managers are the leaders who are charged with responsibility for achieving the mission of the business or organization. To do so, managers are empowered with authority over resources necessary to carry out the vision and goals of the business. The essence of being a manager is responsibility – being accountable to those persons who own the business and for the resources which have been delegated to the manager. Management has several levels. Those at the top are required to have a high level of conceptual skill and leadership compared to the lower levels which have more technical skills.
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There will always be two major challenges in management. First money then people, and money will be less of a problem than people. Peter Drucker has said that the most valuable and yet most unpredictable resource you have is people – “the only true resource of an organization”.
Management closely parallels an orchestra. As a conductor provides the expertise of timing and blending, so the manager directs the contribution of diverse individualistic performers into a harmonious; ordered production. Such results do not happen accidentally. The principal elements of this unified mission-oriented performance are the functions of management.
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PLANNING: Process of preparing for change and coping with uncertainty by formulating purpose and future courses of action.
ORGANIZING: Developing structural units. Lines of responsibility and authority.
STAFFING: Filling jobs with appropriately skilled people.
DIRECTING: Getting individuals to pursue collective objectives through satisfying needs and expectations. Ensuring individuals understand and fulfill their organizational roles.
CONTROL: Comparing actual performance with prior plans and taking necessary corrective action.
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Management has come a long way in understanding its role. Originally it took a work centered approach which assumed work was downright distasteful that must be performed in order to survive. Because of this dislike of work, people must be coerced, controlled, and threatened with punishment to get them to put forth an adequate effort toward the achievement of organizational objectives. The average person has relatively little ambition, and wants security above all.
In response to this approach came a people centered approach. This style assumed that people will exercise self-direction and self-control. Achievement of objectives is enhanced with rewards. The capacity to exercise imagination, ingenuity, and creativity is widely distributed in the business or organization. Today we have taken an integrated approach with a high degree of emphasis on the creativity of human resources. Management is given a high degree of flexibility to achieve the goals of the organization and respond to a series of if-then situations. It is a highly participative process.
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Managers who try to do everything do not perform well. Effective managers have applied the essence of Pareto’s Law which states that a relatively small percentage of organizational activities invariably consume a substantial percentage of time and effort. These few activities have the strongest impact on the effectiveness of an organization. Likewise, there are a few dominant objectives that become the leading force in the organization. Having a clear view of these dominant objectives and their achievement is a strong indicator of success and effectiveness now, and in the future.
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Strategic Management emphasizes future decisions and deals with the future of present decisions. The question facing the manager is not what his organization should do tomorrow, but what must be done now to insure a successful future. As an aid to answering this question, managers engage in strategic planning. To be sure the rate of change will be ever greater in the future. Dealing with this change is the task of the modern strategic manager. The essence of management is creation of, adapting to, and coping with change.
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A significant number of small businesses suffer under the illusion that if they continue to emphasize their technical skills and work harder then they will become successful. This leads to critical decisions left to chance, which leaves the business vulnerable to failure. Management is very weak. The main reasons why a business fails are the following:
Inadequate strategic planning
Not understanding break-even analysis
No financial and productivity monitoring
Failure to manage cash flow
Ineffective marketing
Insufficient working capital and not managing growth
Insufficient insurance
Lack of training and development of employees
Not seeking professional advice when necessary
Failure to manage transitions.
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Get the right people in the right position
Support people but make performance matter
Focus on financials
Manage the process and outcomes
Insist on innovation
Share personal values and vision
Choose how to compete
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Management is often treated as if it can be ordered a la carte instead of the continuous and connected process that it really is. Strategic management and planning can develop action plans that move the business toward desired results. A management consultant can serve as a partner and coach to help assist in the development of sound management and leadership.
Today, business is more complex than ever. The political contest between people who make an independent living, on the one hand, and the administrative state with all its mighty forces on the other, is one of the key challenges facing todays’ business. The need for an independent consultant who is trustworthy, understands business, and the challenges it must face; is becoming a necessity. No business can afford to be with this kind of assistance.
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Personal leadership is also an essential element of successful management. Effective leaders have the following characteristics:
They adapt and emphasize continuous growth
They establish strong relationships
They build teams
They are non-authoritarian
They are consistent
They are high performers
They are ambitious
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Learn new things
See the big picture
Recognize problems
Accurately analyze critical information
Make good decisions
Set priorities
Communicate well
Work with others well
Have a big purpose
Be vulnerable and open to change
Be able to handle trivia
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Management requires good workers. There are some basic work principles that are universal and apply to both management and workers alike.
Take the initiative in developing and performing your work
Undertake big and difficult jobs
Never give up until the objective has been reached
Pull the people around you. Don’t let them pull you.
Always have a plan. It will give you perseverance and hope.
Have confidence. It will give you power, tenacity, and depth.
Keep your brain active, observe everything. Don’t be caught off guard.
Don’t be afraid of friction. It produces progress and keeps you from timidity.
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To maximize business success, you need to establish vital working relationships with an Attorney, Accountant, Insurance Advisor, and other similar resources. These resources provide vital assistance to help run your business.
However, you may not realize it, but it is just as important to have a relationship with a management consultant. The service is intangible but its effect is significant and the right one can greatly improve the bottom line, produce greater work satisfaction, and have more personal time. A good consultant solves your problems and often serves as the coordinator of all other advisors.
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A management consultant can serve as your coach and guide throughout many years making your work less stressful and more productive. An open trustful relationship with a management consultant serves as an extension of your business and assures you of having someone already familiar with your practice when needed. This allows you to have a consultant who can truly facilitate lasting, positive change within your business. No business can afford to be without this type of business advisor.
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How do you know which consultant engages in this kind of partnership? A thorough search process is required to find the right arrangement. Attention must be given to the range of services the consultant can provide. The personality and leadership style of the consultant must also be taken into consideration. Does the consultant have a full array of experience in all the major components of key business systems? The bottom line is that there has to be a gut-level fit, trust, and agreement with the scope and details of the management consulting proposal. A successful business can afford to be without this level of management advice.