No doubt you have heard of or played the game Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon. In it, players take turns linking anyone in Hollywood to Kevin Bacon through the roles those actors have played, and they do so within six steps/connections.
So what does this have to do with your medical practice? Quite a bit actually.
See the foundation to any successful practice is building relationships. And in my own life — whether professionally, philanthropically or personally — I have found that we’re all connected, and often in unexpected ways and in fewer steps than you might think. Social media sites like Facebook have made this even more evident. The parent you are sitting next to at your son’s football game is also a potential referring physician. Your new neighbor once worked for your biggest competitor. Your new patient is also a highly respected blogger on family health and wellness.
Whether it be patients, staff, referring physicians, colleagues, neighbors or business and community leaders, chances are you already know someone who can connect you with others who can offer solutions to current challenges or open up new doors and opportunities. And they are typically happy to do so.
The trick is you need to get out from behind your own walls (social and physical) to have the genuine conversations that will reveal these connections.
And within your own network, identify those folks you need to re-connect with periodically and then make it a priority to do so. Meet for coffee or lunch. Invite them to attend a sports or community event with you. Then, when together, share your current stories, experiences, challenges and goals with each other, and explore people you know and links you can make to help each other out. It just might spark the new “Kevin Bacon” connection you need.
Want to learn more about sparking new connections? Check out Andrea Eliscu’s latest book, “It’s Personal: The Art of Building Your Practice.”