Managing your business would be a breeze if you could eliminate the time wasters and energy drains like office gossip, power struggles, tattling, and the relationship challenges. Think about how smoothly your department, operation or company would run if each person in the company knew how to communicate effectively, handle disappointment and stress without resorting to blame, criticism, or finger pointing. A workplace climate of stress and negativity would be replaced with personal growth and empowerment, and customers would notice the increase in professionalism, attention to detail and service.

This vision is possible when you embrace the principle of personal responsibility in your hiring, and in your management philosophy.

If you want to take your business to new levels, the New Year is the perfect time to institute The Vow of Personal Responsibility. Share the vow with new hires and ask them to sign it. At the beginning of the year, make copies and distribute the vow and read together at a staff meeting.

Invite discussion about how how difficult it can be to live responsibly with the demands of the medical profession, and ask for each person to talk about areas where they could improve personally and professionally. (Be mindful of your own challenges as a leader, and realize that all of have blind spots and shortcomings, and we are all at various levels in our ability to live responsibly.) This exercise will create a sense of camaraderie, as each person realistically reflects on areas of personal growth.

Then invite everyone to sign and date The Vow of Personal Responsibility. Review at each meeting and hold each other accountable. By doing this each month, you raise the level of awareness in your practice; you start to eliminate the victim mentality as you develop responsible co- creators that contribute value to your business.