When I was a kid, I had a Gumby. (Did you have one, too?)
In common with other businesses, medical groups often assume that deals and decisions are like on–off switches, yea or nay, thumbs up or thumbs down.
The truth is that although many view the world that way, decisions and paths are far more flexible, more fluid, more customizable. They are infinitely adjustable, like Gumby.
That’s where the value is: in the nuances within the design of a deal or of a decision.
That’s how you must think. Not black or white, not yes or no, not right or left, but green, rubbery and bendable — like Gumby.
For example, many physician groups believe that they are faced with the decision to remain independent or to sell. Yet that’s a binary question: “on” or “off.”
The reality is that there’s a plethora of other choices. For example, to name but a very few: merge with another practice, hire to expand, acquire another practice outright, capture the referral sources or contracts that presently benefit another group, and so on.
And then, within each one of those routes there are multiple alternatives and multiple ways to structure the deal or effort.
Need a reminder? Go buy a Gumby and put it on your desk at work or at home. Every once in a while, pick it up and play with it. (You still remember how, right?)
Comment or contact me if you’d like to discuss this post.
Mark F. Weiss
