This post was published at, and has been shared by the APHA Blog.
It is provided so you can find it in a search here at myAPHA.org, but you’ll need to link to the original post to read it in its entirety.
Link to the original full length post.
Kickstarting 2018: The ONE Key Exercise that Will Propel Your Practice Success (and a giveaway, too!)
Happy New Year to you! And so begins another year of improving patients’ healthcare system outcomes in one way or another, and realizing we are making a huge difference in people’s lives! We’re going to dive right in to the new year looking at the ONE imperative exercise I have come to believe will make you successful. Can you commit? WILL you commit? It won’t cost you money (well, OK, maybe the cost of a latte.) It will cost you some time. And it will make all the difference in the world to your practice-building, the patients who need you, and our profession, too. The truth is: if you want to be successful, your commitment is imperative. The Exercise It has become clearer and clearer in the recent past just why some people establish a practice successfully – vs – those who don’t get the ball rolling. And – I can sum that up in two words: Making Connections Making connections with other people is critical to your success. Whether it’s connecting with clients or caregivers, connecting with other advocates and care managers, or connecting with other professionals who work in our advocacy arena, those connections, and the results of outreach to them, are making the difference between practice success, and failure. Here’s how I know: When I look over those members of APHA who I know are successfully running an advocacy practice, every one of them works intentionally at making connections. Yes, Captain Obvious tells us that making connections with clients is key. But beyond that, successful folks are also reaching out to other advocates in a variety of ways, sometimes to ask questions, or to discuss client situations, to mentor, or even to subcontract with complementary services. Further, they are reaching out to other professionals like providers, or social workers, community service workers. They aren’t stopping there, either. They are reaching out to influencers like the media, or the clergy, or even politicians, key individuals for helping them build success. No Successful Advocate Is an Island I’ve dished on the “rising tide floats all boats” metaphor before. But…
