Since starting my company in 2011, I have been on an average of two flights per week. So I guess you could say I live a very different kind of life. One with amazing experiences and an unparalleled ability to gain status through my regular airline, WestJet. Now the thing about status is yes I get a whole lot of perks, but more importantly in their dealings with me their corporate curtain gets pulled back somewhat allowing me to obtain a vast amount of knowledge and experience about their corporate culture which it turns out, directly transfers to my business and the businesses of my clients.
When I am working with teams I get to meet amazing people and help them navigate change, which as we know can be very difficult. But seeing, on a bigger scale, the change management that WestJet has in place, opened my eyes to so many new ideas and concepts. Over the years I have had opportunities to contribute to round table discussions with various levels of their team, but now I have been asked to be on stage in front of an audience of 700 at their leadership summit, and frankly I am scared to death! The thought of standing in front of that many people makes we want to pass out. But they have asked me to share some of my experiences so they can have a better understanding of the directions their company needs to take.
So I will get over my fear, and I will honestly share the good and the bad with a company that is open to hearing it. I think this is so vital in all business, especially dentistry. If we think we are amazing because our schedule is full, and we get referrals, and the phone rings regularly, we also need to stop to ask the hard questions. Who have we let down or not satisfied with the service we have provided? What impact does that have on them? What could we do differently next time? And most importantly, what changes do we need to make in our organization in order to be better in the ways that impact our patients?
It's very easy to walk around with rose coloured glasses and it's comfortable to never ask the difficult questions, but when you see a company the size of WestJet, stopping to ask those questions to little old me, it humbles me and makes me smile.
Until next time!
Bianca
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