Editor’s Note

By Kristen Wilson, PT, DPT

When was the last time you took a road trip? And, I don’t mean a weekend jaunt to a VRBO in a neighboring town.

When was your last legitimate, multi-destination, landmark-seeking road trip that required extensive planning?

For many of us, you can remember the days when such an endeavor required spreading the table-sized Rand-McNally Atlas on the counter to methodically plot your course across the country. You’d spend hours painstakingly listing each interstate and country road needed to reach your destination on a notepad while simultaneously jotting the noteworthy tourist stops with their hours of operation and tips for travel success on another. It was a time-consuming process that yielded two results: A well-thought-out trip with few issues, and excitement for the pending journey. Reminiscing about the feeling of hopping in the car with my CD deck and travel notebooks is enough to get my heart racing.

Much like planning a road trip, executing a yearly strategic plan is paramount in determining the future course of your business. Steps must be taken to determine which direction you’d like to go, how you plan to get there, and what potential pitfalls may occur along the way. And not unlike a road trip, oftentimes detours, changes of direction, and closures occur which force you to alter your plans and pursue an alternative route to reach your destination.

Communicating this plan to your team ensures all passengers know what to expect and generates excitement as you travel the road of physical therapy business together for the upcoming year. Team members become co-pilots, and the soundtrack a cacophony of cheers as goals are reached.

This month’s issue of Impact will serve as your atlas for preparing your upcoming strategic plan. Consider starting with Robbie Leonard’s article, “Planning for Success: Identifying Top Metrics to Monitor in Your Strategic Plan,” to help determine what is important for your team to measure. Then give Shannon O’Kelley’s piece “Communicating your Strategy to your Staff” a read to gain tips on how best to share your vision. And if your plan goes awry, RaeAnn Thomas will get you back on track with “Adjusting Your Strategic Plan Mid-Year.” There are tips for the beginner and experienced business owner to succeed in this jam-packed issue of resources.

While the road ahead is likely uncertain, a strategic plan will help provide directions to navigate whatever may come your way. As you embark on your planning for 2022, remember that your best co-pilots are members of our section who will always ride shotgun on your journey through physical therapy business ownership. Embark on your strategic plan with confidence, knowing that if it goes awry, you’ll always have your colleagues to get you back on the road to success. Here’s to a wonderful journey ahead … together. Safe travels, my friends! 

See you in January,