Join host, Dr. Cliff, and co-host, Dr. Joseph Esposito as Align Your Practice helps you understand how to uncover your core values. This is the third episode of four on core values. We take a look at your business’s core values and get the story of AlignLife’s Core Values; what they mean and why are they important. Learn how to maximize your business by getting clarity on your business’s core values.
Core Values need to be uncovered not found. Our business has core values and we want you to get the same clarity in your business. We live our lives with our core values most people do it unconsciously, so this episode is all about uncovering your business core values and starting with the end in mind. Do you feel like you have struggles or challenges in these areas, this episode will help you understand and fill in the gaps and create the life and practice of your dreams.
Key Points:
Resources Mentioned:
Download your free PDF, Seven Steps to Discover Your Core Values HERE
About the Host:
Dr Clifford J Fisher
Dr Cliff Fisher – Owns several offices all over the US and has a coaching business Dream Leadership Institute to help people find the greatest version of themselves. He will help you get to a foundational understanding to create the business and life that align with your being.
Dr. Joseph Esposito, CEO
Dr. Joseph Esposito, D.C., C.C.N. C.N.S., C.C.S.P., D.A.B.C.N., F.A.A.I.M. C.T.N., is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of AlignLife. As such, he is responsible for the direction of AlignLife as it expands further across a dynamic and rapidly changing health care landscape. Dr. Esposito has more than 20 years of experience in a broad range of businesses, including chiropractic, nutrition, technology and internet marketing.
Dr. Esposito has extensive post-graduate academic accomplishments, as well as 15 years of experience managing successful chiropractic clinics in multiple states. He also is founder and CEO of Aceva LLC, a service-based nutritional company providing products and services to the AlignLife clinics. As the former CFO of an internet publishing company, Dr. Esposito understands the power of leveraging the internet to impact the lives of millions of Americans.
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Align Your Practice podcast with Dr. Cliff Fisher where your best practice and life awaits you. Are you tired of running a practice on your own? We want to come alongside you with experts to help you create your dream practice in your dream life. Here is your host
Dr. Cliff Fisher:Alright, tribe Welcome back. Episode Three of our core values. I'm super excited for this one. And so first, we just want to welcome you to the Align your practice with Dr. Cliff. And Dr. Joe brought to you by align life. I'm excited to dive into this one on business. Joe, like, I'm curious to hear your thoughts. And I know you've been through this, I've been through this. So I'd love to hear your first like, what's the first thing that comes up for you? Because I know so many businesses want them, but they don't have them?
Dr. Joseph Esposito:Yeah, I use the word resistance a lot had someone told me that resistance on the journey of business is reduced with understanding the business core value to so I'm always thinking of things like a machine. I love the phrase like where the wheel is gonna fall off the wagon, when you're looking at business, like what's the weakest point. And I think of the same thing, like an engine that has friction. And it's just not moving efficiently. You're burning fuel, you don't have oil in the engine, there's and don't let Joe Clarina listen to this, because he'll make fun of me. I know nothing about cars. And when he hears me talk car scenarios, he makes fun of me. So don't don't let him listen to this. But anyway, frictional block block from this. But friction in an engine doing its thing, or a practice doing its thing. Friction and resistance caused spins off wasted energy, just like an engine would in a way. And understanding core values just makes it in a sense becomes more effortless, not effortless, more effortless, in this. So what we've done so far, and I'll tell you, it's wild, I learned a lot from our last podcast, because I understood energy better by just talking through it with you that it really helped me get clarity. But we started with, you know, what is core values we talked about in the personal life and our personal relationships? Now we're gonna take this thing, this this energy, and we're gonna say how do we do this in business? Right? That's what today's podcast?
Dr. Cliff Fisher:So yeah, I think the business side of it, that's where people always they don't realize the personal. So I think that's new, but the business are like, Oh, we should have them? And, you know, my, my same thoughts are on businesses. It's not who you aspire to be. Who are you? What is your company about? Because all these companies like, and I don't have, like some of the companies but what they say they are and how they're acting don't align at all. Like, you know, I forget the what was that big company like 1012 years ago, that they went bankrupt. Like, a lot of people lost a lot of money. It was like a huge company. Enron, like, if you looked at what their core values were, there was like, honesty, integrity, like it was just so. And yeah.
Dr. Joseph Esposito:So it's funny, you don't think when a company's multibillion dollar company, you could evaporate in the industry, in weeks, a company that's that massive, but you're off on your that's a great example, you're often your core values so bad, you contradict everything you're about, it vanishes, the company literally vanished. Now, obviously, there's corruption and legal activity, but the that's a giant enterprise that vanishes. And it's interesting that you took it back to the core values, because it was a massive contradiction in core values, massive contradiction. So I like what you said, because if you're listening to this podcast, right now, you're sitting in the seat or you're, you're on your bike, or you're taking a walk, and you're listening to us talk about this. And you got to make a line in the sand that you're going to understand your business core values. And then the next line in the sand is we're going to bring it into the business so that it's it's alive in the business. Step two is way harder than step one, which is understand and refine what the core values are bringing them into your thoughts, your decisions, your hiring. I mean, it's a whole nother project. But first awareness around what they are, is vital. And we're going to talk through some some of the concepts and business core values today during this podcast, but your job and Cliff's a master at this, if you didn't take advantage of the half hour opportunity with him last time. That that is something that can help you guide you on this journey. But bringing it into the business is the hardest thing for me. It took us three years to create the core values we have now because we kept refining it and I thought I was done. And I met Clint Fisher and I almost started over but I bring it in the business is still a journey today cliff and you're always pushing inside of the core values and you should have all your team members bringing up the values one of our team members carry it I use it as a language and she actually dialogues with the core values when she speaks. And that has helped me a lot too, because she, she brings it to the top line thought in my mind.
Dr. Cliff Fisher:Yeah, I think one of the fundamental things that to do in your business is acknowledge people, like when they're doing a core value. And that's what I think Carrie is such a master at. But like, in my practice is always like, wow, that was a great way to use like one of ours is people matter. And the way you treated that person and handle that issue was amazing. And really express our core value of people matter. Once you link that, then you don't get more of what you want, you get more of what you reward. And you can reward like verbally, you can reward monetarily, however, you want to reward it, but that's kind of how it shows up.
Dr. Joseph Esposito:Yeah, I love it. I agree. So how do you want to progress through this? What's the architecture from your perspective as we break this down? So
Dr. Cliff Fisher:I think I would love to kind of hear your journey, because you know, you have a great journey, because it's not three years, it's your whole career that you were building these core values, it was three years of like, a super intentional, like, okay, now I have clarity, but it was the, you know, 1720 years previous to that, that allowed you to even be on this stage. So what I'd love to do is just kind of walk through our core values, I'm going to share my screen. And we'll just kind of walk through it, I'd be curious on how intentional we were because this was three years, and I know eight hours of just our corporate team sitting down and doing a back end live. And then back and forth.
Dr. Joseph Esposito:This series of core values that you'll see here, this is the fourth fifth refinement in about two and a half years where I probably have 100 hours in every word more than 100 hours. Because I read the books, took the courses, watch the videos, talk with Cliff talk to the corporate team, our leadership team consultants, to get to where we are to every word has meaning. And I know cliff, this is going to drive me crazy. But as we go through this, you are going to pick a word that contradicts or has an issue.
Dr. Cliff Fisher:I'm preparing, I have my core values right here I have are aligned my core values right here. And I will mark it up if I need to.
Dr. Joseph Esposito:So let's go through these and that. And guys, this is not, these aren't like you, I'm not going to tell you this is intellectual property, I'm going to tell you, if something resonates with you, and you want to embrace a phrase or a word in your business, go ahead. Because we look at other people's core values and what hits our heart, our mind, our it's congruent with our belief systems, and there's a phrase or a concept, we nurture that and bring it in and think through it. You don't want to copy a core value in a description exactly from another company. But you want to be inspired by reading core values. So I urge you not to just spend the time listening to ours. Go on Google and search core values of big companies. Look at Apple's core values, look at, you know, Microsoft's core, I look at big companies, small companies and read core values and see how it resonates with you as you begin to frame again, not copying, but inspiring. What do you think,
Dr. Cliff Fisher:oh, man, I think the thing that I would do is I would go local with it, like find businesses that you locally respect and shop at and just hey, what are your core values? Will you tell me about them, that's a great way one to build your practice, but to to really start to understand that and like, just look. And then the other spaces on the personal core values. If you download that PDF, there's a whole list of over 100 core values. Just start inside first, before you start going outside. Don't let the outside determine who you think you should become. So start there then I love Joe, where you went with, like, look at some of these big companies. Like I just looked up and Ron's. And Ron's was integrity, communication, respect and excellence. Through their whole thing, probably displayed on their annual report. So go internal, first local, and local and national at the same time, you can do that same time. But don't, don't, don't be tainted by what everybody else thinks think inside, first of who you should become. Because when you hear and when Joe shares our core values, you'll be blown away, you'll be like, Oh my gosh, because they have such meaning to him that then they have meaning to our whole corporate team.
Dr. Joseph Esposito:That's a good point. My my clarity for that is I don't want if they like something here, I want them to feel free to do it. But you you gave this class. You don't want to start there of like, oh, I want to be like Apple or I want to be don't don't do that. I'm saying when you look at this, if there's a phrase, take it, but don't Yeah, I like what you said that's very important because I don't want them going and not thinking first and then just trying to see maybe it can be a little bit like them and a little bit like them and a little bit like them. You want these to be innately yours. So it's a better exercise to refine your own, but don't Be afraid to get inspired on the journey. But you're right first yourself. I like the local, I never thought of that to help learn business and build relationships, what a great way cliff to, oh, man, it's
Dr. Cliff Fisher:just such a, it's such an awesome thing. And you'll find your people, we were talking about that earlier, you know, like, you know, I think everything going on like my wife and I like we really found our people in the direction we want to go in our lives. So, and we've done it through our core values. And so yeah, but
Dr. Joseph Esposito:but let's break these down. So this is the Align life core values this as what we want to honor to our selves to our team members. And what we what we like doing with our team members is find out what their core values are, and seeing where their core values are respected and honored in the company core values, that helps your team members become more committed, loyal, and on the mission that you have. Because they see that their core values are honored by the company core values. And that keeps it not to be a job, but to be a mission to be a servant of the of the purpose of a company, that we all are inside of that company. So I think we've done well at that cliff is helping unify those. And I think that's also a good thing to add to the review process, once a year is review how your team member kind of expressed their core values, have they changed? Are there more refined? Are we honoring your core values in the business? Where do you see your core values? Being honored by our company core values? And do you feel we're honoring our company core values? Is there anything you think we can do to better improve? That's a beautiful addition. And I'm, I will take a note on that in a moment here. Because I think that's something that we want to get a little deeper into during the review process. So the first one here is Wow, everyone as the number one core value. This has massive meaning to me, because I used to have a core value of honoring expectations. I used to have one on accountability. I used to have a number in that realm of expectation, accountability. Wow. But wow, in everyone, when you're wowed at a business, or relationship experience, when you're Wow, it's basically you have an expectation. And the expectation is what exceed it. That's the one. That's it. So embodies that expectation that I wanted, and accountability to exceed the expectation, because that's what why we everyone is, is exceeding an expectation. So it embodies all of those thoughts into one deliverable. Because if you allow someone it means they had an expectation, and it was exceeded, and a story. So the freight phraseology around this is we create raving fans, by setting clear expectations, and striving to exceed them. That's how you Well, someone said it and exceeded. So if you don't know what the expectation is, you didn't tell it and you don't know it. Now you're leaving it to an assumption. That's scary. An assumption is when your client, let's say you're patient, and if you're a chiropractor listening to this, you have patient has that assumption, an assumption of how long the care is going to be an assumption and it's going to cost they don't know the cost. They don't know how long they don't know this, they don't know that they don't know. And you let them create assumptions. Now you're chained to whatever they think. And that's the best way of destroying a relationship. So you have to pre frame expectations, set them clearly define them and exceed them. So we focus on our best work, not the perfect work. It's important to know best work and there was a I think it was Roosevelt president had someone come in the book multipliers they talked about him, and they the guy put a paper on his desk and he says, Is this your best work? And he says, No, I can do better. They took the paper back, worked on it again, brought it back and said, okay, and he says, Okay, now is this. Are you telling me this is your best work? The person took it to get back and refined it and put it in front of him. He goes, and he asked him a question. You know what, this is my best work. And Roosevelt said, Okay, now I'll read it. Never read the first two. I just thought that was such a great story. And setting up and it's something we're doing in the hiring process is saying, I'm pre framing this. I'm just going to expect you
Dr. Joseph Esposito:to deliver your best work. Can Can we agree to that? Can you honor that? Because I'm going to ask you Is this your best work and pre frame that when you hire and use the languaging best for Is this your best work? It It has been shown in the book multipliers to have an effect on your cognitive ability to actually deliver your best work. So going back to the sentence, we focus on our best work, we maintain consistency. That's consistency is the new intensity in business consistency, it's probably for me, because of my Strength Finders are more into the vision and more into the new thing. As a visionary down the road. Consistency is not my strength, it's my weakness. I want it in core values. So I learned how to honor the need for consistency emphasis, and then we deliver our products with kindness. So, you know, and our goal over is to wow, everyone. So what are your thoughts on? On breaking that down?
Dr. Cliff Fisher:Yeah, I love it. I so for me, like when I look at that, I think a couple of basic things that I think we've done this for a long time, but like you want one or two words to define the core value, then you go through and then define it. And Joe, you did an excellent job on this. And I know this is years of expertise, and then also hundreds of hours 1000s of hours of work. And so what I like about it is super clear. There's no like, we understand exactly what while everyone means. But it's also simple enough for us not to have to remember that entire definition, to be able to say, okay, cool, we need to why everyone, and we can come back and reference that but and that's why I have it up on my board next to me, but it's something that you should be living by as a company. And one of the things I always tell people, when I first bring them on, is like, this is what you can expect from me and our entire team. And this is what we expect from you. And we hire and fire based on these core values.
Dr. Joseph Esposito:So if you're going to live through this concept of Well, everyone, guess what? You need expectations, on everything. Yeah, on everything. You bring on a new patient, they should have an expectation in beginning what the cost is, before they're charged, they should have an expectation on length of care, they should have an expectation on what they need to be educated on along the journey, they should have all these expectations. So when you look at Wow, everyone, you have to break down. And you've got to ask yourself, what are the behaviors that my team and myself need to honor to honor this core value? And then you can go deeper? Where in our standard operating procedures or SOP? Are we refining expectations? Where can we do better? The next question is how do we exceed the expectation? If the patient is expecting X, how do we create x plus 10? And you got to ask the right question to get the best answer. And to create success in business, you want to wow, the clientele provide higher service higher outcome than what you set as an expectation. So when you get granular on that, what I just did is say okay, well, what are the expectations? I don't know? Well, let's find them. What is the SOP? I don't know, let's write it. So this one thing just gave you 1000 hours of work? You got to figure out what they are, you got to write them, you got to train your team on them, then you got to exceed them. Well, how do you exceed them? You need behaviors and trainings and systems in order to exceed the expectation right now you may not know the expectation, you may not know how to change it, and you may not know how to train on it. So it's like, oh man, they opened a mindset like wow, I got a lot of work to do. And that's the beauty of something like align life is that we have the systems, the behaviors, the training, the auditing in order to make sure that you know the expectation and you can exceed it. Right. Yep. Awesome. Awesome. Okay, let's go to the next one. People matter. I know this resonates well. On the personal side for both you and I. The concept people. Oh, yeah. So we embrace individuality, commit to personal development, and strive for excellence. So break that. The first is the individual, the individual. We always joke about our sister company, a Siva, Siva nutraceuticals. Because one of our team members wanted to be on a grounding mat. And he asked if I mind if he has a grounding mat, and I said, No, it's totally fine. It goes by me too. I want bare feet on my mat. So that, you know, I can ground myself, I don't want to have no rubber soled shoes because it won't create the grounding I want because the keyboard is an electromagnetic radiation coming into my body and I want to have it grounded. Okay, that makes total sense. So it's interesting because then we bought an EMF tester and had it in one hand while he was putting his hand on the keyboard and he's emitting radiation through the keyboard. So although it may sound so wildly off the chart, it was a truth and measured by a machine. So And now I say Okay, so now we have a staff member standing there on this grounding mat barefoot, then we found that the EMF radiation on the fluorescent lighting above is a problem. So now we have the lights off, and a little light in the corner. So the dark of the rooms kind of dark, then his computer screen was too low that affected his posture because he's standing. So I had to buy the stand to put the computer screen high enough. So he kept the curve in his neck, which I love being a chiropractor. So wait, tie, the lights are off. He's barefoot, there's incense in the room. And then we had a client walk in the office. And here comes this barefoot guy walking out of a room to deal with a client and I shook my head and say, Okay, maybe I'm overdoing the acceptance of individuality when the Barefoot guy came out of the room, but a little bit of a joke there. But what that did is create someone that was innately themselves and pounded out such amazing, amazing work and research and product development and everything because he lived, you know, he lived who he was. So anyway, I thought they'd enjoy that story.
Dr. Cliff Fisher:And the other thing too, is like, I have a grounding mat, right under my keyboard, I have a grounding mat of my sitting desk and my standing desk. Good, good.
Dr. Joseph Esposito:So no, this this reality behind that. And sometimes we're so such conformist in business, like this is the way you do it. Because that's where it's supposed to be done. We one of the other things that we have in a change agents is the next one. And that's what, that's what I use, is that core value to say, do we have to do that? Like, do we have to follow that? Yeah, you know, that's the question I always ask myself, do I have to do that? No, I don't, I can do something different. The second part personal development, we're actually moving to in 2023 of your marketing 2% of gross revenue, the company to go to training, all training of our team. So if it's, let's say, the $5 million business, it's 500,000. Though, that's 10%, I'm bad with my math. But anyway, 2%, I can't figure out 2% 2% of total revenue. It's one of those not going towards training. So your market. So what kind of training can we do for our team, that's a big gap in most companies is they don't invest back to the people. When you add it to your core value, you have to honor it. And the next one is we don't wait for excellence, we strive for excellence. So Done is better than perfect. Right? You know, we all talk about that phrase, we strive for excellence always. That's the question Is this your best work, right? So we create not only safe, but respectful environments where people can grow, thrive. Growing is raising your consciousness thriving as excelling and being not in survival, but not survive, but thrive. It's a different mindset. It's a mindset of abundance thriving. So we want our team to grow their consciousness, we want them in a state of abundance thrive. And we want them not to be the best we want them to be. And this honors cliffs core values, we want them to be the best version of themself. Cliff is not trying to be Joe Esposito, and I'm not trying to be Clint Fisher. We're trying to be the best version of ourselves. And I know that's right along. I think I probably I think you're the one who refined that out last piece. Because that's, that's your innate. So anyway, I just, I can read this over and over cliff, the, of how this honors who we are.
Dr. Cliff Fisher:Yeah, and I think, you know, I think what we want to do is just kind of give you the overview. And I know Joe's given the stories and the thoughts behind it, but like, we want you to realize, like, honestly, how painful this experience is, but how rewarding is when it's done. Because honestly, when I read these I tear up, I get emotional, I'm like, Cool. Let's throw on the armor. Let's go to battle because it is a battle every day. This has to be big enough for us to want to do the next thing. Because if it's not, it's easier just to stay in bed.
Dr. Joseph Esposito:Sure, so check. Next one. We are creative and innovative problem solvers, creative and innovative. Two different things. Innovation is the creation. Creativity is just opening the door to other thoughts. Innovation is created actually creating. And we solving problems through those two mediums. We take risks. And what's really important to me, is in my values is challenging. I want to step out of the status quo, step out of the box, and I want to crush the box. I don't want to stay in the box. So whether it be or clinical process, we're pretty much disruptors in the industry, of doing things like adding lab tests to a chiropractic office like that's disruptive. It's hard. If people challenge it, people don't understand it. And it's the only thing is like that is totally challenging the status quo. This is the way it's supposed to be done. And it goes back to I hate to. I know, we're it's a longer session today. But I got to tell the story of the status quo of the woman, the little girl who asked the mom, why do you cut off both ends of the pot roast? When you put the pot roast, while the status quo says that's the way my grandma did it, they said, Well, why don't you call grandma. And the little kid asked the mom called your mom called grandma and asked her, I'm too busy. No, please, I want to know why you're cutting those off? Well, that's what she always did. You call the grandmother, the grandmother gets on the phone, because I don't know. It's the way my mother did. And just like my great grandmother, the little girl said, cut it off where she she's at the nursing home, she can hear very well, well, let's go into nursing home. And so end up going on a trip, a little girl asked her great grandmother, why they cut both ends of the pot roast when they put it in the pot, and cook the pot roast. And she said, Well, it was because my pot was too small regenerations of the status quo of doing something because that's just the way you do it. And what I urge you to do and what we want to do is forget the status quo, find meaning as to why we do what we do.
Dr. Cliff Fisher:And I think Tesla like Elon Musk is doing it right. Like he's finding all these places where he's challenging. This is impossible, this is impossible. And he's finding a way and I think that innovation, which we talked about on the previous one is so critical. Because, you know, if we don't challenge it, we're just gonna keep doing the same things we've been doing and getting the same thing we've been getting, then chiropractic needs to step up and save the planet.
Dr. Joseph Esposito:100% The last part of that is we enjoy making the complex, simple. I have a habit of making things complex, because I too clinical mind, like a good Saturday for me is writing an algorithm on bone metabolism and how it's affected by 15 different systems of the body. And looking at the algorithm like that I love that stuff. That's pretty complex. So I have a hard time. And I know the challenge in life and business is simplicity is creating simplicity. So when you like flip said, You, it's who you are. So but it doesn't mean you're not struggling, you could struggle through it. But it's who you are, you want simplicity. It's what you're striving for you're in it, then add that and have that as part of who you are. And again, don't do something that you aspire to. And five years from now, if you want simplicity and you're living through it, then add that and make sure that it's expressed. So when I see that, it makes my thinking today, how can I make things more simple, right? I mean, it becomes an awareness thing. What's the beauty of this whole thing?
Dr. Cliff Fisher:So yeah, so it creates that awareness, but then also gives us that space of like, cool. This is what we need to do with everything that we're doing. So if we have a process, we're like, okay, cool. Is this as simple as it can be? Yep. Perfect. Done, Jack.
Dr. Joseph Esposito:So how does this work? If you're in a strategy session, someone could say, Are we just following the status quo? Or are we doing what's right? Someone could say that sentence, someone say, Are we making this too complex, because our core value of change agents is we're going to make things that are complex, simple. That's how we become a change agent in the industry. Let's simplify. Like, that's the languaging. I'd like to hear you guys having with your team during the strategy session based on your core values. So I urge you to have your core values on the wall during your strategy session, I urge him to be in front of you on a piece of paper somewhere like Cliff had to write in his hand is that as we're having meetings, we have those core values. Next one, inspired leadership. We had one of the things I used to do is hire people that were great at what they did and try to inspire them on our mission. And the reason why we have this is called inspired leadership is we only in hire, we only hire inspired people. We don't create inspire people because you can't do that. When you have to outside influence someone's motivation. That's not inspiration. Inspiration is internal. So an inspired person is an energetic expression inside that's inspiration inward outward. Motivation is outward, inward to try to influence someone motivate someone to do something totally different energy. John Demartini Dr. John Demartini has some video series on YouTube, if you want to know the difference between motivation inspiration, but really, really good sessions he has, so we attract inspired people and create great teams, you hire good people, but you create great teams. Okay, so the greatness of a team is something that you nurture through training We do that in a team teams that thrive in an environment of autonomy. autonomy means that they are self directed, they do what they need to do with the accountability, that they need to honor their KPIs, their their deliverables for the quarter, but they have autonomy to get the job done. And through that, we celebrate three things. positivity. We always keep a positive outlook, even in the midst of adversity, we look for the positive Passion, Passion is that that deep inside energetic to follow that mission, and last hustle, sometimes you gotta get in there and just hustle. You may not have the dollars, but you got the hustle, roll up the sleeves go on the street and hustle. But sometimes, not. Every business under the first 100 million in revenue is a little short on staff and a little short on money. Yeah, after the 100 million, maybe you get a little break and maybe you have enough people but or enough money, right? Yeah.
Dr. Cliff Fisher:There's always a hustle is always a good space.
Dr. Joseph Esposito:I think so. I love adding that. Because it's a different energy, right? Hustle is muscles. Just roll up the sleeves, get all scar tissue, maybe a little calluses on your hands to get this. Get the job done.
Dr. Cliff Fisher:Yep, you just want your whole team like I know like that one really resonates with me like hustle even if your staff right and money's fine, like any of that, like you still want to hustle. Like you don't want to set on your laurels like oh, yeah, we're this that's about to die. Like you just want that hustle that intention. Like I always want to be that Rocky Balboa like going in, like, let's do it after the tussle because you know what the I forget the other guy, but the champion, he just kind of laid back on his laurels. And I just I don't ever want to be that come because chiropractic does not have the luxury to do that. Because there's a planet and you know, doctors lives at stake. So,
Dr. Joseph Esposito:so true. And that really resonates with me, because you're talking about the overall mission of the the, our, our profession. And these exercises, we're going through to create a more convicted individual on their own values, helps them be more convicted agent for this, this profession that we have that is telling the truth, the honesty and trying to deliver a more authentic health care experience to empower individuals to live their best life overall. So I think there's a thread through all of these podcasts is we're really wanting to help the liver chiropractors that are convicted on purpose and thriving inside of this industry by serving, you know, serving society. So I love you always pull that thread through that's beautiful, I think is the last one outcome focused. We utilize our data, we utilize data to guide our journey towards excellence. Just think of that for a second. Data drives our journey to excellence, I was talking with our marketing director, we have about 10 deliverables in the marketing department of alignment. And I said, I really need to know, you know, we have KPIs on these deliverables. And we're refining those getting ready for next year's plan. And I said, I need to define what average is for those 10 deliverables. I need you to help me understand what above average is for those deliverables. And I want you to define what excellence looks like for those levels. And also below average, and poor, what's a poor number. So if we look at the deliverables and say three of them are poor, we own that. That's a whole nother level of awareness, a whole nother level. You know, your number is poor, and that's okay, eat it, chew on it, taste it, feel it, know it. But when you think you're all out and you use your is patronizing concept in business, you will never reach excellence. So if you could define excellence with data, you can actually strive to hit it. But think about defining excellence through through data. That's clarity, guys. So anyway, that that means so much to me. And that's where the last two years of my journey as a CEO of align life is trying to continually using data to guide our journey towards excellence. We make data driven decisions. We don't want opinions without data. I think it is blood. That is That was the marketing is really good. This is really bad. Those are just emotional words. If you said the marketing is enhanced 23% and our cost per acquisition is down 11%. That's fruitful data for business. Don't talk in business about bad or good or I like I don't like talk down. And that's a good lesson for you if you're in business is keep the emotions to your journey in your experience in your personal life and your family. But in business, keep it data driven decisions. Okay, we we can you lift that just a little this Because it says your okay we that you says Cliff Fisher's dentists we believe results are the only truth. So this is business this isn't the mission, the business results are the only truth. What are the results, and this is good concept for your team is your hard work isn't what you want in business, it's outcome. So we don't necessarily need people to work harder. We need them to just create outcomes, the good clarity, because I used to just celebrate hard work, because I love people, I want to appreciate them. And you could celebrate hard work right to bankruptcy court. What are your thoughts on this one?
Dr. Cliff Fisher:Yeah, I think like new patients, and cashflow covers a lot of sin. And you know, when you start having the data, you get to start making different decisions. Because you know what excellence looks like versus like, most chiropractors like, oh, I have money in the bank up, everything's going through, that's good enough versus like, No, we're looking for excellence, which is like the string through this whole space. So like, it really resonates with me that one, and not this, you know, back to the hustle for me is like it doesn't let us rest on our laurels either.
Dr. Joseph Esposito:Yeah, I agree. 100%. So these are the five I hope you guys learned something through them. And there's been changes over time, we had a respectful environment, because we had a gentleman who was disrespectful to our team. And we're like, how do we ensure we don't hire someone with arrogance or lack of humility, but you got to add it to your core values. And then when you meet people, you you weed the garden in the beginning, and it does, they don't honor core values, then you don't proceed with that relationship. So this is a beautiful work in practice, through scar tissue and adversity and a journey of business to refine the core values.
Dr. Cliff Fisher:I think for me, Joe, that one that like that people matter that in respectful environments, that's also goes for chiropractic teams, like patient, the patient, like you got to get it right like it to be principal people. Or sorry, principal team patients. process that's like, gotta be the order things go because I know for me, and when I was in practice, I had a patient disrespect my wife, my wife at the time, and she and I stood up for the patient and my partner stood up for my wife like no, like, there is no single patient that's going to grow your practice, like one single team member could. So just recognize your team has to come first. And people matter starts right there.
Dr. Joseph Esposito:I agree. 100%.
Dr. Cliff Fisher:I know this was a bit of a long one. But I feel like from a business standpoint, that's I think the weight and mag magnitude that this one needs to carry. So I'd be curious on some of your takeaways for this one, and then I'll lead into what we're doing next week.
Dr. Joseph Esposito:For me, I realized that we, in our my reality in business is that we're just not refining and rundown, not refined, we're not reviewing it, and bringing it to the awareness. As much as we need, it has to be done even more. And you think about it. We keep doing more and more, but it's still not enough. I think on a daily basis as the CEO, I need to bring this into my consciousness, like throughout every single day. Not at a weekly meeting, not at a I think like you said, you review a personal every day, I'm feeling review my personal the morning when I start my morning rituals, and then actually reading these when I start my workday. That's, that's my takeaway of, you know, you're either in it or you're not in it, right? It's not like, you're kind of pregnant. It's like, you're the you're on course for your core values, or you're not. Right,
Dr. Cliff Fisher:yeah. 100. How about you? So I think my biggest takeaway is our biggest, like, the our biggest return on investment is investing in our team. And one of the best ways we can invest in our team is having clear expectations agreements, and those start right at the core values. And so for me, it's like just, you know, I think it's one of those things where it's like more laps through, it's like, yeah, I know what I know. But then I just forget it. I'm like, Nope, there's these other things that seem to be you know, oh, I need to solve this I need to solve this was like, nope, get the core values, right. And then you know, and lean in on your people and just honor your people and your relationships. So
Dr. Joseph Esposito:awesome. Great session, Cliff, I think. I think we're carrying this message through pretty well. I hope people are starting to learn and get more self aware their personal core values, I hope they're able to actually create their business core values and make sure that their staff members and themselves, see their personal core values being honored by the business core values, create more continuity on the mission and keeping everyone aligned to the journey. So,
Dr. Cliff Fisher:yeah. And so then that's what this is intended to do what it needs a great clarity for you, personally, you professionally. And then next week what we'll do is we'll talk about how we bring this home. And so we're going to share, like, like the rest of the story on this and what we found and how you know, we derive it But meanwhile, make work on that person and work on that for the professional. If you do want to sign up, I have those 10 spots, so sign up for him. Soon as they're gone. They're gone. And then you guys have an awesome week, and I look forward to seeing you guys next week. Awesome. Thanks. Bye.
Dr. Joseph Esposito:Bye.