Know what you want and state the outcome positively

Scenario

Two pharmacies were asked to identify ways to create new business and pull themselves out of recessional woes. The teams were separated and asked to develop their ideas and come back in one week.

Seven days later, the first pharmacy team appeared rather dejected. They said they wanted to cut costs, reduce overheads and rationalise the workforce. Gloom and doom hung in the air.

The second pharmacy team members looked a lot happier and about the future. They described building relationships with commissioners, creating a wonderful health resource that was more than just a consultation room, exploring new private health services, developing talent and producing a great modern look for the pharmacy. The team had decided that it was time to turn the pharmacy around. They were no longer looking at what parts of they business they could sell off to fund things, as they had in the past, but were planning how much new business they needed to support this programme of change.

What is the difference between the two approaches? It is clearly the level of motivation, drive and determination. One team focused on what they had to cut back on and the other on what they wanted in the future. By focusing on what they didn't want €“ debt €“ the first pharmacy has created a negative feeling, which would not support a compelling work environment. The second pharmacy created drive and enthusiasm and so were much more likely to move towards this positive outcome. This team is more likely to produce efficiencies and save money without creating a specific focus on it.