Dr. Allen Miner: Hey, everybody. Dr. Allen Miner with my co-host, Dr. Brian Capra, from UAC, and this is Our Best Practices Podcast. And today, we have a new-ish member. Not that new, really, Dr. Brian Mabry, who is also in UAC with his brother, Chris. They own a chain of clinics that is, every time I talk to you, expanding. It started in Ohio and is now in Carolinas and probably a few other places. How many clinics are you up to Dr. Brian?
Dr. Brian Mabry: 14, I believe.
Dr. Allen Miner: 14. And one thing we’ve learned, as you scale practices, you don’t get to that number of 14 without having some things figured out. And so we’d love to hear, what’s something that you can share with the profession right now that’s the best practices that has enabled you guys to scale… And I’ll say, in a pretty short time, how long did you open the first clinic?
Dr. Brian Mabry: We opened the first one 12 years ago, but the scale of the growth has really just happened over the last several years.
Dr. Allen Miner: So, let’s hear it. What can somebody listening… You’ve done this 14 times. There might be somebody in their own clinic trying to figure it out. What’s made the difference? What’s enabled you guys to do what you’re doing?
Dr. Brian Mabry: That inflection point. We always did a great job, prior to it, of taking care of the people, the patients, etcetera. But the inflection point really occurred when we shifted our mindset and transitioned our focus as not only the patients being the gods in our practice, but our team. So, we put a massive emphasis on culture and environment within not just the patients, but the ability team as a whole.
Dr. Allen Miner: So, how did you do it? I know one answer, because I had the honor and privilege of coming to speak to your team, which you guys have everybody… I think you probably doubled since then, but you had everybody from all corners and states in one great facility down in Florida, and that’s, I think, a regular rhythm you guys do. You bring speakers in. So, talk to that, but what else… Culture is such a ethereal thing to pin down, to create. What are you guys doing to really define it and make sure that then actually becomes the reality of the experience your people are having?
Dr. Brian Mabry: Yeah, I think the textbook answer, what you’re going to get from a lot of people, is the why, the why, the why. For us, that’s not it. For us, it’s treating our people like human beings. For us, it’s investing in our people. It’s not just giving them the resources to do their job but realizing that they’re human and doing things with them inside of the office, outside of the office, giving them the autonomy as well as the playbook to make this their own, take it, run with it, to give them initiative and ownership to do it. Gosh, it’s that we pave the roads, but you’re the one driving the car, and really helping them fill it up with gas or pit stops and maintenance along the way, get them over those speed bumps, but ultimately let them drive as fast as they possibly can with a little bit of direction and paving from us.
Dr. Allen Miner: Practically speaking, a chiro’s hearing that like, “All right, that sounds cool, but what’s an example of something I do to put that into place?”
[chuckle]
Dr. Brian Mabry: Care about them more than what they’re doing on a day-to-day basis in your office. So, for example, I think a lot of times, we’ll sit through interviews or bring people on to our team, and we’ll merely think like, “What can you do for me to help me improve and further our mission or our vision?” And I think that they should… We all should have a little bit of sprinkle thought of, “This is something that I can also provide for you in return,” whether that’s an opportunity for growth, or stability, or family, or environment, culture. So, not being so one-sided and realizing that some reciprocity is required, some back and forth. And it could be something simple. The first easy task is that your clinic director, your owner, whoever is in charge, to sit down once a week with your CAs, with your patient coordinators, with whoever it is, and have a dialogue. Let them speak. Give them the floor. You just play MC, ask thought-provoking questions, and see where that conversation goes.
Dr. Allen Miner: Brian, I’m curious. This could be a swing and a miss, but I have to guess, you’re speaking and teaching from a little bit of past experience of maybe not doing this right or failing in this, or… Can you tell a little bit, like, what was the, I’ll use the term flexion point, that you realized, “Oh, this is something that needs to become a major focus for us?” What brought this to be such a focal point for what you guys are doing?
Dr. Brian Mabry: Yeah, downfall of my own is wanting everything to be perfect. And when you want everything to be perfect, you want to be the best player on the field but at the same time, you want to be the coach of the team, and you can’t do both amazingly well at all times. So, there was a point where everything was invested in the patients with a complete disregard for our team and where we would do everything to make the experience so incredible for the patients, that we forgot about making the experience incredible for our own people, who serve those patients. Like most chiropractors, they would hit the ceiling, they’d hit that threshold that they can’t break through. And, of course, when you can’t break through, we start turning over every stone to figure out why, and one of the most amazing things that we do is when you open that dialogue, and you hear their feedback and they have… You do that enough that you build the trust in them, and so you can allow them and yourself to be vulnerable, to be transparent, and they end up telling you these things when they trust you enough that you’re unable to see yourself. So, gosh, coming full circle, their feedback…
Dr. Allen Miner: Oh, sorry. Go ahead.
Dr. Brian Mabry: No. Their feedback to us is what helped us recognize this.
Dr. Allen Miner: Yeah, that’s beautiful.
Dr. Brian Capra: Did you… Brian, did you see… Can you hear me?
Dr. Brian Mabry: Yeah.
Dr. Brian Capra: Prior to this, can you see a measurable difference in maybe staff turnover? Is that one of the results that you’ve actually seen, or are they just, you generally had a good staff that stuck around for a while, but they just weren’t happy and burned out and just kind of trucking along and not maybe energized? So, what did you see as a result, what are you seeing in them?
Dr. Brian Mabry: Yeah, hands down. It’s really been the broad spectrum, meaning retention has been fantastic, or we realize quicker and more precisely that this isn’t the right person for our team. So, it’s really a win-win, because when you sit and you bring those team members on to make your practice the best practice, to give your patients the best experience, you’re often… And we’ve all been there in the interviewing process, you’re often duped. You’re bamboozled. And somebody comes on and then their fire flames out and that honeymoon phase is over, and this type of investment in our people has allowed us to, yes, not only retain people longer, but realize that they’re not the right fit sooner, so we can move faster forward.
Dr. Brian Capra: Would you say that’s because they actually make the decision for you when it’s the wrong person?
Dr. Brian Mabry: I think it gives us more evidence just by opening a line of communication, hearing from them. Of course, we all heard the cliches conflicts, clarify, and tackle the elephant in the room. But simple things like weekly, multiple times a week sit down, at least give your team that opportunity to never go to bed mad, and you learn more about them, they learn more about you and you find out if that relationship is mutual or not.
Dr. Allen Miner: A really great culture spit people out. It gets really evident really quick. And when the culture is really strong, the team knows, they won’t tolerate, “This person doesn’t fit.” And that might sound a little territorial, but really good cultures produce really good results, but that has to be curated. That usually doesn’t just happen organically, which you’re doing. Brian, that’s awesome. Last question for you, we ask everybody on the podcast, UAC, what’s been the takeaway, the benefit for you and your brother being in UAC the past year?
[chuckle]
Dr. Brian Mabry: Yeah. How do you say anything other than environment and culture. And I’m not just saying that because that’s what my focus has been on, but cult is short for culture, and it’s a group of people who are not always like-minded but have the same mindset and that of growth. And, gosh, when you talk about, “What’s been the biggest thing?” It’s not just reaching out, networking, the possibility to use your service, or Brian service or to use each other to help grow our practice, but so often as leaders of organizations, we don’t develop the culture with other leaders. We’re trying to develop those cultures in those who we are leading. So, to be around those people in that way, shape or form is energizing, it’s fulfilling. And I think I mentioned that to you after one of the last speakers, one of the last sessions, that that weekend was exactly what I needed. You pour into the culture and environment of your own team, what are you doing for that culture of yourself?
Dr. Allen Miner: Yeah. Well said, doc. We’re honored to have you guys be a part of it. It’s fun to watch what you’re doing. And thank you so much for coming on and sharing today. Pleasure having you.
Dr. Brian Mabry: Absolutely. No problem. Thanks for having me.
Dr. Brian Capra: Thanks, Brian. Have a good one, brother.
