Don't Build a Role Around a Person: 5 Costly Mistakes Wellness Center Owners Make

What's one thing you're doing in your business right now that future you would look back on and say, “Oh friend, we don't need to do that anymore”?

That's the question Kendall Hagensen and Anna Rudel leave you with in this episode of the Wellness Center Creators podcast, and it comes after an honest rundown of the things they would never do again as wellness center owners. Kendall prefaces it well: these weren't necessarily bad decisions. They made sense at the time and for the phase of business they were in, but with hindsight, there's plenty they would do differently.

Hiring on potential alone. Anna starts with building a role around a person. Hiring for potential is great, she says, but not on potential alone. Kendall describes two versions of the trap: putting someone with no experience into a role the business needs, and creating a brand new role the company doesn't need just to keep a great team member who has outgrown their position. She has done the second more than once, and in her experience it never works. There may be no budget, it doesn't flow energetically, and an undefined role often means asking the person to build it with you. Anna's takeaway: the need for the role has to exist independently of whoever fills it.

Keeping people too long. Kendall admits that “hire slow, fire fast” is easier said than done. In her earlier years it came down to fear: fear of losing money, of not finding a replacement, of being the leader who missed something. Anna compares it to an infection, where the sooner you treat it, the sooner the tissue heals. She also reminds listeners that the stretch between spotting a mismatch and someone leaving can be long and uncomfortable, and Kendall agrees that even “fast” can be a multi-step process.

Confusing generosity with a compensation plan. Anna shares that she is a very generous person and has tangled that up with building a good compensation plan. Kendall calls it perhaps the biggest pitfall for owners who are also helpers and healers. They talk about getting clear on pay structure before the interview, thinking forward about how someone can grow, and why team members want to know the most they can ever make. Kendall adds with a laugh that employees remember what you say, even when you don't, sometimes quoting a promise from six months ago.

The costliest mistakes. Asked what has cost her the most money, Anna says not putting leadership in place sooner. Assuming she could solve everything drained her energy and held the company back. Kendall points to trusting vendors and contractors at face value, like a promise to turn around your SEO, without enough due diligence. Anna notes the same applies to applicants who say they can do the job.

Lessons worth the pain. Both hosts say some experiences, like terminating someone or hiring the wrong person who then damages the team, were rough but made them better at hiring today. Anna closes with a story from a period when the practice had been through four front desk people in a matter of months and she was hiring out of desperation. Expecting a no-show, she went to a spin class and then rushed to the interview drenched in sweat. That person recently celebrated a 10th anniversary with her team. Kendall shares a similar story of an applicant who sat down with a five-year plan and said, “I've got you.”

Whether you're hiring your first employee or leading a growing team, you'll walk away with practical lessons you won't have to learn the hard way, and a good laugh.

And for information Bloom and Grow Monthly Mastermind Groups, go to: https://www.wellnesscentercreators.com/group-coaching

Sponsored by Jane App, Jane offers online booking, charting, scheduling, secure video and invoicing on one secure, beautifully designed system: https://jane.app/ Use code wellness1mo for a one-month grace period on your new Jane account.

About Anna Rudel

Anna Rudel, L. Ac is the owner and founder of Lokahi Acupuncture Clinic in San Jose California, founded in 2003. Anna is a master organizer and clinician, and as a Coach she specializes in working with Clinic Owners in the state of California, and Acupuncturists and Acupuncture Clinic Owners, or groups wanting to add Acupuncture worldwide, as well as teams that need support with employee retention and satisfaction. Born in the UK, Anna has traveled extensively in Asia and now has a thriving multi-practitioner clinic in the US!

Anna's Website and Links

• Website: https://lokahiacupuncture.com/ 
• Learn Group Coaching: https://www.wellnesscentercreators.com/group-coaching
• For info about Individual Coaching: https://www.wellnesscentercreators.com/individual-coaching

About Kendall Hagensen

Kendall is a Somatic Mental Health Therapist, Multidisciplinary Clinic Owner and Business Coach. She specializes in, and is passionate about, working with healthcare professionals to create the businesses of their dreams. Big goals always have a psychological component beneath the surface, so Kendall uses her background in Somatic Psychotherapy and EMDR Therapy mixed with Business Coaching tools to help clients develop a healthy relationship with their business and their strength as a leader. 

As someone who lives with a chronic illness herself, Kendall feels that health happens best within community, which is why she takes a holistic, integrative, and collaborative wellness approach to her personal and professional life.

Kendall’s Web/Social Links

• Website: http://www.vancouverwellnessstudio.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WellnessCenterCreators
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wellnesscentercreators/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/wellness-center-creators/