I hope you’re all enjoying the summertime sunshine, and hopefully taking a break or two from your practice, research and/or association duties to enjoy what the short season of summer offers us Canadians.
My summer reading list is slowly being checked off – the most recent book being Justin Bariso’s EQ Applied: The real-world guide to emotional intelligence, and something really stood out to me in chapter seven, “Building bridges.” This chapter touches on the value of strong relationships, and the importance of authenticity, communication and dependability, among other factors. One of the most important components he highlights is trust. Bariso writes:
“Deep, long-lasting trust requires connecting with others on an emotional level. Every promise you deliver upon, every humble act you commit, every word of sincere and specific praise you utter, and every effort to show empathy will contribute to building deep and trusting relationships – like the untold number of delicate brushstrokes that make up a beautiful painting.”
If there’s one all-encompassing factor that can be attributed to a successful chiropractor, it must be having high emotional intelligence, a “high EQ,” and I urge you all to harness it.
Ultimately it’s your own assessment and facilitating treatment that helps better the lives of so many people. It’s because of your care specifically, or perhaps your care in conjunction with complementary modalities, that has helped your patient walk farther, run faster, have sex more often, or perhaps allows them to go headache-free, longer. The trust built and the empathy shown between health-care professionals (such as yourselves) and patients will continue to strengthen our industry. Go ahead and embrace your emotional intelligence, taking note of how much you use your talents daily.
I think it’s worth noting that it’s important to celebrate your emotional intelligence, too – not just live with it. Your EQ likely leads you to make those great connections with your patients, further developing the doctor-patient relationship, and the patient’s successes.
We would love to hear of your success stories – and celebrate them! Please feel free to send us a short paragraph (300 words max) outlining a patient success story and why it continues to stick with you and guide your practice. Email your entry to jbelbeck@annexbusinessmedia.com, and your submission could be included in an upcoming issue.
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