Often I work with physicians who have effective decision making in clinical practice. They are smart people who have challenging times making decisions. It seems the steps to successfully make a good decision in the business can sometimes seem beyond their grasp. I think this has to do with the nature of being a physician. We tend to believe we must solve all the issues, have all the answers, and take all of the responsibility. In medicine, that might be true for your patient, but in your business, the reality is something entirely different.

Over the years, I’ve applied what my mentor taught about problem-solving to many different situations. His advice has not failed me, and I’m honored and excited to share it with you. The concepts are simple, but the implementation might require you to change your mindset.

1. Properly define the problem before attempting to fix it. To fix something, we should first figure out how it’s broken. Too many times, we rush out and treat...

When I was learning to fly, I learned quite a bit about decision making. One useful model I discovered is the DECIDE model. I think we use a similar, perhaps informal method, in clinical practice. It’s drilled into us in a subtitle manner in our training. It can work in clinical practice, however, when we begin process improvement initiatives having a model or checklist can help make your change easier and more effective.

1. Detect the change. Define the problem. The very first step is to detect that a change has occurred or a problem exists. Ask “What is the problem? What has changed?” If a change is to be recognized, proper monitoring must be in place. If you’re not monitoring for a change of any kind, it’s less likely you will discover it. Monitoring will help you identify if and when change is needed. A change might have occurred, but if you’re monitoring a process, you can see when and what you need to change to improve the process. You are...