When Guides Go Bad

I choose to spend my free time climbing mountains.  The thrill I get from accomplishing this feat gives me a strong, happy feeling.  It reminds me that it is great to be alive and makes me more grateful for the wonderful life that I have.

When I climb I go with a guide, someone who knows the mountain and who understand the weather patterns and cycles that occur in the area.  I am very lucky as I have climbed with guides who have climbed Mt. Everest and who are well known in their field.  I choose my guides carefully and interview them in depth to get a solid understanding of their experience and background.  Are they working for a solid reputable company?  Is this a firm that can provide support and backup when things go bad?  Is there a team in place in case the guide fails?  How long have they been guiding and what is their true pedigree?  Do they really care about me as a person and if push comes to shove will they go the extra mile or are they in it to make a buck?

These questions are important because things are not always as they appear.  Once I spoke with someone who said they had been guiding for 17 years.  What they didn’t say was that for most of those years they were actually working at a postage mailing company and not really guiding at all.  They simply made up the experience.  I check their resumes and their climbing logs to make sure that I am not putting myself in a risky position.

In choosing a practice management company you are choosing a guide.  Someone who can help you and your practice move in the right direction at the right pace to gain the summit.  Choose wisely who you tie the rope to as this person can make or break your practice.

Remember when you are tied into a rope team you are only as strong as your weakest member.  Make sure your guide is the strongest member.  That is what you are paying him for.