Dead Fish

You know that old adage, “Two wrongs don’t make a right”. Yeah well this certainly is true and even more in life and in particularly in business.

I remember when I was younger and the countless hours I would debate with my mother….”but Mum, Jodie was doing it, so that means that I could do it too!!.. Right?” Not the case.

Too often do I hear stories of how others in business have been treated or do things that at the time do not feel right to them. Well guys, if it smells like it is wrong, sounds like it is wrong then, it probably is wrong (sometimes even illegal).

As dietitians and health practitioners we are governed by a set of regulations and legislations that we must adhere to. They are all available to us to read on their websites, but just like how we automatically tick that little “I have read the terms and conditions…..” box on every website we sign up to, many of us don’t go to the effort of reading these legislations. Instead we trust in people that have been in business or as dietitians longer than we have; “if Jodie is doing it, I can do it to”.

We are one hundred percent responsible for our own practice and how we manage ourselves. If there is a time or a situation where I have felt uncomfortable or unsure about a particular procedure, I have either strayed away from it or sought professional advice. Now I know I can stand here nearly 10 years on in business and say well you should know better and act all high and mighty but I have also made mistakes along the way and paid for it. These days we are all expected to “know” how to run businesses and do things perfect from the get go otherwise in this game of competition and deliverables we will likely go under, and very quickly.

I was lucky in the early part of my career to have been given the opportunity to ask questions, learn from others and also make mistakes, learn from them and change them without going under. But… with so much competition from social media and the many platforms that people now conduct business it is even more apparent when things are being done poorly.

So I guess the reason for this post is not for you or anyone in business or dietetics to run away and hide but to be inquisitive. Trust your instincts and ask the right questions. If you don’t know how to charge, the legalities behind government agencies such as Medicare or have questions about a contract you are signing, then bloody well go out and get those answers. It could not only save you dollars and time but more importantly your reputation, your career and sometimes your life as you know it.