07.06.10
3 Lessons Nurse Entrepreneurs can Learn from BP
What could the tragic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico possibly have to do with nurse entrepreneurs? There are lessons to be learned from BP for anyone who is in business including nurse entrepreneurs.
One of the first lessons that can be learned is not to overpromise and under deliver! BP has consistently over estimated and over promised in its efforts to contain the oil spread which has now reached every state in the Gulf of Mexico. It is vitally important that you are able to keep promises you make and deliver on time.
Next came the blame game. Everyone is pointing fingers at everyone else. What is critically important early on in a crisis is to solve the crisis. There will be plenty of time for finger pointing and assigning blame later if this is really necessary as may be the case in determining who should pay what costs. However, the first thing that needs to be done by every nurse entrepreneur is to fix to problem rather than assigning blame.
Finally is the lesson of risk. Risk looms over the horizon for every nurse entrepreneur. Know your risks and plan for them accordingly. Have a disaster plan in case the worst case scenario does happen. Determine you plan ahead of the disaster not after the disaster has occurred and you are trying to figure out a solution. Have a disaster plan in place before you take the step to put yourself at risk. Perhaps it is a stop loss measure, or back up assistance to be called on, or a triage plan, whatever is needed have your plan in place.
By learning from BP’s mistakes and failures you can make your company less vulnerable and more resilient. You can put yourself and your company in an excellent position by avoiding the mistakes made by BP.
LeaRae Keyes, RN