Episodes

Ultimate O.D. Nugget - The Lesson of the Turkey In this week's nugget we are learning the lesson of the turkey. If we don't keep our heads up and stay aware, we are going to wake up one day and our heads will be chopped off! Pay attention to life's patterns and you will see the farmer sharpening his axe with time to escape. Join in the fun and subscribe to the podcast to keep up with all the great content coming down the pipe! For exclusive content, be sure to register your email on our websit...

5 Traits of the Most Successful Practice Owners - E153 Highlights from this episode: Run Down: 5 Traits of the Most Successful Practice Owners (00:54) Office Talk: What Happens When We Sell (17:11) Closing Thought: We are the thoughts we constantly think (22:11) In this week's episode, we are talking about the 5 common traits shared by insanely successful practice owners. Everything in life has patterns, including success. We can maximize our chances of accomplishing our goals if we do the work...

Ultimate O.D. Nugget - Talent vs. Genius Start your week off right with a little Nugget from Dr. Lillie! There is a very small but important distinction between talent and genius. And that is being able to see what other people cannot. 👁 You want to be successful? Start dialing in your vision. Notice the little patterns and nuances that no one else pays attention to and you'll start to edge ahead. Your 1% continuous improvement will compound until people look at your practice and wonder how the...

Break the Stick - E152 Highlights from this episode: Run Down: Break the Stick (00:39) Office Talk: Student Shadow Experience (14:31) In this week's episode we are taking our inspiration from the show Billions. It's a great watch and even though everything is obviously very dramatized, there are some little pearls in there that can be applied to what we do every day in our practices. In this case, it was a story about "breaking the stick". When you are caught between a rock and a hard place, a...

Ultimate O.D. Nugget - Procrastination is Wisdom Start your week off right with a little Nugget from Dr. Lillie! This week it's all about what we can learn from procrastination. We always tend to view procrastination as something evil and a barrier to success. This is not wrong, but there is something we can take away from situations in which we find ourselves waiting until the last minute. This is a sign that this thing may not be your gift. Sure there are things that we may not want to do tha...

Ultimate O.D. Nugget - Why You Want a Different Perspective In this week's nugget, we are talking about how important it is that you have a mentor, business parter, or someone you trust that can give you a different perspective in your practice. If you always agree and think the same way about things, you won't have your blindspots covered and that could cost you! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theultimateodpodcast/message

From Focus to Implementation: 5 Steps to Level Up Your Practice - E151 Highlights From This Episode: Run Down: From Focus to Implementation: How to Level Up Your Main Area of Focus (00:44) Office Talk: The Sky is Falling! (21:23) In today's episode we are expanding on episode 149 today now that we have our focus in the works. Visions and dreams are great and all but they are nothing without actual implementation. This is one of the hardest processes you'll have to overcome but with these 5 ste...

Ultimate O.D. Nugget - How to Get in the Top 10% Start your week off right with a little Nugget from Dr. Lillie! This week it's about how to push yourself from 90% up to the 100%. This last little bit is the hardest and loneliest part of the whole journey. To be in that top tier, you are basically climbing Everest. Something to keep in mind is when you get to that point, you may not be able to get break through that barrier on your skill alone. Most often, the most successful leaders out there ...

Are You Leading Your Practice?: the Thermometer vs. the Thermostat - E150 Highlights from this episode: Run Down: Are You Leading Your Practice?: the Thermometer vs. the Thermostat (00:40) Office Talk: Revamping my Optical (21:24) In this week's episode, we are talking about setting the tone in your office. Are you a thermostat or a thermometer. A good leader absolutely needs to be the former. When you set the expectations and culture in your practice, you are giving your staff someone to foll...

Ultimate O.D. Nugget - It's Worth the Money To Get Rid of Stress Start your week off right with a little Nugget from Dr. Lillie! This week it's about how to handle things that cause you stress. In a book I read recently they said if you have money to solve a problem, you don't really have a problem. We need to stop taking long cuts and doing things that are unnecessarily stressful to us when we should be focusing on "who" instead of "how". Who can I find to help with this? Your time is valuable...

Focus: How You Can Elicit Change in Your Practice - E149 Highlights from this episode: Run Down: How You Can Elicit Change in Your Practice (00:40) Office Talk: How Focus has changed my practice (21:28) In this week's episode we are talking about the key to making a change in your practice: FOCUS. In optometry we are blessed with the ability to specialize in so many things. Our scope of care is enormous! This can also be a curse though. If you do not dial yourself in and try to do everything, yo...

Ultimate O.D. Nugget - Who You Are Now Is Not Who You Were Then Start your week off right with a little Nugget from Dr. Lillie! This week it's about the labels we give ourselves. People change. 10 years ago you may have been a student, an athlete, etc. Are those labels still accurate? Every so often we need to reassess them. Sometimes they change, sometimes they expire. Do a self assessment and see where you are at compared to a few years back. Join in the fun and subscribe to the podcast to k...

How To Make Your Optometric Practice Stand Out - E148 Highlights from this episode: Run Down: Discover Your Super Power: 3 Steps to Stand Out! (00:40) Office Talk: Manager progression & measuring what matters (21:28) In this week's episode we are talking about the importance of not being a commodity. The key to differentiating yourself from other practices is found in specializing. When you pick a specialty and become an expert, you are no longer competing for the same patients as the practice...

Ultimate O.D. Nugget - The Wisdom You Didn't Know You Had Start your week off right with a little Nugget from Dr. Lillie! This week it's all about sharing your knowledge and wisdom with others. Imposter syndrome is a real thing and everyone gets it at some point. The thing you need to remember is that if you are even one step farther down the path than someone else, you have wisdom to share and people that will want to hear it. It doesn't matter if you aren't where you want to be yet (none of ...

This is Going to Hurt, But You're Going to Be Free - E147 Highlights from this episode: Run Down: This is Going to Hurt, But You're Going to Be Free (00:46) Office Talk: The Sales Funnel (21:05) In today's episode we are talking about those "issues" in practice that end up just consuming you (RX checks used to be like this for me personally). You obsess over this thing trying to make the patient see reason or make them happy when there is really a much simpler way of giving you both the outcome ...

Ultimate O.D. Nugget - Have I Arrived? Start your week off on the right foot with a little Nugget from Dr. Lillie! This week it's all about how to handle the question of "have I arrived?" We are all striving to reach that "next level" but what happens when we get there? Do you feel any different? Most likely, you won't. The biggest change is that you are now a small fish again in a new and bigger pond. Don't let that discourage you however! That just means there's more room to grow. Join in th...

Problems Are a Good Thing - E146 Highlights from this episode: Run Down: Problems Are a Good Thing (00:58) Office Talk: Top Line vs. Reduced COGS (14:20) In today's episode we are talking about the one constant in business: problems. Contrary to the feeling you get when you hear the word, problems are GOOD! They are the cost of doing business. The key to overcoming the dread you feel when problems arise is mastering and managing your perspective. When you stop seeing problems as an injustice, an...

Ultimate O.D. Nugget - 3 Questions to Ask Your Staff to Increase Productivity In this week's nugget it's all about getting the information you need to help your staff be more productive. For your practice to run smoothly and efficiently with a good culture, your staff needs to have all the resources required to do that. Those things might not be what you think either! Maybe it's a special incentive, more training, or a different system. You won't know until you ask and these 3 questions will get...

After 12 Years in Practice, These Are 3 Mistakes I Do Not Want You to Make - E145 Highlights from this episode: Run Down: After 12 Years in Practice, These Are 3 Mistakes I Do Not Want You to Make (00:38) Office Talk: Trip to Florida! (19:07) In today's episode we are taking a trip down memory lane for me and going over three big mistakes I made. Had these things been handled differently, I would probably be in a much different place today. Hindsight is 20/20 so if we can save one person the pai...

Ultimate O.D. Nugget - What is Your Mission? In this episode we talk about your mission. First, you figure out your "why" and then you figure out your mission. This is not a lengthy mission statement, but instead, what do you wish to accomplish in 5 words or less. Keep it simple, say it often, and spread it to your staff! Join in the fun and subscribe to the podcast to keep up with all the great content coming down the pipe! For exclusive content, be sure to register your email on our website a...

What's Wrong with Obsession? - E144 Highlights from this episode: Run Down: What's Wrong with Obsession? (00:37) Office Talk: People, Numbers, Culture (16:24) In today's episode we are talking about "obsession". Is it good, bad, both? A little obsession, in my opinion, is necessary for success. There are times and things that you need to be extremely dialed in and focused if you are going to make something great happen. Obviously, there are times and seasons for it but in general, it's a power...

Ultimate O.D. Nugget - Can You Tell a Story? In this week's nugget it's all about the catalyst that simplification can be in your practice. Want to grow your business, expand your reach, all while providing better care for your patients? SIMPLIFY. Take everything you talk about with your patients and simplify it. Come up with short and simple analogies to explain procedures, ocular anatomy, lenses, treatments, you name it. Often the difference between patient compliance and non-compliance is jus...

Are You Lucky or Are You Good? - E143 Highlights from this episode: Run Down: Are You Lucky or Are You Good? (00:41) Office Talk: Office Culture & Helping vs. Selling (17:54) In today's episode we are talking about luck versus skill. Are you where you're at because of dumb luck, right place, right time? OR, are YOU the secret sauce to why you are successful (or not)? We all like to think we have a measure of control on our outcomes. In this segment we do a deep dive on that and give one person's...

Ultimate O.D. Nugget - The Change You Can't See In this week's nugget it's all about ice cubes and how they melt. As the temperature creeps up, nothing seems to be happening but once you hit 33*F you can see it start melting! Keep grinding and moving forward even when you don't think you can see the movement and you will be pleasantly surprised when you look back and see how far you've come! Join in the fun and subscribe to the podcast to keep up with all the great content coming down the pipe!...