The Vision Thing Part 1 of 3: Vision & Action
November 17, 2008 by dr. lam · Leave a Comment
My favorite quote of all time is as follows:
“Vision without action is only a dream.
Action without vision is only passing time.
Vision with action will change the world.”
I have used these words to close many of my lectures on leadership. It is the core of my belief system. It is the core of this website. I had a blog entry (you will see that many blog entries relate to one another, partly because I have a finite brain but also because I have deep abiding passions that are focused in nature) that talks about “walking the talk.” I have dealt with a lot of dreamers who have seen the glorious building I have built and who want to be part of the vision. My tagline which has become a bit of an inside joke is “Join the vision now”, which is what I used when I was first recruiting physicians for my building. I found that physicians (pardon me) can be divided into one of two types: the lone maverick whose ethical decision making is circumspect to say the least or the risk-adverse individual who is ensconced in his or her own fears. The first type is a big dreamer but I do not like their actions. The second type is neither a dreamer not a doer, leading ultimately to failure at getting the bigger slice. I infrequently encounter a medical professional in whom I have the rare respect of having both the right vision and the right action. In any case, I have not compromised my vision for anyone (not even for my patients. We’ll get to that on Wednesday.)
A huge reason that I joined Entrepreneur’s Organization (EO) is that these are gentlemen and ladies who have a big vision for changing the world and who have put all their risk behind that vision. I slavishly defend my brethren in that organization and have rarely if ever missed a meeting. I missed only September’s this year for our learning event because I was in Montreal at the hair restoration meeting. I have missed no forum meetings this year because I make that a priority. We are all given one miss. I take that to mean zero if at all possible.
Reading this weekend entries from a young gentleman from the UK in my forum postings, I like what he said, “a mentor/friend of mine said that you become the top 5 people you surround yourself with. it led me to change my entire social circle, create a mastermind, and my life has changed so drastically over the last year, and continues to every single day. It’s really hard to get rid of negative influences in your life, especially when you bonded and create some level of co-dependency. So I absolutely agree with thoughts in this post!” Thanks Vince for your wonderful entries. He also offered his apologies for talking about irrelevant subjects on this website. I have made it a point that there is no such things by opening a section called “Tell me about your passions”. This website aspires to be much more than a website on facial cosmetic surgery. It is about a community inspired to change the thinking of the world. Okay, once again I get ahead of myself. Read Wednesday’s blog.
Wait Times Best in Texas!
November 14, 2008 by dr. lam · Leave a Comment
Jan May, our Botox business development rep, just gave us the good news: we have the best wait times in Texas based on a uniform customer satisfaction survey provided nationally. Remember these are only the top practices across the U.S. that even get these services so these are the busiest practices that at least reach platinum status with Allergan (300+ bottles of Botox a year, which we are way over). Obviously, for a slow practice with 10 patients a day, you would expect the wait times to be great. However, we are the best of the busiest and that says a lot.
I am obsessed with quality customer service and so is my staff so I am extremely proud that despite our very busy practice that we can garner this distinction. In addition, I always make it a point to make sure that my patient knows that I am running behind if I am, and I do so personally myself rather than delegate that responsibility to my staff. Further, my staff tries to ensure that every waiting patient is attended to with appropriate amenities to make their time more enjoyable and perceptually less prolonged. In short, I am really happy with our results, and I am glad that my patients overall are satisfied with our expeditious service!
Rethinking Gravity: Using Superimposed Aging Photos as a Model
October 27, 2008 by dr. lam · Leave a Comment
Before we begin, I would like to thank Mike again for quickly accomplishing a request I made. If you notice on the bottom of this blog, you can now subscribe to my blogs so that you don’t have to keep checking back in to see if I have posted my blog. Most often I have my blogs posted in the morning before I go off to surgery. However, I sometimes forget or don’t have it done on time so it comes later in the day. Now, you can receive an email (if you so desire) informing you the exact moment a new blog is posted and can then link you straight to the new blog. It also allows you to send an interesting blog straight to a friend who might be interested in the topic covered. You can also post my blog to various social media outlets as you see fit. Now on to today’s blog:
I just got back last night from Los Angeles where I gave 3 lectures at Cedars-Sinai and had a fabulous time. I also learned a tremendous amount and would like to thank my friend, Babak Azzizadeh, for inviting me to speak there. I was particularly enlightened by Val Lambros’ lecture on understanding the evolution of facial aging in which he used superimposed images of an individual at youth and after aging with morphed animations between the two images controlling for facial position. What was remarkable is how the upper and midface DO NOT FALL but just lose volume and deflate.
I like what he said which was, “The brows do not fall as much as we pick them up.” When he showed images of the brow over time, some came down literally only 1 or 2 mm, others stayed the same height, and still others actually went upward with aging as the skin retracted upward. Therefore, even for the occasional brow that came down 1 to 2 mm, a browlift would oftentimes exaggerate the brow position upward making the eyelid look different and unrejuvenated. He also mentioned that (and he demonstrated this on himself) when he lifted his brow up with his finger his eye actually looked smaller, making him look older. The fuller outer brow contributes to the lengthening of the eye shape further outward, which is similar to the shape in youth.
Let’s discuss eye shape in youth. He mentioned that in most individuals, Caucasian, Asian, or any race, there is a relatively almond-shaped eye that becomes increasingly rounder as the lateral canthus (outer part of the eye) starts to move inward toward the nose. This beadier, smaller, rounder eye is less attractive than the more open, almond eye shape that is more prevalent in youth. As mentioned, by exposing the narrowness of the outer eye by lifting the brow, the eye can look smaller and thereby more aged. That is why a traditional lower-eyelid surgery that involves cutting of the lower eyelid skin and tightening the skin thereafter further constricts the outer eye and can make the eye look even older. By filling the outer brow, you visually extend the outer eye shape to make it appear younger since the eye appears wider. Okay, this is really hard to explain but a simply brilliant thesis predicated on empirical evidence of aging using unequivocal superimposed images from youth to aging. In addition, a fuller framed brow is simply what exists in youth. For all of these reasons (both illusory and real), a browlift can actually age someone further.
He evaluated positions of moles and other static landmarks during the aging process. He found that moles simply do not change direction gravitationally downward. The moles that did migrate with facial aging did so in a radial fashion along muscular pull lines, i.e., almost horizontally that would indicate that the face is radially contracting, i.e., deflating, rather than falling downward. Again, remarkable insight using powerful superimposed young and old photographs of the same individual.
Unfortunately, for the neck and jawline, oftentimes a facelift is still required to accomplish the required rejuvenation. However, what he also showed was that the jawline matched out from youth to aging actually shows the jowl because the surrounding tissues are lost. That is the soft-tissue in front of and behind the jowl begin to disappear to reveal the jowl. At times bringing the jawline down with fat transfer in front of and behind the jowl could actually be better in certain circumstances. I think with a very prominent jowl and neck descent, a facelift is still mandatory to get the desired results. However, I have come to appreciate the power of filling the outer jawline in select patients who would benefit from this fill both for the sake of facial rejuvenation as well as for creating a better-balanced face. All of these ideas represent a remarkable revolution in thinking that justifies volume replacement as the singular technique for upper, midfacial, and parts of or the entirety of lower facial rejuvenation.
Celebrate Everything, Part 3 of Defining Culture
October 23, 2008 by dr. lam · Leave a Comment
Herb Kelleher, Founder of Southwest Airlines Playing Doctor
Fortune Magazine stated in its 1995 Corporate Reputations survey: “There is a growing concern that companies cannot live by numbers alone. The one thing that set the top ranking companies in the survey apart is their robust cultures.” I would agree.
The one thing that I try to do almost every single day with as many staff members as possible is to share with them our success stories. Oftentimes, we tend to focus so much on how many units of Botox to draw up, did we get the proper medical clearance for next week’s patient, did the patient get the proper follow-up visit assigned, etc. that we forget why we are doing what we are doing.
I believe that my entire staff believes that we are here to “change and transform lives.” That in essence is another credo that we have. Along those lines, when I get a patient testimonial (written or video) back or a beautiful before and after photograph or a verbal testimonial, we stop all the presses and we celebrate for a moment why we are who we are and why we do what we do.
Southwest Airlines is perhaps the paragon of culture. They celebrate everything. There is always a party going on. Although we make it a point to celebrate birthdays, holidays, and other milestones, we celebrate why we are here every day every waking moment when we see how a life has been touched and transformed. I had a patient say to me at the consultation last week, “I hope you are as good as how much your staff says you are. It is unbelievable.” I just smiled.
Our Credo, S.A.M. L.A.M., Part 2 of Defining Culture
October 22, 2008 by dr. lam · Leave a Comment
I really like the word “Credo” instead of “Mission Statement”. I have always used the word “Mission Statement” until I read The New Gold Standard on Ritz Carlton’s legendary service. The word credo for all of you Latin neophytes (I took and taught Latin for four excruciating years!) means “I believe”. I think that my staff must buy in to our “credo” and know it. Before I give you my credo, here’s the Ritz Carlton’s:
The Ritz-Carlton is a place where the genuine care
and comfort of our guests is our highest mission.
We pledge to provide the finest personal service and
facilities for our guests who will always enjoy a warm,
relaxed, yet refined ambience.
The Ritz-Carlton experience enlivens the senses,
instills well-being, and fulfills even the unexpressed
wishes and needs of our guests.
I really love the last part, “fulfills even the unexpressed wishes and needs of our guests.” I think my staff does a lot of that without my prompting. They are truly hospitalitarians. (For my blog on my spawb site on hospitalitarians, click here.)
Now, here’s my credo. It is a simple mnemonic, my name, SAM LAM. (Thank goodness my name is not Alberto Gonzales. That would be hard to remember.) The “SAM” stands for Serve Always Mentality which is focused on how we serve our loyal patient base, putting the consumer first with the mind of serving always at the core. “LAM” is not focused on the patient at all but on each individual staff member. Remember we are all essentially selfish people, “WIIFM” (what’s in it for me.) L stands for Laugh: I want my staff to come to work every day and have a blast. A stands for achieve: I want them to come to work and feel self-actualized on the Maslow’s triangle. They should learn something every day and feel as if they are growing. M is for Mentor: I believe that as a team our goal is to mentor the next person next to us. We can’t oftentimes motivate the unmotivated but we can inspire the uninspired.
If you call my office or come in as a patient, every one of my staff members should be able to recite our credo by memory. I instilled this into them about a year or more ago, and I do occasionally quiz them on it. I hope you guys find your own credo. In my EO forum group, I learned an interesting thing is that a family can also have their own credo. Perhaps if you are not part of a company where you are in a position to create or sustain a credo, you could try this at home to define the culture where perhaps it matters most, with your family.