By John Lavey | Hammock President and COO
Recently I joined some members of our church on a Habitat for Humanity building project. I was part of a four-person team whose job was to hang exterior siding.
Another team from our church was a group of retired men. Since it was so hot, I was concerned about the other team, as I expected them to struggle to keep up.
As the day went on, it became clear that we were totally outmatched by our elders. They were good at cutting boards with a high degree of accuracy. They also knew how to make angled measurements and get it right the first time. It took us twice as long to do the same amount of work.
I drew some conclusions that are also true of our work for our healthcare clients:
Knowledge and experience matter. I was in a meeting yesterday where a client acknowledged difficulty in developing a presentation. I wanted to know more about the challenge they faced. Her frustration summed it up. “I know what we want to accomplish,” she said. “It’s just hard to get it right.”
Our clients, just like the other guys on my Habitat team, are at their best when focusing on what they do well. We aren’t expected to be experts at hanging siding. And healthcare companies focused on quality patient care shouldn’t be expected to be experts at IT development or content creation.
It’s Outsourcing 101, but it’s true: Focus on what you do best. While we often think we can easily shift roles within our departments, marketing and IT are two areas that have become infinitely more complex and specialized.
When you can focus on the things you do well, and outsource the rest to trusted partners, you will raise your effectiveness.
Image Credit | iStock
About Hammock Healthcare Idea Email | This post is part of Hammock’s award-winning Idea Email series. Idea Emails are sent every other week and share one insightful marketing idea. Idea Email comes in two flavors: Original and Healthcare. To subscribe to the original Idea Email (general marketing ideas), click here . To subscribe to the Healthcare Idea Email (healthcare marketing ideas), click here.