As a dietitian and owner of a private practice, I know you are passionate about promoting weight-inclusive care and creating a supportive environment for clients of ALL sizes. But, I also know that a lot of fellow private practice owners tend to miss one crucial step in achieving this. And that is establishing a clear mission statement and core values for your practice.
This is the part of branding that tends to get forgotten about or misunderstood as something that isn’t a part of the branding process. But, it is and it’s absolutely essential! I always tell clients that a logo without a strategy (and a mission statement with core values) is a brand/logo without a soul.
You can’t build an effective brand for your private practice without having the foundation of knowing WHY you are doing what you are doing and the values behind those decisions. I know with my own nutrition clients that values work is an important and essential part of the process. Owning a business and having a brand strategy are the same! You need to know the WHY and HOW behind what you are doing in order to effectively move forward.
So, let’s jump into the three reasons why every weight-inclusive private practice needs a mission statement and core values:
A mission statement and core values help to guide the actions and decisions of your team.
When everyone on your team is aligned with your practice’s values and mission, it becomes much easier to make decisions that are in line with your practice’s goals and philosophy.
If you reflect back on any previous jobs you have had you may know that they cover their mission statement and core values during your orientation. And you likely thought it sounded … boring. BUT, imagine what it would be like to work for a company that had no mission statement, no values, no VISION. You would find it hard to really be invested in the work you were doing for them. And I know that you don’t want that experience in your own business and private practice.
A mission statement and core values serve as a means of communication with clients and the broader community.
By clearly stating your values and mission, you can attract like-minded clients and let others know what to expect from your practice.
In this ‘day and age’ it’s even more important to make it clear to potential clients who you stand for. Values and ideals matter a lot to consumers. In fact, a 2018 poll found that “78% of Americans believe companies must do more than just make money; they must positively impact society as well”
A mission statement and core values can help to create a sense of purpose and belonging within your team.
When everyone is working towards a shared goal and guided by shared values, it can foster a sense of camaraderie and help to build a positive work culture.
I’ve experienced this myself and heard from so many others – when a company doesn’t have a clear direction it makes it incredibly difficult to make it through hard times, hard transitions or to get full ‘buy-in.’ Your clients and employees need to know why they are having to go through a more difficult or challenging experience for them to be able to want to continue. For example, when I was the director of a hospital wellness center, I knew I had to make a lot of difficult decisions and changes for the facility to be able to move forward and function properly. But, the team was kept in the loop and I made it clear what our goal was as a department. Was it easy? Of course not! But the clients and employees that could see the vision and end goal were able to withstand the uncomfortable changes that were happening because they knew it would make things better in the end.
As you can see, a mission statement and core values are crucial for any weight-inclusive private practice. Not only do they help to guide the actions and decisions of your team, but they also serve as a means of communication with clients and the broader community. Take the time to carefully consider what your practice stands for and what you hope to achieve, and then use this to create a clear and compelling mission statement and set of core values. Your team and your clients will thank you for it.
Need some help getting started?
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