A young optometrist told me recently that one of the greatest challenges she’d encountered in the ‘real world’ was dealing with patients that were not like her.
She was surprised to find her patients often had difficulties complying with basic directions in the chair – simple things like, ‘look left’, ‘look right’ or ‘look at me’. She realised she’d been surrounded by people similar to herself throughout her life and that she needed to change her way of thinking and communicating when dealing with the broader community.
Without realising it, she had put her finger on a topic I’d been thinking about for a while: the fact that most of us wear blinkers; that we become “too comfortable” in our own world; attract people who feel similarly comfortable in that world; and can often feel like a “fish out of water” when outside that environment.
I’m not talking about racial prejudice (although that’s certainly an obvious blinker) – we can feel at home in the most ethnically diverse environment but be outside our comfort zone when dealing with people who have an unfamiliar work ethic, who come from another socio-economic group, or have a different academic background… our blinkers are as individual as we are.
One way to recognise your own blinkers is to remove yourself from your comfort zone…
Like our young optom, we’ve got to realise the problem is not with “them”, it’s within ourselves. We have to develop the ability to honestly acknowledge our blinkers – then very deliberately remove them. One way to recognise your own blinkers is to remove yourself from your comfort zone.
We regularly write about eye care professionals who volunteer for outreach programs both here and overseas. Almost without exception, they tell us three things: it’s hard work; it’s incredibly rewarding; and it changes their lives as much as it changes the recipients of their services. This change comes through expanded horizons, through seeing life from the point of view of another.
But you don’t have to travel to the remotest parts of the country or another country to do that – sometimes just going to the next suburb is enough of a culture shock. Start small. Start closer to home.
Walk a mile in the shoes of your employees; you may see your practice isn’t as rewarding/efficient/harmonious as it could be. Walk a mile in the shoes of a sales rep, and you may realise they can be a valuable asset to your business and deserve courtesy and respect.
Walk a mile in the shoes of a non-compliant patient and you might see they’re nervous, don’t understand or have a memory problem. Finding new ways to reassure them, explain what you’re doing and why it’s important, or writing down instructions may be the turning point.
Perhaps the best advice comes from the gilded voice of Elvis Presley:
“If I could be you, if you could be me/ For just one hour, if we could find a way/ To get inside each other’s mind/ If you could see you through my eyes/Instead your own ego I believe you’d be/I believe you’d be surprised to see/That you’ve been blind. Walk a mile in my shoes/ just walk a mile in my shoes/ Before you abuse, criticize and accuse/ Then walk a mile in my shoes.”
‘Walk a Mile in My Shoes’ (words and music by Joe South)
