This is going to hurt

For 15 minutes yesterday, I lost every shred of human dignity. I was stripped down, manipulated, violated, ordered about and condescended to.

In other words, I had a doctor’s appointment.

Now, I happen to like my doctor for any number of reasons, including the bottled water, private bathroom and excellent selection of magazines. On the other hand, I can get all those things at home, without enduring the needles, latex gloves and embarrassing questions.

So why would I schlepp downtown and put myself through all that? There’s only one possible explanation: I was in pain.

You don’t need to know where it hurt, exactly. The point is, it hurt bad enough that I would do just about anything to get better.

As I sat at home last night, nursing my ego and a cup of tea, it occurred to me that pain can be a good thing, both personally and professionally. I’m 44 now, so I know I’m supposed to go in for regular tune-ups, but that doesn’t mean I do so. Instead, I generally wait for the pain to drive me out of my comfort zone and into one of those paper gowns.

The same thing happens in business: We chug along, doing our thing, until we experience the kind of pain that raises some embarrassing questions and forces a thorough examination. All of a sudden, we discover that the business isn’t as healthy as we thought — and it’s time to “get better” or die.

What are some of the aches and pains that might be worth a closer look?

• Missed deadlines
• Negative customer reviews
• Erratic quality
• Spotty financials
• Loss of a longtime customer

The problem with pain is that we’re tempted to avoid it until it’s absolutely excruciating (and possibly too late). For every ache that we experience in business, there’s a form of aspirin to mask the pain, allowing us to maintain the status quo rather than undertake the more radical therapy that might be needed.

Cash flow looks bad? Focus on margins, instead. Quality is slipping? Blame the suppliers. Bad reviews on Yelp? It’s probably an orchestrated campaign by the competition.

Enough with the aspirin already. Pain can’t teach us anything when we block it out. It’s time to strip down, answer the tough questions and get serious about the treatment options.

Customer surveys, financial audits, peer reviews, professional consultations — they’re all potentially embarrassing and uncomfortable.

But it’s always better to visit the doctor than the undertaker.

Photo credit: hitthatswitch via flickr CC