At a recent visit to my ophthalmologist, I was struck by how little time the doctor spent with me and nevertheless how satisfied I was with the visit. Of the 75 minutes I lingered, five were spent with the receptionist, and an hour with two medical associates. One of them conducted measurements and gave me instructions and education pertaining to my eye surgery; while the other removed the bandage from my eye, administered drops and checked my vision before walking me to the administrator who then explained my insurance coverage, prescription options and fees. Following a few minutes’ wait, the doctor showed up, scanned the data, peeked through his instrument, scribbled something on my file, and spent ninety seconds reassuring me and answering questions. I could only be impressed with his delegation skills.

The doctor spent less than four minutes on my case doing the bare essentials: diagnosing, confirming, evaluating, post-selling me on the surgery and being present, attentive, friendly and accessible. I figured that four minutes of his time supported $800 of billing by his team. Assuming his hours are worth $500, he turned $33 of personal time into 24X its value through organization and delegation.

Naturally, his team has processes in place that ensured that no minute was wasted and everyone’s actions were purposefully directed. The Playbook Manager™ serves as an excellent tool for structuring workflows in such a way that everyone knows exactly what to do and how to do it. I wonder how many CEO clients of mine achieve a comparable degree of delegation and organization. Granted, the medical profession is highly regulated and…