Heads up!

When you stick your head above the parapet, someone will always take a shot at you.

Criticism.

Frustration.

Sometimes anger.

Usually, this is a manifestation of their place in the world, but we always take it personally.

And the higher you sit, the more it can happen.

But what also happens is a load of good shit.

People pay attention.

You make an impact.

You can change the world.

(Without needing a cheerleader)

For many years the promotion of podiatry was frowned upon and there are practicing practitioners who remember being chastised for over-advertising their services.

And this is something that seems to have moved with the profession.

A fear of promoting ourselves and complete avoidance of using the marketing ways of the modern world.

I hear the phrase “no one knows what we do” on a regular basis, yet when you ask what they are doing to change that, people make their excuses and slide off.

For a profession that is shrinking, losing funding and is in a frustrating position this needs to change.

Like a lot of healthcare practitioners we are trained to be awesome at healthcare, but not trained to be awesome at business and marketing.

And we look to our membership organisations to help promote what we do.

Natural move, right?

But, in healthcare, we sit in a strange space between regulation and the real world.

Fearful of being sued, but at the same time knowing we have to push the boundaries.

Membership bodies are in the same space.

Many conflicting masters to report too, and as a result, we sit and wait and wait and wait...

Because doing nothing looks much more appealing than getting it wrong.

The membership organisation that cracks the code and promotes the profession above all else, will win the members.

Simples.

Until that happens?

Well…

As a practitioner, you need to do it yourself.

And if you need permission to do it - I’ll give you that now.

"Dave gives you permission to go and promote your profession"

Over to you.