12 Ways to Make Your RealAge Younger

12 Ways to Make Your RealAge Younger: "Below are the top 12 Grow Younger� strategies designed to make your RealAge younger. For personalized recommendations, take the RealAge test. "

Building the perfect dream team

Building the perfect team starts with you
Sieg Holle BS MBA

(Jan 2006) You can't do everything well. Actually, I'd go one further than that: there are a lot of things you shouldn't even think of doing yourself! I've met and consulted with many of the country's top-performing business advisors, and if they share one trait in common, it's this: they choose to focus only on those activities that make them the most successful, the most productive, and the most motivated. They delegate everything else, and that is part of the reason for their success.

Of course, it took time for these top performers to realize they couldn't reasonably do everything in their practices. Then they had to think a good deal about how they were going to give up control of various tasks and duties without eroding brand integrity. In many cases, this was the single most difficult challenge they had to overcome on their way to the top of their profession. Then they had to find the right people to give those responsibilities to. All of this took time, a good deal of strategy, and a multitude of teams. But make no mistake. The results have far surpassed their wildest expectations.

Let's assume that you share something in common with these top performers: you see big opportunities for your business practice. To capture these opportunities, you've come to realize that you need to give up control over certain tasks in order for you to take advantage of these opportunities. Do you see yourself assembling a team that will not only get the job done, but will get it done so well that existing clients and customers will never think of leaving, and new clients will be beating down your door to meet with you?
How are you going to do it? How do you find the right people? How can you determine whether these people have the "right stuff" that will take your business to the next level? What can you do to get them up to speed on how you intend to build your business?


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All of these are good questions. And all of them can be answered by thinking of team building as a strategic process, rather than something that just "happens." At the centre of this process is an understanding that a top performing team is comprised of three components, or "sub-teams."

(a) The Team Director or leader: The visionary leader who ensures all elements of the team are working together according to plan, and motivates team members to continually further business goals;
(b) The strategy team: Helps the Team Director set appropriate short-term and long-term business goals and formulate the core team;
(c) The core team: Individuals who excel at their specific tasks necessary for the business to accomplish its goals, yet can work together to achieve the Team Director's vision.

With this concept in mind, you can see team building is more than simply matching an individual to a job description. Rather, it's a systematic search for appropriate people who can competently help you through a new phase of growth.
Let's take a look at each of these sub-teams, in order to better understand their roles and how they work together. Keep in mind that while large, established business have a single person filling each of these roles, it's entirely possible that one or two people may wear several hats in any of these sub-teams (in fact, that's how most business people start out in the business).

The Team Director- Team leader
This is the leader of the business, and the most important member of the team-in other words, you. A team cannot function properly if they don't understand the vision for the business. They can't support you if they don't know your style and approach. As team leader, this is your primary responsibility-to align your team with your process and your business vision in order to achieve your business goals. If for whatever reason you feel you lack the skills to successfully communicate a business vision to team members, you must find a partner who has these skills.

The Strategy Team of advisors
Once you've clarified your role as Team Director, you need to establish a Strategy Team (I've heard some consultants refer to this group as the "growth team"). The strategy team is the group that directs big-picture business strategy, identifying business-building opportunities and defining long-term growth goals. This is the team that steers the business toward its success, helping you to assemble the ideal team which will take you where you want to go. It also monitors your progress towards those goals on a regular basis.
In addition to you, the Strategy Team can include one or all of the following:

Business coach: A like-minded, experienced expert who understands the operating challenges of the business, and can help capitalize on new opportunities
Professionals: HR professionals, business consultants, etc., who bring upper-level strategy and thinking to specific business challenges
Branch manager: A guide to help you utilize the firm's strategic and marketing resources to build your business
Peers and mentors: A set of business owners and entrepreneurs from both inside and outside the financial industry
Marketing associate: Your internal marketing expert, who has a natural "knack" for co-ordinating and systemizing marketing efforts
Industry wholesalers: Select outside of company representatives who have demonstrated themselves as an excellent resource for strategic marketing and business-building ideas
Client focus group: A small group of trusted clients who can give you honest, objective feedback on what you're doing right and what needs improvement

The Core TeamThese are the people who get the job done day in and day out. While the strategy team deals with higher-level strategy, your core team delivers management and client service systems. In addition to you, the common positions are:

Business manager: Who ensures business processes and systems are running smoothly and who handles day-to-day issues with team members
Executive assistant: A versatile, detail-oriented assistant who can keep the team leader organized and ensures that all constituencies follow procedures
Junior advisors: These are your advisors-in-training; junior staff members who show promise and can be molded in your image
Associate advisors: Well-trained and qualified advisors who handle specific areas of your business , and may have a small group of their own clients
General administration assistant: Who deal with paperwork, general client requests, and general office duties
Professional centres of influence (COIs): Accountants, lawyers, private bankers, and other professionals who can function as "partners" on specific client accounts
In-house specialists: brand managers, and other experts who perform specific tasks for your clients
Marketing associate: A key position which executes day-to-day marketing tasks and long-range marketing projects (co-ordinating the client newsletter, setting up media appointments, booking seminars, etc.)
Marketing writer/designer: Outside brand-building and positioning experts who can help you attract ideal clients and distinguish yourself from the competition
Vendors: Printers, caterers, vendors, gifting-experts, and other companies who you can count on to support your client service process and deliver world-class service to your top clients

At first glance, this list seems a bit daunting. But what's even more daunting is the prospect of doing all of this yourself. If you can't find a way to delegate these tasks, that's exactly what you'll be doing.

Keep in mind that top performers all face the same issues that you do — including the harvesting of big opportunities. And they all found a way to get there. Top performers recognize that becoming the Team Director is the secret to success: they treat team building as a strategic process, one that demands serious planning, a multitude of teams, and a good deal of time investment and commitment .
(12/19/05)
Sieg Holle is the creator of the Earn-it program group, an organization that helps individuals build world-class, global marketing practices through innovative concepts, tools, and systems since 1989. Contact holcrest@worldchat.com or 1-519-754-0018 for more information about building your wealth through innovative business strategies.

FCPP Publications :: Dr. Mark Godley, Founder, Maples Surgical Clinic, Winnipeg

It is all about choice QJ
FCPP Publications :: Dr. Mark Godley, Founder, Maples Surgical Clinic, Winnipeg: "Frontier Centre: In Manitoba and beyond, you have become a symbol for the idea that we should expand healthcare choices for consumers. Was that planned or an accident?
Dr. Mark Godley: Initially our plan for the opening the Maples Surgical Centre in Winnipeg was built on the backbone of a contract with the Worker�s Compensation Board, back in 2001. Subsequently, we had no intention of leaving once we had set up our facility here. We have always felt that we had a role to play in the delivery of healthcare to all Manitobans.
FC: Why do you think we have such long waiting lists for healthcare procedures?
MG: Like the problems with any monopoly, like the Soviet Union and other Communist-bloc countries had, when you take away competition, you take away innovation and efficiency and creativity. When you combine all that together, you have a system that has a recipe for a lack of productivity. Only when we see the delivery of healthcare being provided through a competitive, free marketplace will we see the patient coming to the top of the pyramid.
FC: Did we make a crucial structural error in public policy when the parameters for the Canada Health Act were written?
MG: I think the Canada Health Act is very noble. But I believe there isn�t a government in Canada today that follows it at every level of functioning. I believe we could strive towards the principles and the values of the Canada Health Act only by changing our current system.
FC: Have you followed what happened in Sweden when they split the purchaser of healthcare from the provider?
MG: I haven�t followed the Swedish model very carefully. I do know that it was initially a success, and I do know that in other OECD countries such as Switzerland where there is a split betwee"

Company plans private health care for Ont. this summer

Company plans private health care for Ont. this summer: "Company plans private health care for Ont. this summer
Across Canada by 2007

Don Copeman, president and founder of Copeman Healthcare, plans to open private clinics in Toronto, London and Ottawa. He launched his first clinic in Vancouver and plans several more.

Published: January 12, 2006
TORONTO -- A private health-care company announced Wednesday that it plans to move into Ontario this summer and every major Canadian city by 2007, but the province's health minister threatened heavy fines if the company contravenes legislation. "

Grits without honour

winnipegsun.com - Editorial - Grits without honour

If the Liberal Party of Canada had a shred of honour or decency left in it, Finance Minister Ralph Goodale would have tendered his resignation as a cabinet minister on Wednesday night, and it would have been immediately accepted by the PM.
Goodale's department is the subject of an RCMP investigation into whether there was a leak about changes to income trusts that allegedly resulted in a spurt of insider trading on the stock market before the announcement was officially made. Prime Minister Paul Martin said yesterday that he's standing by his embattled finance minister. "He is a person of the greatest integrity, and he will not be stepping down," Martin said.
If he's a person of such great integrity, however, then it's all the more reason why he should step down. Because, unlike the Liberals, we still believe in concepts like ministerial accountability and the greater good. And there's the bigger issue of the overall integrity of the government.
Goodale simply must resign as finance minister while his department is under criminal investigation.

winnipegsun.com - Editorial - The waiting game

winnipegsun.com - Editorial - The waiting game: "The Doer government continues to do everything in its power to try to prevent the privately-owned Maples Surgical Centre from succeeding in Manitoba.
The Maples opened its doors in Winnipeg in 2001. And from the very first day of its operations, the NDP has been trying to shut the facility down"

winnipegsun.com Politics again -what about the ustomers?

winnipegsun.com: "WCB pulls clinic's MRI patients
The Workers Compensation Board has stopped sending clients to the Maples Surgical Centre for MRIs, prompting accusations from the clinic's director that his facility has fallen victim to politics"

winnipegsun.com - Editorial - We're still waiting

winnipegsun.com - Editorial - We're still waiting: "Suspiciously, no benchmarks were provided for the fifth area the feds and provinces agreed to target -- access to diagnostic tests such as CAT scans and MRIs.
This is particularly disturbing because CAT scans and MRIs are vital diagnostic tools for three of the four other areas targeted for wait times reduction -- cancer treatment, cardiac disease and hip and knee replacements.
Thus, setting benchmarks for how long it should take to treat a patient after he or she is diagnosed is meaningless if the diagnosis is unduly delayed in the first place because the patient had to wait too long for a CAT scan or MRI.
Doctors have also warned that as the provinces shift around budgets to meet demands for improvement in these five targeted areas, wait times for other procedures will inevitably start to grow as they are starved for funding.
Our concern is that this so-called strategy to reduce wait times is starting to look more and more like a strategy to look busy while failing to reduce wait times. And that federal and provincial politicians will again do what they always do when it all falls apart: blame each other. "

winnipegsun.com - Tom Brodbeck - Public solidly supports private MRIs

winnipegsun.com - Tom Brodbeck - Public solidly supports private MRIs: "Canadians know that the government monopoly system isn't working well and they're beginning to accept the fact that, in some cases, taxpayers should be able to spend their own money to get care for themselves and their families.
It's no different than what every other developed country in the world has -- a mix of universal health care with private options. "

MRI choice- What is the problem?

The right of health choice debate - It comes down to service not government dictate QJ

winnipegsun.com - Manitoba - What's the problem?: "'When did we lose our freedom in this country?' said Corlett, who says he just wants to get better and return to work.

'Why do they have to control us?'

Corlett needs an MRI so his doctor can make a diagnosis and decide whether he needs surgery or not.In the meantime, he can't even lift his arm, much less work on airplanes.'I can't work because they don't have work for a one-armed person,' said Corlett.Like many patients who will use The Maples clinic, Corlett didn't have to pay out-of-pocket for his MRI. Instead, his insurance company did. Like many Manitobans, Corlett has private disability insurance and it's in his insurance company's best interest to get him an MRI as quickly as possible so he can be treated and return to work.In fact, the insurance company was planning to fly him to Calgary for an MRI until The Maples announced it would be providing MRIs.'Why do I have to go to Calgary when we've got one in Winnipeg?' said Corlett.Precisely.How can government possibly have a problem with this? Government sends Workers Compensation Board patients to clinics for preferential treatment.Why can't a private insurance company send one of its clients to a clinic, too?The Supreme Court of Canada ruled in a recent Quebec case that government cannot prevent people from buying private insurance and using it to obtain medical services if government is not providing that service in a timely fashion.Clearly, the Manitoba government is not providing elective MRIs in a timely fashion.So I'd say The Maples clinic has the blessing of Canada's top court.

Besides, if people like Corlett aren't getting their MRIs in Manitoba, they'll go out-of-province for them and they'll take their money with them"

winnipegsun.com - Manitoba - Private clinic to do MRIs today

winnipegsun.com - Manitoba - Private clinic to do MRIs today: "The Maples Surgical Centre is planning to switch on Manitoba's first private MRI today after the clinic received word late yesterday that it has received accreditation from the College of Physicians and Surgeons.
'It's official,' Dwayne Venter, general manager of the private clinic, told the Sun. 'It's been confirmed and we are slating patients from 10 o'clock on (today).'
The Maples will be the first clinic in Manitoba to provide MRI scans outside of the government health-care system. The fee for patients is $695 a scan.
But the clinic says it will be able to provide the service within 48 hours or less.
That's in sharp contrast to the three- to four"

Other parties dismantling medicare 'by stealth

Other parties dismantling medicare 'by stealth: "Other parties dismantling medicare 'by stealth
' NDP: Accuses premiers, too
View Larger Image
Shirley Douglas came out in support of NDP leader Jack Layton yesterday in Regina. She said the health care debate is at a turning point.
Published: Wednesday, December 14, 2005
REGINA - Jack Layton accused Paul Martin, Stephen Harper and three provincial premiers of launching a 'stealth' campaign to foist private health care on Canada, in a fiery speech in which he positioned his party as the only defender of medicare."

Great -how can you dismantle something which does not work-hmm -more rhetoric with little substance -PR

Osprey Media Group Inc. - Brantford Expositor SES Health pool

Osprey Media Group Inc. - Brantford Expositor: "The SES Research/Osprey Media poll found that while a majority opposed that idea, Canadians aged 40 and older (those most likely to be health care consumers) were also more likely to support private health care insurance and services.
�It�s still a minority opinion but they were the most likely to be game for something like that,� Nanos said.
Women, on the other hand, had fairly strong objections to two-tier
health care. Full reseach results at www.sesresearch.com.

Interesting that the older the population the more willingness there is for health choice. Is it because the more you need health service ,themore choice you want and need? QJ

The poll found 71 per cent of women, compared to 61 per cent of men, thought health care should be the same for all people regardless of their ability to pay.
A detailed breakdown of poll can be obtained at www.sesresearch.com. It was conducted between Nov. 14 and Nov. 16 by telephone with 525 Ontarians and is considered accurate within 4.3 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
"

National Health standard-a step in the right direction

The new standard wait times
Provinces set benchmarks: new hip within 6 months, cardiac bypass in 2 weeks

Tom Blackwell, National PostPublished: Monday, December 12, 2005

Canada's first-ever national standards for medical wait times will suggest patients get radiation cancer treatment within four weeks, a hip replacement in no more than six months and a non-emergency cardiac bypass in as little as 14 days, health ministers are expected to announce today.
The unveiling of so-called wait-list benchmarks by provincial and territorial ministers is being called a "revolutionary" first step in curing the backlogs that have increasingly bedevilled health care.
But critics say the new standards, which are not binding and do not have to be implemented for at least two years, will be largely meaningless, and called for more drastic action to speed up care.

Showdown over private health care expected this week in Manitoba

McDonald tried to get Manitoba's Health Department to reimburse him and his wife for her MRI in Calgary, but he was turned down.
"They said, `No, services are available here,"' McDonald said. "It's stupid. Yeah, services are available, but what is your definition of available?"
Following the MRI, a specialist determined McDonald's wife needed a knee replacement. She is now on a list for surgery and has been told she may have to wait more than two years.
The patchwork of private services in different provinces has brought more business to health-care brokers, who for a fee will help patients find private services in other provinces or the United States.
"We've had many clients from Winnipeg, from Toronto and elsewhere," said Richard Baker with Timely Medical Alternatives in Vancouver.
"In the last three weeks, we've had about 15 people fly from Winnipeg to Vancouver for MRIs, CT scans."
A health-care economist said the federal government could tackle the issue by reducing transfer payments to provinces that allow MRIs.
"This is what they have to decide. Are they the government of Canada or what are they the government of?" asked Richard Plain, a former professor at the University of Alberta.
"You've got to treat all Canadians equally regardless of where they're located ... and when you don't, you start to get this mess and you start to get this checkerboard."
Over the last 20 years, Ottawa has fined various provinces more than $10 million for violating the Canada Health Act -- usually for allowing user fees for services covered by medicare.

Health Care Consumerism- a novel idea

Health care expert Regina Herzlinger, a Harvard Business School professor advocates consumer choice. In summary " consumer -driven health care" means: (Source National Post)

• create competition
• allow providor or supplier innovation
• provide information to consumers so that they can make informed decisions

That being said, she is the pioneer and leader in another, better solution -- one that could benefit either publicly run or privately run schemes. She calls it "consumer-driven health care" and it involves deploying market disciplines on the medical world.

In 1998, she launched a one-woman crusade, by organizing a high-level conference involving the country's most prominent health-care executives, to hoist her plan on to the public agenda. And it's starting to gain traction.
She defines the problem the same, no matter whether the system is managed by the private or public sector: The consumer is lost in the shuffle and the health care professionals have never had to fix their increasingly cumbersome, inefficient and expensive system.
In essence, she wants to do for the health care system what the big box stores have done for retailing.
She cites the fact that, between 1995 and 1999, 40% of the productivity gains in the United States were in the difficult sector of retailing due to economies of scale, specialization and other efficiencies, she said.
"This can happen in health-care services too. But it's against the grain of the health-care community to permit consumerism to flourish," she said in a recent interview. "Their mindset is they're smart and you're not."

She said there are three steps to drive down costs of any service or product: Create competition for services, which leads to innovation and productivity; allow suppliers to innovate; and provide information to consumers so they can make astute choices.

Stepping on swindlers' toes

Stepping on swindlers' toes: "As for the patients, many had no actual symptoms that would require orthotic supports or were 'prescribed' Birkenstock sandals, though the receipt indicated they had received custom-made orthotics, the College of Chiropodists' discipline decision said.
Mr. Vivekanand was stripped of his licence.
Ms. Finlay said she was contacted recently by a woman who visited a medical supplies retailer at the suggestion of a friend at the nursing home where she worked, and used a $1,600 health benefit claim to obtain new street shoes."

This is the third article on medical swindles by the national post. The question is how do we stop it? QJ

Private health firm built on tax dollars

Private health firm built on tax dollars: "n Canada, the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario was an early investor in InterHealth but sold its stake in 2002, feeling that the company's involvement in private-sector delivery of health care did not mesh with its own beliefs, said Doris Grinspun, the RNAO's executive director."

An interesting article . The point is that the Ontarion Government owns shares in a private health organization. Why not bring back the doctors and nurses to Ontario to improve our level of health here? qJ

All the road's a stage for scams

All the road's a stage for scams: "All the road's a stage for scams"

Third of a 4 part series on Medical fraud . Check out fake auto accidents at the link.

Spending on health to hit all-time high in 2005, hitting 10.4 per cent of GDP

The more we spend on public health -the more it costs . We need to find a way to improve the effectiveness and service delivery for our money . The spending has outpaced our ability to sustain it- QJ


Helen Branswell, Canadian PressPublished: December 8, 2005
TORONTO -- Health spending in Canada is expected to hit $142 billion this year, bringing expenditures in this sector to 10.4 per cent of GDP, an all time high, the Canadian Institute for Health Information reported Wednesday.

An 11-per-cent jump in spending on prescription and non-prescribed medications fuelled the rise - prompting the head of an independent health watchdog organization to predict governments will be moved to address the issue of rising drug consumption and costs.
Michael Decter, chair of the Health Council of Canada, said the significant and ongoing increase in spending on medications is outstripping the increases in costs for other parts of the health sector, including the running of hospitals and paying of physicians.

"When I look at these numbers, I say: 'Well, (with) hospitals and doctors, there are issues, but there aren't real cost pressure issues.' (With) drugs, there's a real cost pressure issue," Decter said.
"It's made more complicated in Canada by the federal-provincial issue . . . but I would say you're going to hear a lot more about the drug issue," he said, noting a task force is to report to federal, provincial and territorial health ministers on issues of drug costs and drug plan coverage next June.

Although Decter was chair of the Canadian Institute for Health Information before taking on the role as head of the Health Council, he had no involvement in the writing of this report.
It noted health spending increased 7.7 per cent overall, though when that figure was adjusted to sift out the impact of inflation the rate of increase was five per cent this year over last, the institute's annual look at health-care expenditures revealed.
"Over the course of the last several years, health-care spending has been growing faster than our economy," institute president Glenda Yeates said in a release