Jackie Cat, ROB Editor-in-Chief Margery Weinstein’s beloved rescue tabby. Dr. Mai uses “grooming kittens” as a metaphor to describe the tendency to get sidetracked by tasks that don’t get at the heart of the problem you are trying to solve.
Optometric business efficiency
By Thanh Mai, OD
Jan. 15, 2025
ODs tend to groom their kittens too often.
It’s my metaphor for the last step to get something done for your optometric business that has little to do with your original problem.
Case in point:
“I need to buy new lab trays for the optical.”
“Darn… the password to the online account is on a sticky note on Susie’s computer monitor.”
“Susie might be there and I forgot to sign her birthday card, which I left at home.”
“Well, I’m at home now and the card is in the room with the new kitten.”
“Susie loves pictures of my cat, but I need to groom him first before taking a photo.”
And as luck finds you, you’re now at home grooming your kitten all because you need new lab trays for your optical.
Solving Issues
We’re terrible at solving issues and end up grooming kittens when we should be striking at the root.
Say your frame capture rate is below the industry average. So, you micromanage the exact words that fall out of your optician’s mouth. That’s not the real problem here. The real problem is you’re selling Gucci frames in an optical you haven’t renovated in seven years (or more)!
Or you did renovate your optical recently, but the problem is the designer wasn’t a professional, but the person in the mirror. You might be a great OD… but who told you you were the world’s best retail merchandiser? Yet, for some reason, you’re doing it yourself?
In my mind, the real problem isn’t the frame capture rate. It isn’t your optician. It isn’t even your design aesthetic or price points. It’s the fact that you’re terrible at choosing the right person for the right task.
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You mistakenly choose yourself too often, and you’re frankly below average at a lot of things someone else could do much better and for a lot less expense than the cost of your own time. Have you taken one course, workshop, or read a book on being a better leader in the last 12 months?
Solve your issue of letting go, and you won’t be grooming as many kittens at night. This phenomenon gets even more absurd when groups of people are involved. That’s when a ton of people have kitten-grooming parties and nothing of substance ever changes.
So, What’s the Solution?
I personally like the concept of RACI.
RACI is a responsibility assignment matrix used to clarify roles and responsibilities in a project or business process.
The acronym stands for Responsible, Accountable, Consulted and Informed—four key roles that help ensure tasks are completed efficiently and without confusion.
In a RACI matrix, each task or deliverable is assigned one of these roles for each person involved.
- Responsible: The person or team who does the work to complete the task.
- Accountable: The individual ultimately answerable for the outcome, who ensures the task is completed correctly and on time.
- Consulted: People who provide input or expertise on the task; their advice is considered before the work is finalized.
- Informed: Individuals who need to be kept up-to-date on progress or decisions, but aren’t involved in doing the work or providing feedback.
By clearly defining these roles, the RACI matrix helps to avoid confusion, reduce overlap and ensures everyone knows their specific responsibilities. It’s particularly useful in larger teams or projects where multiple people are involved in different aspects of the work, helping streamline communication and decision-making.
Choose the “who” and be less concerned with “how” to solve problems, and you will 10x your results in your practice.
Thanh Mai, OD, is an owner of Insight Vision Center Optometry, a Vision Source practice in Costa Mesa, Calif, Optometry Corner, a Vision Source practice in Irvine, Calif. and Eyecon Optometry, a Vision Source practice in in Reseda, Calif. To contact him: tmai@visionsource.com
