“Don’t retire, I trust you”

I had to go to a doctor’s office today to give blood for another test, but there was a delay in processing my paperwork so I had to sit there for a little while. As I was sitting there my doctor walked into this area with another patient. I don’t remember how we started the conversation, but as we were talking, my doctor said that she was “trying to simplify her life.”

When she said that she was looking at me, so I responded, “Oh no, you’re not going to get rid of me, are you?” I said this because I’ve been there so many times in the last few months, and she’s about to turn me over to the local university doctors (the University of Denver, if I remember right.)

Before my doctor could reply, the woman sitting next to me said to our doctor, “You can’t retire, I trust you.”

Moral of the story

A lot of people seem to think that I make too much out of trust, but I see and hear stories like this all the time. People like me and the other woman who was sitting there, we can go to any of several specialists in this area that we want to see, but this doctor has earned our trust, so we keep going back to her.

My former primary care physician

If you still don’t think that’s important, let me add that I no longer go to my former primary care physician. A lot of people seem to like her because she’s pretty and has a nice personality, but as a doctor I have to give her a “B” or “C” grade at best.

She’s the type of doctor that says, “Go home, get some rest, and see how you’re feeling tomorrow.” That’s fine in some cases, but oh by the way, it takes at least 3-4 days to get another appointment with her. The last time I saw her she told me she read some medical stuff in Time magazine, so that’s what she was now recommending to patients. I started to say, “Really, your medical advice is based on something you read in Time magazine?” But I didn’t say that, I just left, and have never gone back to see her again.

Trust is a big deal folks, don’t lose it.

More on trust and consulting

I write more about trust in my book, A Survival Guide for New Consultants, in a chapter titled “Deserve Trust.”