Medical Tourism is growing and the implications for all — providers, vendors, suppliers – are enormous. Options have grown exponentially. At no time have the possibilities been greater for industry organizations, professionals and individuals.
The World Medical Tourism & Global Healthcare Congress, last year, in Washington, D.C., produced a fascinating display of how the industry has evolved and how medical travel might continue to shift. Today’s ease of travel, advanced technology and developments in global healthcare make this a unique period of growth; yet, the foundation for medical tourism has always been present.
Many players in this industry are wondering what are the medical tourism success factors. I believe there’s a simple answer to how you might prosper that is simple to understand, but a bit more challenging to execute.
It’s not unlike other industries today in the midst of rapid change and growth. Winning involves focusing on strategic objectives while adroitly maneuvering levels of complexity. This means serving the patient, customer or end-user, while making organizational efforts successful and sustainable.
It also means achieving favorable financial and operational results, overcoming internal and external barriers and adapting to rapidly expanding markets. That’s a tall order, but understanding and responding to this challenge will be the difference in staying on the right side of that thin line separating success and irrelevance.
I believe there are three principles to managing the complexity I’m sure you will encounter when trying to implement medical tourism success factors.
Success Factors
I: Think and Act Like a Global Player
The first principle is tied to globalization. In the last 30 years, we’ve witnessed shared opportunities and challenges worldwide and what it’s like to be playing an interconnected game. This new world evolution has created permanent and ongoing changes in buyer perceptions, habits and needs.
These have been augmented by the pace of technological change, local economic flavor and the flow of competitive offerings from traditional and emerging nations. Every new development has rippling effects. There are greater opportunities and threats.
Buyers recognize this and are understandably more cautious than ever. Thinking and acting like a global player and implementing medical tourism success factors, means developing an understanding of the motivations and perspectives of international patients, clients, customers and partners.
II: Exceed Exceptional Expectations
In the midst of global turbulence and change, our expectations have increased, not diminished. This “age of the exceptional,” has become the norm. We expect exceptional living, products, services, and experiences. We’ve grown accustomed to having it all instantly, whether it’s information, entertainment, or luxury products and services. Most of our desires are just a tap, click, or phone call away.
Becoming exceptional in your role in medical tourism is vital. There’s no margin for error in this industry, but high achievement will only happen when you are attuned to standards and recognize breakthrough moments. That’s when you’re so connected to “why” you have entered the industry that you uncover and proceed down fruitful paths, undiscovered by others.
Your heartfelt loyalty to the idea of delivering on the promise of better health and well-being enables you to go from an effective operator to a leader. You move beyond technique and routine, making behavioral changes that result in winning habits and stellar results. You then go from being a leader to an undisputed winner.
At that point, you create followers who adapt to your thought-leadership and methodology, raising the bar on the entire industry. In others words, you must go beyond exceptional to truly have the impact you are capable of.
III: Continuous Learning and Growth
Pay attention to your knowledge base, the culture of your organization and the mindset of your people. This is an era where ongoing attention and continuous learning is required to stay ahead. Not only that, organizational learning can no longer be focused solely on your narrow, professional role. I believe all organizations today should implement what I call, Spectrum Learning™, a program in which individuals are deliberately focused on multi-competency learning.
You may not be in a leadership, sales, marketing, or technology role, but you’d better act like you are. Learning how these disciplines work together to deliver on your mission is required among top professionals.
Professionals engaged in spectrum learning are what I call “READY.” This acronym stands for real-time, entrepreneurial, agile, dynamic, and youthful. Companies that have this embedded in their culture are unmistakable – they feel and perform differently.
These three principles (medical tourism success factors) represent major shifts in what used to be expected in growth industries and might challenge where you’ve focused your own efforts in medical tourism. However, a strategy aligned with these three principles in the forefront means moving beyond the excitement of the medical tourism industry to among its top performers.
About the Author
André Taylor is an author, entrepreneur, speaker, and one of the world’s most respected voices in personal transformation, leadership and executive development. He’s written more than a half-dozen books, and published hundreds of articles, audios, videos and learning programs. www.andretaylor.com or info@andretaylor.com
