You’re focused on the internal of your business rather than the external.

How do I know?

Because when I write an article about the internal, you engage like crazy on this site.

If I write about going paperless, you engage. If I write about giving out your cell phone number to a client, you engage. If I write about switching practice management systems or phone systems or buying laptops, you engage. You are focused on the internal issues of your practice.

You hesitate to turn outward. You hesitate to call referral sources, give speeches, and call the newspaper city desk with story pitches. You’re happiest focusing on clients and getting the work done and the processes that help you do the work efficiently.

The internal matters, of course. But, the internal matters less—far less—than the external.

It doesn’t matter how great your new VoiP phone system works if you don’t get any calls.

It doesn’t matter how wonderful your cloud-based practice management system is if you don’t have any clients.

It doesn’t matter how accurate your accounting system is if you don’t have any money.

The external is the game. The external is where you grow. The external needs to be the focus of your time, your energy, and your ideas.