Pharmacists are people pleasers. Most of us hate confrontation, and we are often conflicted when faced with a difficult or necessary decision that is certain to upset the patient or their physician . No matter how long we practice, we still get that icky feeling in the pit of our stomach when we have to deliver bad news. From experience, we know which situations are going to cause you to give it to us with both barrels. It would be so much easier if we didn't care, but we have to look you in the face when we tell you these things, unlike the people who make the rules, so it is personal for us. "I apologize, I know, I'm sorry...''
Back in the day, we were able to be more flexible, but I'm not so sure that was a good thing. I once filled in for a pharmacist that had so many post-it notes stuck on the wall behind the counter that they actually resembled cedar shake siding. This guy was a tough act to follow, because his mental file was as extensive as his hard copy file. He was an excellent pharmacist, but he was a one man show.
I never agreed with price matching, not so much from a business standpoint, but from a fairness standpoint. I had a problem with accomodating someone who wanted BMW service for a Smart Car price. For some reason these patients seemed to be more difficult than others. Although I admired their persistence, they were exhausting, and I felt bad charging them a cheaper price than my loyal patients who never complained and paid without batting an eye.
One thing the large chains do right is to enforce compliance with policies and procedures, They have deep pockets, so they are more visible and more prone to fines and lawsuits. Not to say that they are squeaky clean and there are not , shall we say, indiscretions, but there is a basic framework that sometimes makes it easier to make confident decisions. There will always be gray areas, and those are the areas that cause the mildly OCD me to lose sleep.
I admire people who have the ability to say what they think and stick to it without waffling. I always told my kids I was glad they had an independent, stubborn streak, but they were to use it for good, not evil. Like never use it on me. There is such a thing as being ''too nice'' and too compliant. There are sociopaths out there who use this trait to their advantage, and these people are dangerous.
I get annoyed with people who always want to play the devils advocate. Just as aggravating are the people who second guess themselves and beat every decision to death, , and I have been known to be in this camp from time to time. I guess if I was trying to describe the type of confident decisiveness that I would like to emulate, I would have to say it would lean more toward a ''Judge Joe Brown'' than a'' Judge Judy''. Lets face it, sometimes that woman is a bitch! But old Joe, he has a way of telling it like it is that has you nodding your head and saying ''Amen, mmmhmmm...that's right Joe, mmmhmmm... Hallelujer!!!''.
On a trip to Niagara Falls a few years ago, I had a sudden epiphany (I refuse to say ''aha moment'') when I noticed the way the tour guides handled crowds of people.'' Stand behind the line, please, Sir,Sir, Sir!
Please stand behind the line!''. They had figured out that most of us are a bunch of dumb sheep with a few renegades thrown in, and we respond best to someone who tells us what they want us to do in a clear, firm voice. Don't give us options, that screws us up.
I got to practice this once when the famous Indiana weather took a turn for the worse, and debris started flying past the drive through window. I was trying to hear the guy in second drive through over the wind, when all of a sudden one of those industrial sized trash cans flew by. I said ''I'm sorry, sir, I can't hear you, and I am leaving the pharmacy!''. I am tornado phobic, so I started rounding up the other employees and the customers and herding them into the cooler. ''Sir, Sir, Sir! Please step into the cooler!''. By golly, they did it! I was amazed! Such power! As it turned out , there was no tornado and I took alot of crap for it, but I learned a valuable lesson. Stand up, say what you mean and mean what you say.
BP
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