Just one thing: Take a seat

When was the last time you sat in your own waiting room—not to check your phone, not to pass the time, but to truly observe?

This week’s challenge is simple: take 15 minutes to sit in a waiting room. It could be your clinic’s waiting room during a lull in appointments, or even one at your dentist’s or doctor’s office. The key is to sit quietly—no phone, no to-do list—and just watch.

Ask yourself:

• Do I feel welcome? 
• Is the chair comfortable? 
• Is there a place to put my belongings?
• What do I notice about the decor?
• Are there dust bunnies under the furniture?
• How do team members interact with each other, clients, and patients? 
• If I had my cat or my dog with me, how would I manage them? 

When we spend time in the same space every day, we stop seeing the little details. Sometimes we optimize our space for our convenience, rather than thinking about how it feels for clients and patients walking in for the first time.

Fresh perspective: What do you see?

As tempting as it may be to take notes or multitask—don’t. Just observe. And then, identify just one thing you can improve to make your client experience more welcoming. It could be something big or small:

• Removing clutter that's visible under the front desk
• Creating more space between chairs, or different zones for dogs and cats.
• Replacing a poster with curling edges
• Dusting a shelf you’ve overlooked
• Adjusting blinds to reduce glare during certain hours

It’s possible you’d like to remodel the space someday. Great! But don’t let the big changes stop you from making a small improvement today. 

Excellence is built in small steps, repeated consistently. If you improve just one detail today, and again tomorrow, over time it scales into something remarkable.

So take a seat. And take a moment. Your waiting room—and your clients—will thank you.