The Power of Progress: Why Small Wins Matter in Private Practice
I don’t know what it is about March that feels… extra. Maybe it’s the weight of those New Year’s resolutions that started with so much energy but now feel a little stalled. Maybe it’s the weather—spring should be here, but in many places (especially the Northwest), we’re still in a cycle of second and third winter. Mornings are still dark, summer feels far away, and everything feels just a little harder than it should be.
And when everything feels like it’s dragging, it’s easy to think we’re not making progress.
Photo by Daniel Jiménez
This happens in private practice, too. The credentialing process that should have wrapped up weeks ago but keeps stalling. The claim denials that seem to multiply no matter how fast we work. The constant struggle to keep up with payers, policies, and processes that seem designed to slow us down.
When things don’t move at the pace we expect, motivation fades. It’s not just frustrating—it’s exhausting. But here’s the thing: progress isn’t always big. In fact, research shows that the most powerful driver of motivation isn’t major breakthroughs - it’s small, meaningful steps forward (Amabile & Kramer, 2011).
Why Small Wins Are Everything In Healthcare
Progress isn’t just about checking boxes or reaching milestones. It’s about momentum—that feeling that the work we do actually moves the needle.
Psychologists Teresa Amabile and Steven Kramer call this the Progress Principle, and their research found that when people feel like they’re making progress, even in small ways, it fuels engagement, creativity, and resilience (Amabile & Kramer, 2011). It’s a kind of psychological flywheel: forward motion—even incremental—creates energy, and that energy keeps people going.
On the flip side, when progress stalls—when claims sit unresolved, when systems create more friction than flow, when people feel like they’re working hard but not getting anywhere—burnout creeps in. In fact, studies show that one of the biggest predictors of workplace dissatisfaction isn’t workload—it’s feeling like your work doesn’t make a difference (Bakker et al., 2022).
How to Create a Progress-Driven Culture in Private Practice
If progress fuels motivation, how do we make it more visible? How do we create an environment where small wins build momentum instead of getting lost in the daily grind? Here’s where to start:
1: Make the “Why” Crystal Clear
People don’t stay motivated by tasks. They stay motivated by impact.
A denied claim isn’t just an administrative task—it’s a patient waiting for coverage to be approved.
A well-run front desk doesn’t just keep things moving—it reduces patient stress, improves retention, and makes providers’ jobs easier.
A completed credentialing process isn’t just paperwork—it’s getting a provider in-network faster, ensuring they can serve more patients.
When people see how their work connects to something bigger than the task itself, it shifts everything.
2: Celebrate Small Wins (Loudly, and Often)
The nature of healthcare means the hard things get more attention than the wins. The urgent, the broken, the backlog—that’s what pulls focus.
But progress needs to be visible to be motivating. So make it visible.
When a biller overturns a stubborn denial, recognize it.
When the front desk team reduces patient wait times, call it out.
When a provider completes credentialing ahead of schedule, make sure the team knows.
Recognition doesn’t have to be elaborate. A quick team email, a quick note on Google Chat, a simple “thank you” in a meeting—it all reinforces momentum. And momentum keeps people engaged.
3: Remove Unnecessary Roadblocks
Few things drain motivation faster than avoidable friction.
Are outdated processes slowing your team down? Look at your revenue cycle workflows—are there unnecessary approvals or redundant steps? Could automation take some of the burden off your team?
Are small inefficiencies creating big frustrations? Are denied claims piling up because staff doesn’t have enough training on appeal strategies? Is scheduling clunky because of a rigid template that no longer fits your patient flow?
Are you using the right technology? Is your EHR helping or hurting efficiency? Is your billing platform integrated, or are people wasting hours on duplicate data entry?
Progress happens when the system supports it, not fights against it. Leaders who actively remove barriers create teams that move faster, think bigger, and stay engaged longer.
4: Focus on Progress, Not Perfection
Healthcare has a way of making people feel like they have to get everything right. But perfection isn’t the goal—progress is.
Claims will get denied. The key is tracking, learning, and improving the process.
Staffing shortages will happen. The goal is to refine workflows so your team can work smarter, not harder.
Patients will cancel appointments. The focus should be on proactive scheduling strategies, not dwelling on lost revenue.
When teams see setbacks as learning opportunities instead of failures, they become stepping stones instead of roadblocks.
Progress, Not Perfection
For private practices, progress isn’t just about growing revenue—it’s about growing people, improving processes, and making patient care better.
So if March feels like a grind, take a moment to notice: Where has your practice moved forward this week? Even if it’s small, name it. Recognize it. Progress happens one step at a time—and those steps matter more than we think.
And if you need a partner to help clear roadblocks so your practice can move forward faster? Wayfinder is here.
