By Drew Register

As a pharmacist and business owner, you are no doubt attuned to the daily responsibilities involved in maintaining a thriving pharmacy. However, in the whirlwind of running a business, it can be easy to manage crisis to crisis instead of prioritizing essential tasks such as focusing on your finances, operations, and marketing. Owners and staff also often overlook the essentials needed to take a step back and focus on their leadership development to ensure long-term success. Your leadership sets the tone for your entire team and is the cornerstone of your pharmacy’s success. However, are you investing any time in developing those skills? Ask yourself: Who’s prioritizing your growth? That’s where NCPA’s CORE Leadership Program comes in—a revolutionary new approach designed to elevate yourself and your business to new heights. We’ve assembled a team of the most talented and accomplished subject matter experts in the country to guide you through the essential principles of leadership and pharmacy management as hands-on coaches, including Kelley Babcock, Terri Norvell, the team with Sykes & Co. CPAs, Dave Wendland and Travis Wolff. The program will begin in June, and the enrollment period for 2024-2025 class will be open through May 31. Learn more at www.ncpa.org/core-program.

Pharmacist Scott Pace helped spearhead the CORE program. An owner of three pharmacies and past president of the Arkansas Pharmacists Association, Scott says the program can help owners maximize their potential. “At the heart of what we’re trying to do with CORE is to get people to understand what their strengths and weaknesses are from a leadership perspective and use them in a way that motivates and inspires, and gets the outcomes that they want in their business,” he says.

TRANSFORMING TO A NEW LEVEL

NCPA’s CORE is a yearlong, cutting-edge leadership development program that believes in transforming you and your pharmacy team to take your business to the next level. This isn’t a traditional, run-of-the-mill “how-to” guide; it’s a unique approach designed to empower pharmacy owners and/or leading staff members to achieve their full potential. Through NCPA’s CORE program, you will develop your skills in four essential domains that will redefine your business strategy: leadership, financials, operations, and marketing. For leadership, you’ll learn how to understand what motivates you and your team members to cultivate a high-performance culture and gain actionable strategies that align your team with your long-term goals. Our experts will get you back to the basics to provide you with a better understanding of your finances, key performance metrics, and effective purchasing strategies crucial for ensuring financial stability and success. Operations will be optimized as you learn how to streamline workflows, enhance inventory management, empower your employees, and implement long-term changes to fuel growth and efficiency. Finally, you’ll gain the marketing know-how to define your pharmacy’s unique brand identity, outshine your competitors, and effectively merchandise for success based on your specific audience. And all of the CORE programming will be done within a limited small group of other pharmacy owners and key personnel going through the same program together—building on a sense of community to not only learn, but to implement practical changes in your business. CORE will allow you to immerse yourself in focused learning sessions and collaborative exchanges with industry trailblazers to achieve new feats that will help redefine your business.

Want to read more? Check out the full article in the May issue of America’s Pharmacist today!