Together With

Good morning.   Two pieces of advice to keep in mind for all AITs, new NHA's, and new senior living leaders.  

Understand the global view.  Your area of responsibility and piece of the puzzle is an important part of the organization but not the only area to consider.  Always understand the big picture that is driving change and decision-making.  You may disagree, but you need to understand that viewpoint to buy into the vision and effectively implement change.  If you find yourself frustrated with recent decisions and changes, take a step back and look at the organization from a higher view.  

Stay calm when sh!t hits the fan.  It's going to happen at some point.  Take a deep breath, count to 10, and ask yourself, "what is the first small step toward a solution."  Act, take another deep breath and repeat.

Reply to this email or send an email to newsletter@nhastandup.com with your best piece of advice for new senior living leaders.

Congratulations to our contest winners 

A few weeks ago we ran a referral contest where a subscriber and three of their friends would be randomly chosen to receive free CEU's for an entire year.

Congratulations and a huge thank you to Valentina, Alexandria, Lorna, and Judith from Phoebe Ministries.

Elevate your operation 

The daily routine

I am obsessive to a fault about my daily routine.  About three years into my career as an NHA and senior living leader I found myself burnt out, frustrated, and feeling hopeless that I was actually making the impact I knew I was capable of.

During this time, I committed to learning as much as I could about effective leadership and how to structure my routines to achieve maximum impact in the least amount of time.

The goal was to make the career we all chose to pursue sustainable.

I sought out to

1. Eliminate the consistent 45+ hour workweeks
2. Become the leader others wanted to work for and emulate
3. Systemize customer experience
4. Become an amazing communicator

I realized quickly that my daily routine had to change.  Relentless consistency was needed to reach my goals.

That's the first step.  If you want to achieve any goal, you have to do the same thing every day.  Only then can you see small progress and tweak your routine to accelerate your journey

The next step is to deconstruct your goals into daily tactics.

For example.  To become a fantastic communicator I decided I would complete the following

1st tactic

Weekly 1:1 meetings with my team.

Daily routine- Pre-schedule and hold two 1:1 meetings with direct reports each weekday for 30 minutes each.

2nd tactic

Increase visibility with daily rounding

Daily routine- Block off time on my calendar daily from 8:00-8:30 AM and 3:00-3:30 PM to round and interact with team members.

Daily routine- Recognize and personally thank five team members during each rounding session.

Daily routine- Ask for feedback from at least 5 team members each day during rounds.  Document the follow-up and share it with leaders within 24 hours.  An inclusive list of all feedback and follow-up will be communicated during the next monthly employee town hall meetings.

The third and final step is to implement your accountability tracker.  List your daily habits on a spreadsheet and check them off each day as you complete them. 

Think of it as your own personal KPI tracking system.

Measured routines=consistency=achieving goals

Give it a try.  It is possible to reach your full potential and not burn yourself out.

Partners We Love

Together With HealthDrive

HealthDrive has over 30 years of experience as the leading provider of on-site healthcare services in long-term care. With nearly 500 medical and dental professionals and one million patient encounters per year, HealthDrive is fulfilling its mission "to elevate health outcomes and improve the quality of life." HealthDrive offers a variety of Dental, Podiatry, Optometry, Audiology, and Mental Health services within their markets. Innovative technology, administrative and regulatory support, as well as reliability, are just a few of the things that drive HealthDrive's commitment and continued success.

Not only is HealthDrive a partner of NHA Stand-Up, but they're also a partner I have utilized in the communities I support for years. Their model, ability to execute consistently, and reliability are spectacular. If you're interested in learning more, visit their website here and reach out to Rachel Wells at rwells@healthdrive.com.

Grab your coffee and make it a great day.  We appreciate you and your dedication to your team and residents. -Thank you!