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Together With
Good afternoon. Welcome back to the 5th and final edition of our series, revealing the key to having a successful career as a senior living leader while not burning yourself out with 45-65 hour weeks in the process.
Today, we discuss Part 5- Managing expectations.
If you missed the previous editions, check them out using the link below.
Elevate your operation in less time
Part 5- Managing Expectations
The term "managing expectations" gets a bad wrap. When most people hear these two words together, they think managing expectations = lowering expectations.
That couldn't be further from the truth.
In reality, managing expectations = setting yourself up to deliver exactly what is expected.
A key outcome to achieving balance in your career and life outside of work is knowing precisely what is expected of you and delivering the expectation on time, every time.
Most NHA's and senior living leaders try to compensate for poor results and unknown expectations with compassion and dedication.
Slaving over your job and the symbol of dedication that translates to is secondary to results. Leader don't care that you came in last Saturday to help out if you're not delivering the results that are priotiy. Compassion and dedication are expectations, not differentiators. Consistently hitting goals and expectations is what rises you above the rest of the pack.
I recently met with an industry friend who operates 60 SNFs in the mid-Atlantic region. During our discussion, he shared that what keeps him up most at night is his leaders "don't hate agency as much as I do" and "they don't know labor relations."
It made me wonder if his 60 NHAs were asked what keeps their leader up at night would they be able to articulate the same answer? Are their priorities aligned with the President of their organization?
I wonder how many of those 60 NHAs are in their buildings 60 hours/week, spending minimal time and effort on labor relations? Conversely, how many of those NHAs are executing a plan to eliminate agency usage but aren't communicating the wins up the chain of command?
I do two things to ensure I am 100% aligned with my boss's expectations of me and my results.
First, I hold a 30-minute long 1:1 with my boss every week, without fail. Sometimes they're in person. Most of the time, we talk on the phone or through Zoom. If he has a conflict I always reschedule so the touchpoint stays consistent.
Second, before every 1:1, I provide him with the same agenda which includes the wins (here's what is going well) for the week, areas I'm stuck (here is where I need support), my focuses (here is where I believe I should focus my efforts) moving forward, and three questions for my leader to answer.
- Where am I meeting expectations?
- Where am I falling short of the expectation?
- Are my focuses aligned with your priorities for my role?
I take notes of the answers he provides and use it to guide my focus for the following week.
Am I the only one that shows up to his 1:1's with a set agenda? Probably.
Are we aligned on what my success looks like? Always.
Managing expectations= Knowing exactly what is expected and delivering results.
Together with OnShift
The long-term care and senior living industry has lost over 12% of its workforce in just the last two years, placing the industry squarely in the midst of a staffing crisis. These workforce challenges have led the majority of providers to place a high level of priority on employee engagement and retention. So where should providers focus their efforts?
OnShift’s research shows that today’s workforce wants a voice to influence change, open lines of communication with managers and recognition for their hard work. If your only channels for employee feedback are an annual survey or occasional outreach for suggestions, it will be nearly impossible to improve retention. Providers attune to this are supporting their employee engagement efforts by utilizing technology like OnShift to frequently collect staff feedback with pulse surveys and provide a systematic rewards program that consistently recognizes employee contributions.
By turning employee insights into action, providers create a culture where people want to work. Without action, you might not be honest with yourself on how much of a priority employee retention is to your organization. If you are serious about building a stronger culture and more stable workforce for your organization, be sure to check out OnShift’s recently published Biggest Book of Perks for new ideas to engage and recognize employees for their hard work.
About OnShift
OnShift’s next-generation human capital management platform fundamentally transforms the relationship between healthcare organizations and their employees. Our innovative approach to recruitment, hiring, workforce management, pay and engagement fosters a culture where people want to work. That’s why thousands of healthcare organizations rely on OnShift’s integrated suite of software and services to dramatically reduce turnover rates, decrease costs and improve the quality and continuity of care. For more information, visit OnShift.
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