Together With

Good afternoon. Spring is upon us.   Here's to new beginnings and new life.  Keep doing what you're doing.  You're saving lives.

This weeks newsletter has some excellent resources from OnShift that you can leverage to better understand and engage your teams.  Be sure to check them out below.

How to execute in Senior Living

Today, I will share the process I use to execute the most challenging operational goals I face in senior living.

There is no industry as diverse as SNF and senior living operations. We're responsible for everything from the physical plant to the well-being of our residents in a constantly changing environment.

Our effectiveness is measured by executing an equally diverse set of goals and benchmarks. Occupancy goals, labor thresholds, employee engagement, resident satisfaction are just a few factors that determine our performance as leaders.

Through implementing what I call The Execution Operating System, you will learn how to execute on the top goals of each department and manage the process in less than 15 minutes per day.

Unfortunately, most people spend their days chasing occupancy, staffing, and resident complaints and never achieve the desired results or the work-life balance they want. Here is how you can have both.

Execution is about focus and consistency.

Here are the most common mistakes I see regarding execution.

• Too many goals lead to mediocre results.

• Chasing outcomes that don't achieve your ultimate goal. Think 80/20

• External forces bait you to change course.

• Lack of understanding of what drives outcomes.

• No system to monitor progress efficiently.

Much like anything else, the key is to have a system to identify, communicate and execute on your top goals.

Here's my system, step by step:

Step 1: Start by identifying the top goal for each department

It's essential to prioritize the most critical goal for each department so that you can execute with excellence. Hone in on what is most important.

Guide the team to make the right decision but ensure they're identifying the goal. If it's your goal and not theirs, you will lack the needed buy-in to succeed.

Goals must be specific and include a date of completion. Open-ended goals won't hold up. For example, don't say "We want to increase occupancy" and instead say, "We will increase occupancy from 75% to 85% by 6/1/22. Know what and where the finish line is.

Document the goals in a prominent place and preferably within view of where you hold your daily stand-up meeting. Goals need to be front and center on a daily basis.

Step 2: Identify two interim outputs

This step will ensure you stay on track to hit your goal.

Your interim outputs are two checkpoints to ensure you're on track to hit your goal in the desired timeframe.

For example, if your goal is to fully "implement the new dining service model by 7/1/22," your interim goals might be something along the lines of

• 100% of the kitchen equipment will be installed by 5/1/22

• 75% of staff will be trained on the service process by 6/1/22

You now have built-in two checkpoints on 5/1 and 6/1 where you can measure your progress and utilize your progress or lack thereof to determine if your measured inputs need to be adjusted. More on what an input is in step 3.

Step 3: Identify your key inputs.

Your goal is your desired output. You need to identify the three most likely inputs to achieve each desired outcome or goal.

Inputs must be 100% in control of the team and broken down into Monday-Friday increments.

For example, for one of our occupancy goals, we recently identified our three inputs as

• Eight daily outgoing calls per salesperson.

• The leadership team is briefed on every planned tour on the morning of the tour.

• Every incoming inquiry is responded to within 24 hours.

Each input is measurable, and you can monitor adherence on a Monday-Friday daily basis.

Step 4: Implement your daily monitoring system

Step 4 is where the rubber meets the road. Where accountability comes into play, and you start driving the results you want without working 80 hours each week to get there.

Each day, Monday-Friday, you will transform your daily stand-up meeting into a meeting of day-to-day execution.

The process is simple. Each department leader comes to stand-up ready to take 30 seconds to present their input results from the day before.

For example, Shelly from sales comes prepared to present the following.

"All three sales team members successfully made over eight calls yesterday."

"We had two scheduled tours yesterday, and we briefed the team on both tours during yesterday's stand-up meeting."

"Lastly, we had two online and one telephone inquiry yesterday. All three inquiries were followed up on same day."

Continue around the room until each leader, including yourself, has reported on their inputs.

On the dates of each team's interim outputs, spend 15 minutes with that specific team separate from the stand-up meeting to answer two questions. Are we on track to meet the high-level goal? Do we need to change up our inputs to meet the high-level goal?

And that's it. Results = Efficient system + Accountability.

Together with OnShift

With today’s challenging labor market, there’s no question that employee engagement strategies have become a major focus for senior care providers. In fact, OnShift recently surveyed over 2,000 senior care professionals and found that 83% of respondents are placing a high priority on employee engagement and retention.

Employee engagement practices can take on many forms-- new rewards for team members to recognize a job well done, innovative payment models that offer extra support to staff, feedback channels, shifts that promote work-life balance, and much more.

As long-term care leaders, the challenge is upon all of us to make sure we’re creating a positive work culture and that our teams feel supported, valued and heard. I’m pleased to share this resource from OnShift, The Bigger Book of Perks, that is packed with tips and best practices to engage and retain team members. OnShift is a partner to the long-term care industry and offers a full suite of software solutions to help providers recruit, hire, manage, engage and retain employees. Be sure to check out their Workforce 360 industry research and The Bigger Book of Perks for some great insights and fresh ideas!

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.

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

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