Good morning. I was asked this recently by a subscriber. "I work for a mid-sized operator with a couple of dozen locations. I find myself frustrated when new initiatives and programs are rolled out without input from community leaders. How do I get my voice heard without sounding difficult?" It's a great question and one that I see NHA's and other senior living leaders struggle with a lot. The community vs. corporate divide.  Today we're going to dive into the best way to influence change when you're not directly involved in the decision-making process.

Elevate your operation

We must provide some context first. Both large and small organizations grow and subsequently prepare to scale operations.  Organizations strive to keep a sense of innovation and keep operations standardized to achieve growth. Changes are being implemented faster than ever in today's fast-paced operating climate. Every organization has its process for implementing new procedures. Some utilize pilot programs, some use workgroups to develop programs, some companies develop programs in the C-suite and push them out, and most companies use a combination of the three depending on the circumstance.  Follow these steps to influence decisions that you're typically not involved in.  

Step 1

Understand who within your organization makes decisions. Who are the decision-makers, decision drivers (those responsible for creating and proposing change), and stakeholders (those impacted by the decision or change)?  

Step 2

Understand how decisions are made within your organization. Seek out the decision drivers you identified and inform them of your interest in upcoming projects and decisions. Find out what's in the pipeline and, more importantly, find out the decision-making cycle. You will be surprised how much power decision drivers hold. The ones making the recommendations are not the decision-makers but often have all the power.

Step 3

Know when to speak up and when to hold tight. All decisions/programs/pilots/etc. go through a cycle that will be unique to your organization. Until now, you likely heard about these changes when they were entering what I call the "black hole" of the cycle. The black hole is when a decision has been made and not enough time has gone by to know if the decision led to the intended outcomes.  When the decision has been made, there needs to be a timespan of testing and data collection that occurs before any decision on changes can be made. Typically, the black hole starts before most community leaders are brought under the tent and learn about the upcoming change. If you want to avoid "sounding difficult," you need to.

-Assume positive intent.

-Come to the table with an open mind and lots of energy.

-Maintain optimism that the changes will have the intended outcomes.

-Keep track of your recommendations but hold onto them for now unless specifically asked for feedback.

No one in your organization will admit this, but the leaders that receive the label of being "difficult" or "resistant to change" are those that are oblivious to the black hole and voice their opinions at the wrong time. The appropriate time will come when the black hole has come and gone when you can express your views. By this time, it may be too late to influence change. The key is to understand your company's decision making cycle and position yourself to be asked for feedback before the black hole begins.

Step 4

Now it's time to take the information you've learned and tactically influence the process. As mentioned above, the easiest and most effective way to influence decisions is by getting involved before the black hole. Now that you know who the decision drivers are and what decisions are coming down the pipeline, identify the changes that will impact you as a stakeholder and ask to be involved. Even better, ask the decision drivers if you can put together a presentation to describe how you envision solving the problem or have solved the pain in your community. Long story short, you need to come to the table with a solution at the right time in the decision-making process.  Timing and approach is everything.  Pay attention to the progress you make compared to others that complain about decisions at the wrong time and with no proposed solution.

Pay It Forward

Thanksgiving has come and gone, but this quote reminded me that it's never too late to make someone's day. William Arthur Ward says, "Gratitude can transform common days into Thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings."

Your challenge: Purchase a nice holiday card and identify a housekeeper who has gone above and beyond this year. Put $20 in the card and customize the note, thanking them for their service. Refrain from signing the card and slip it into their locker, supply closet, or in their cart when they're not looking.

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