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Together With
Good morning. Today's focus is on the transformative journey from being an average leader to becoming an exceptional senior living leader. Drawing inspiration from the mindset shift between amateurs and professionals, let's explore how these distinctions can elevate your leadership and operational efficiency in senior living environments.
But first, caring for a hundred residents with too few nurses wouldn't be so hard if every nurse knew ahead of time exactly where to be, when, and why. Learn more about Tapestry Health, our sponsor, HERE.
Turn Pro
From Goal-Setting to System-Building
Amateurs set goals; professionals develop systems. In the senior living context, rather than just aiming for high resident satisfaction scores, develop comprehensive systems that ensure every interaction and service contributes to a positive, engaging resident experience. This involves regular staff training, feedback loops, and quality checks that align with your residents' needs and preferences.
In the context of Res Sat, amateurs wait for the phone to ring or concerns to file in. Pro's set up a system for their teams to proactively over communicate with their high touch residents and their families.
Expanding the Pie: Growth Mindset
While amateurs focus on dividing existing resources, professional leaders look to expand resources and opportunities. Implement strategies that not only improve current services but also explore new avenues for resident engagement, employee satisfaction, and operational efficiency. This could mean adopting new technologies, forming community partnerships, or creating innovative wellness programs.
In the context of technology, there are superior products and services available, many of whom sponsor our newsletter, that can help you and your team work smarter and more efficiently.
Continuous Improvement over One-Time Achievements
Professionals understand that success is not a destination but a journey. Celebrate achievements in your community, but use them as stepping stones for further improvement and innovation. This mindset ensures that your team remains motivated and avoids complacency, leading to sustained excellence in care and service.
Pro's know when it's time to pause and celebrate the wins.
Proactivity in Leadership
Shift from a reactive posture to a proactive approach. Anticipate the needs and challenges of your residents and staff, and develop strategies to address them before they escalate. This could involve regular resident surveys, staff training sessions, and updating your facilities and services based on predictive trends rather than waiting for issues to arise.
Amateurs delegate. Pro's ask leading questions to help their team develop the strategy based on their vision.
Long-Term Vision and Consistency
Professionals focus on the long term and maintain consistency in their efforts. In senior living leadership, this means committing to a vision that encompasses not just the immediate needs of your residents and staff but also the future landscape of senior care. Develop and adhere to long-term strategic plans that are responsive to changes in the industry and society.
Embracing Feedback and Collaboration
Unlike amateurs, professionals understand the value of feedback and collaboration. Encourage a culture where staff and residents can openly share their insights and suggestions. Collaborate with other professionals in the field to learn best practices and innovative solutions that can be adapted to your community.
Amateurs hide their flaws. Pro's authentically call out their own flaws and thank their team for honest feedback.
Creating a Supportive Environment
Professionals know that environment shapes behavior. Create an environment in your senior living community that encourages positive interactions, continuous learning, and healthy living. This includes everything from the physical layout of your facility to the social programs and community engagement initiatives you implement.
Taking Responsibility and Letting Go
Finally, professional leaders take responsibility for their actions and decisions while also knowing when to let go of practices, beliefs, or strategies that no longer serve their community's best interests. This balance between accountability and adaptability is crucial for leading a thriving senior living community.
Actionable Takeaways:
- Assess and Develop Systems: Review your current processes and identify areas where a systematic approach could improve efficiency and outcomes.
- Expand Resources: Look for opportunities to enhance your services and community engagement. Consider new technologies, partnerships, or programs.
- Foster a Proactive Culture: Encourage staff to anticipate resident needs and address potential issues before they become problems.
- Implement Feedback Mechanisms: Establish channels for residents and staff to provide feedback and ensure this feedback informs your strategies and practices.
- Commit to Continuous Learning: Promote ongoing professional development for yourself and your staff to stay ahead of industry trends and best practices.
Transforming from an amateur to a professional in senior living leadership is a journey of continuous improvement, foresight, and dedication. By adopting a professional mindset, you can create a thriving environment that not only meets the current needs of your residents and staff but also anticipates and adapts to future challenges. Let's embrace this professional approach to lead our communities with wisdom, compassion, and excellence.
Partners We Love
Together with TapestryHealth
TapestryHealth has been in the news a lot lately. One thing they don’t do is stand still or let technology get ahead of them or their clients. And that’s one of the things that I really love about this company.
Let’s face it, there are a lot of companies now that are touting their advanced technology. Tech is driving the market to new heights and healthcare is a natural for tech advancement. But just because something is labeled “technology” doesn’t automatically mean it will solve an issue for you in your facility. Tapestry does that. They do the vetting of every technical advancement that might be useful, and they do it from the standpoint of experienced SNF administrators, clinicians, and owners. For technology to work in a SNF, it needs to be affordable to install, profitable to operate, easy to learn and use, and it needs to help facilities deliver better care.
When Tapestry decides to incorporate some new technological advancement into their proprietary platform, it has been tested against each of one of these criteria, and passed with flying colors.
Here’s the proof: Tapestry installs their system at no cost to the facility, so it passes the Affordable Installation test. Tapestry’s technology doesn’t cost the facility anything to operate, and they generate increased reimbursements everywhere they’re used, so they pass the Profitable to Operate test. The learning curve is as simple as turning it on. Everything happens behind the scenes so that what your staff sees is smart, accurate, actionable direction on where to focus their efforts. That’s the Easy to Learn and Use test. And Tapestry Complete is proven to help reduce hospitalizations, provide better care to higher acuity patients, and increase customer satisfaction. Straight As on every test.
You can check them out HERE or you can Call, Text, or WhatsApp 845.694.7288
Whenever you're ready, there are a couple of ways I can help you.
- Leverage our partnership with CEUSrEZ and purchase NAB-approved, online, self-paced, continuing education courses at a 20% discount here.
- Use our free AI-powered Chatbot trained on all 900 pages of CMS Nursing Home Regulations plus proprietary processes and information from decades of skilled nursing leadership experience. Click here.
- Coming soon in May 2024. Stay tuned!
