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Good morning.  Every day in your community, priorities stack up like charts on a desk: patient outcomes, staffing concerns, compliance goals, family satisfaction—the list doesn’t end. When the pressure rises, so does the risk of misalignment: a slow, silent issue where teams are pulling in different directions, sometimes without even realizing it.

But what if you could course-correct your team with just 10 minutes?

Enter the two-question alignment exercise. Simple in concept, powerful in execution, and highly revealing—no matter how experienced you are as a leader.

Elevate your Leadership

The 10-Minute Exercise That Aligns Your Team

At your next team meeting or during rounds, ask:

1. “What’s the one thing you think we should focus on right now?”
2. “What’s one thing slowing you down from doing your best work?”

Then—shut up and listen.

These two questions are deceptively simple. Yet their power lies in uncovering what you don’t know. As a leader, it’s easy to assume priorities are clear. But assumptions are dangerous. Misalignment sneaks in when goals aren’t shared, hurdles aren’t addressed, and your team doesn’t feel heard.

Why This Works: The Power of Direct Feedback

1. Focus: The first question forces clarity.
   “What’s the one thing we should be focusing on?” cuts through the noise. Your team will tell you what they think matters most—whether that’s patient safety, addressing short staffing, onboarding, or morale. You’ll quickly spot gaps between what you think is most critical and what they believe should be the focus.

2. Uncovering Barriers: The second question reveals invisible roadblocks.
   What’s slowing your team down might not always be obvious from a leadership chair. Maybe it’s a documentation bottleneck, outdated equipment, or a lack of communication between shifts. The answer to this question exposes those friction points so you can address them head-on.

3. Listening as Leadership: Here’s the key: After asking, be quiet. Let the team talk. The power of this exercise is not in your response; it’s in creating space for honest, unfiltered feedback. Engagement improves when your team feels heard—and you’ll gain invaluable insights.

How Often Should You Do This?

Consistency builds alignment.

• Weekly Huddles: Integrate these two questions into your standing meetings. This keeps priorities crystal clear week-to-week.
• Monthly Check-Ins: For deeper reflection, use this exercise during one-on-ones or department reviews to address recurring challenges.
• During Change or Stress: Implement this when the team faces new regulations, census spikes, or leadership transitions. It helps anchor everyone to a shared focus in times of uncertainty.

The beauty of this exercise lies in its efficiency. It’s not an hour-long brainstorming session; it’s 10 minutes of focused questions and listening that spark action.

Case Study: Small Exercise, Big Impact

A Director of Nursing at a Midwest skilled nursing facility implemented this exercise during her weekly stand-up meetings. By asking the two questions, she discovered that frontline staff were struggling with delayed supply restocks—an issue that leadership wasn’t aware of.

Within a week, the team created a new restocking protocol. Staff frustrations dropped, care delivery improved, and morale rose simply because the team was given a voice.

She noted: “I couldn’t believe such a small shift gave us such clear answers. We had been addressing the wrong priorities because we weren’t asking the right questions.”

This exercise is like turning on a light in a dark room: it eliminates guesswork and shines a clear path forward.

Actionable Takeaway: Try It This Week

1. At your next meeting or huddle, carve out 10 minutes.
2. Ask the two questions:
   • What’s the one thing you think we should focus on right now?
   • What’s one thing that’s slowing you down from doing your best work?
3. Listen. Take notes. Resist the urge to respond immediately.

Commit to acting on at least one insight you receive. Even small actions show your team you’re listening and building trust.

Small exercise. Big impact.

Leaders who ask the right questions and genuinely listen don’t just align their teams—they energize them. It’s not about you having all the answers; it’s about creating a space where clarity and solutions naturally emerge.

So, next time you feel your team pulling in different directions, remember: 10 minutes is all it takes to align, engage, and lead better.

Have a great day leading your team forward.

Partners We Love

Designed specifically for senior care billers.

About Prime Care Technologies

Prime Care Technologies provides integrated data and technologies to make real-time, performance-impacting decisions—an Atlanta-based company and industry-leading data warehouse. Empowering senior care operators to achieve care goals.

Check out their solutions HERE.

Whenever you're ready, there are a couple of ways I can help you.

1. Leverage our partnership with CEUSrEZ and purchase NAB-approved, online, self-paced, continuing education courses at a 20% discount here.
2. Check out our free AI Chatbot trained on thousands of pages of regs and industry best practices.  It’s like having a surveyor on your team.  Try it out here.
3. Coming soon in 2024.  Stay tuned!
    

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Thanks for reading.  Have a wonderful day.

Kevin Goedeke, Publisher and Founder