Together With

Good afternoon and happy Friday.  I visited the post office yesterday, and needless to say, my expectations of a good experience were low.  I walked into the old building to see a line of six people waiting to be served.

The experience ended up being the exact opposite of my expectation.  The line moved quickly, and when it was my turn, the employee behind the counter went out of her way to help me out.  She even set me up with several prepaid envelopes to skip coming in for my following few packages.

I came in expecting a "D" level experience and was surprised to get an "A" level experience.  There wasn't anything special about the customer service, just that it was startling in all the right ways.

Most people that enter the doors of a senior care community for the first time are expecting a subpar experience.  Are you and your teams taking the opportunity to shock them in all the right ways?

Elevate Your Operation

The silver lining of the pandemic, in my opinion, is our industry learned to lean on and support each other.  That premise inspired this newsletter and the dream of building a supportive community of senior living leaders.  Our vulnerability and empathy towards each other have enhanced an industry-wide culture of resiliency.  We were always a resilient industry of individuals, but now we have become resilient teams.  Together, we have overcome mile-high hurdles on a daily, if not hourly, basis, 24/7, for over two years.

How do we as leaders foster and continue to build resiliency within our teams as the pandemic (fingers crossed) winds down?  

The answer to this question comes down to two factors.  First, we must continue to look ahead and predict what future challenges will come our way—being resilient starts with being prepared.  Preparation begins with pulling our heads up and looking towards the horizon.  It's not as much about accurately predicting the future as it is the process of discussing the future together as a team.  

Second, we need to continue leading with empathy.  Openly acknowledging our whole selves, especially who we are outside the community doors, needs to be intentional.

Begin with implementing a monthly energy pulse check with your team.  An easy way to start the conversation is by labeling your energy as either red, yellow, or green and explaining why.  Then, go around the group and ask each team member to do the same.  There are multiple benefits of this exercise.  It promotes empathy, builds trust, and acknowledges who we are outside of our roles.  As the leader, it also provides priceless insights into who may need additional support in the upcoming weeks.  You will be shocked at how your leaders lean in to support each other during tough times.

Next, add the following discussion to an existing team meeting agenda monthly or quarterly: Come prepared to name an opportunity or a risk that will present itself in the future.  This practice will encourage your leadership team to pull back from their day-to-day role and peek into the future.  What do they see coming that you don't?  What does the future look like through their lens?  Document the responses and, as a team, identify which ones to prioritize.

Building a resilient team starts with you.

Together with CEUSrEZ

Today we're kicking off our biggest CEU giveaway to date.  Our goal in 2022 is to reach 10,000 NHA's and senior living leaders, and we need your help to get there.  Here is how it works.  

To qualify, reply to this newsletter before March 18th and add three colleagues to the email thread, encouraging them to subscribe by clicking the subscribe button at the top of the newsletter.  

On March 18th, we will randomly pick one subscriber and their three referrals to win 20 CEU approved courses from CEUsrEZ.  

Pretty cool, right?

All you have to do is refer three friends, and you could each win an entire year's worth of free CEUs.

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