Together With

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For those of you who are new to NHA Stand-Up, we are a weekly newsletter full of actionable tips and insights written by senior living leaders for senior living leaders.  We are building a community of operators to share best practices and bring out the best in each other for our residents and team members.

Elevate your leadership

I work with a few dozen senior living leaders and executives daily.  Some are at the C-suite level leading VPs, and some are on the front lines actively leading dozens of CNAs and direct care staff.  This unique perspective provides me with a viewpoint that many other industry leaders may not be able to see.

Through this viewpoint, a few consistencies are familiar and reliable at all levels of leadership.  I have learned that you can set your watch to the cause and effect relationship.

The opposites I am speaking of are easier to identify but more complicated to master.  They define leadership effectiveness, good or bad, 100% of the time.

They are empathy, vulnerability, and gratitude.

Leaders often miss the mark in these three areas or traits.

We cannot define empathy and are not able to build a bridge between managing tasks and building relationships.

We admit that being vulnerable is necessary for leadership and building trust but are scared to let our walls down.

We think we show gratitude frequently, but our self-perception is inflated.  When we do show appreciation, it is in the ways that we want to be appreciated and not specific to how our team member wants to be appreciated.

Influential leaders at all levels practice all three traits consistently.  Conversely, when I encounter a struggling leaders, they're always missing the mark in at least one of these areas.

So how do you know?

An effective way is to ask yourself this series of questions regularly.  If you want to nerd out, place these questions, or a reoccurring calendar invite for a 30-minute time block every Wednesday.

• When was the last time I made a mistake?  What did I learn from it, and have I openly spoken about the mistakes and lessons with my team?
• What do I know today that I didn't know _____?  Have I shared this insight with my team?

Context: If you say, "I can't remember the last time I made a mistake," you're not being honest with yourself.  You have to be vulnerable with yourself to be vulnerable with your team.  Vulnerability also comes through showing and admitting that you don't have all the answers.  Speak openly with your team about what you have learned recently through your experiences.

• Who haven't I heard from this week?
• What do I know about each team member's priorities outside of work, and how am I supporting these priorities?

Context: Empathy is hard and takes effort.  When we're busy, it's one of the first soft skills that gets left behind unintentionally.  Reflect on what you know about your team and how you can support them at work and outside of work.  Make sure all team members have the opportunity to be heard.  If you realize someone didn't speak up, seek them out and ask for their thoughts.

• What is each of my team member's superpowers?
• Have I personally thanked each team member this week in some way?
• What gestures of gratitude have landed well and why?

Context: Showing gratitude is like saving money.  You can only see the difference when you save consistently and over a period of time.  Now that you're transforming into an empathetic and vulnerable leader, it's time to use those skills to show appreciation to your team authentically.

The best part is to implement this tactic today and begin the journey toward more effective leadership today.  To learn more about leadership and other tactics to retain team members, check out our partner, OnShift, below.

Together with OnShift

The massive workforce shortage in long-term care and senior living continues to wreak havoc in our communities. In fact, 35% of respondents in OnShift’s Workforce 360 research indicated that their organizations have had to limit admissions or move-ins due to staffing shortages. There’s no question that many organizations are relying on agency labor as well as overtime (76%) to help fill the gaps during these difficult times.

While these strategies can be most effective in a pinch, there are additional ways to ensure more consistent staffing by optimizing the assignment of internal team members. Many of OnShift’s provider customers have improved their overall staffing efforts by leveraging some key best practices.

- Monitor employee utilization - Track employees’ scheduled hours versus their maximum availability to identify untapped resources who may be available for some additional hours or shifts
- Establish an internal staffing pool - Internal staffing pools allow designated employees to be plugged into the schedule when and where they are needed most. Establishing this type of team can also offer a competitive hiring advantage.
- Post schedules in advance – Post schedules in advance, typically at least a month out, to give staff ample time to plan for their lives outside of work, while also allowing them to pick up additional shifts.
- Share staff across communities - Consider cross-trained employees who are eligible and willing to be scheduled within different roles or departments in which they are qualified. In addition, larger organizations can expand this to sharing staff across locations. Assigning employees across nearby communities can better balance staffing needs across the entire organization.

OnShift is a partner to the long-term care industry and their workforce management software streamlines these processes with modern scheduling and time & attendance that offer flexibility, cost efficiencies and an innovative employee experience. Be sure to check out these best practices in OnShift’s helpful guide, Cracking the Code on Agency Costs.
 

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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