Good morning.  As NHA’s, it always feels like there are more items on our to-do list compared to hours in the day to get them done.  Today’s edition aims to help you be more productive, efficient, and consistent with your time and energy.

Elevate Your Operation

The most significant impact you can have on your time is by consistently implementing and executing a tight and efficient daily stand-up or morning meeting routine.  If your current setup involves your department heads standing in a circle unprepared and simply rattling off what comes to mind for that day, then you’re leaving a lot on the table.  “Today, I am knocking out work orders.”  “I’ll be focusing on preparing for QAPI tomorrow.”  “My team is deep cleaning the rehab gym this evening after close.”  Sound familiar?

Your morning meeting, if run properly, can take the place of a half dozen other encounters you’re having throughout the week and can act as your compass pointing yourself and your team to priorities that need attention.  The Daily Stand-Up team brainstormed and shared best practices to get the most out of your meeting.  Follow this process and we guarantee this "recipe" will make your team exponentially more productive.

Cadence: This meeting should happen daily, Monday-Friday, at the same time regardless of whether or not you’re in the building that day.  Your morning meeting should span no longer then 20 minutes and starting and stopping on time is critical.  Coming prepared to present on your topics and data is a requirement.  As the leader, you set these ground rules and consistently hold the group accountable.

Purpose: Contrary to popular belief this daily touchpoint has  a purpose well beyond learning what your team is doing that day.  The true intention is two fold in that it provides a real time pulse check of the organization and accountability check for the teams within.  

Agenda: Memorialize the agenda in writing and stay consistent, so the meeting flows naturally and consistently. Your agenda, either electronic, on a white board, or on paper, will have a designated area to record notes and data reported out by your department heads.

Topics: Prioritize topics most important to the community at the beginning of the agenda.  Cover topics and lead and lag indicators compared to the goal or benchmark, so areas requiring additional support or attention stand out.  

Data: This is where the rubber meets the road.  There are two types of data available to us.  Leading indicators predict future outcomes and are measurable before outcomes occur.  Lagging indicators are outcomes and once they become measurable are unable to be changed for that time period.  Said differently, lead indicators predict the future and lag indicators display past results. They key is to have your teams commit to leading indicators that are predictive of desired results  AND are completely in their control.

For example, lets say your desired outcome or lag indicator is to achieve 95% occupancy.  Your sales team needs to identify lead indicators that are predictive of achieving this outcome.  These lead indicators may fit the criteria of being both predictive and within control of the team.

1.) Respond to all referrals within 5 minutes of receipt and provide approval for admission within 13 minutes of receipt for rehab referrals.

2.) Complete 20+ successful outreach activities each week.  These can be phone calls, emails, or in person events or meetings that achieve a response.

3.) Complete 8+ in person tours each week.

The sales team comes prepared to communicate these three data points each day and through their quick verbal report it becomes clear whether or not the trajectory is headed toward the goal.  If, over time, lead indicators are not helping you to achieve your lag indicators then its time to make some tweaks.

Expand this system to each department or area of the organization and your morning meeting will transform into a robust and purposeful touchpoint providing accountability and measurable progress toward your desired outcomes.

Follow up: Now that the agenda is set, team is showing up prepared, and leading indicators are being recorded daily on the agenda you can proactively plan your day and your week.  Address unprepared or unsuccessful leaders in private but within the same day to sustain accountability.

Case Study: In April of 2021 I implemented leading indicators into my community's daily morning meeting with a  goal of increasing occupancy to 94% which for us equals pre-COVID levels.  The community is licensed as Assisted Living and is comprised of over 200 units.  As of April 1st, 2021, current occupancy was 83%.  As of September 21st, 2021 occupancy has grown to a yearly high of 90.5%.  We have adjusted our leading indicators periodically throughout the process and today they include the following three metrics.  Our morning meeting in total takes about 15-18 minutes.

1.) Each sales team member sources one new lead/week.

2.) Each sales team member connects with 4 existing leads per week.  (phone call, email with response, virtual or in person meeting, etc.)

3.) Each sales team member completes 3 or more tours/week

Wrap Up: Implementing these seemingly minor changes to your daily stand-up meeting will produce exponential positive results for your community and your team.  You will likely experience push back and hurdles as you introduce a new process and expectations of preparedness and accountability to your team.  Stay the course and know that the benefits far outweigh these temporary growing pains.

Share The Love

Employee recognition and appreciation are critical in today's environment.  Unfortunately, it's a struggle to consistently and intentionally convey how much we value our teams.  You can likely relate.  Here are some tremendous leading indicators you can introduce to compound the benefits of your new stand-up routine by showing love to your employees. 

1.) Start each stand-up meeting with a shout-out.  Give the appropriate heads-up, so folks come prepared and then open up the floor and ask an attendee to share a recent example of an employee going above and beyond.  Make sure you have an example to share in case everyone else draws a blank and until it becomes part of the everyday culture of the meeting.  It's an easy step that can start each day with a positive vibe.

2.) Each department leader hand writes and sends one thank you card/week to a community employee—this type of connection fits the category of personal recognition.

3.) Each department leader comes prepared to nominate employees weekly who have gone above and beyond to receive a free meal courtesy of the community.  Allow the selected employee to choose a team member they believe also deserves the same honor to share their meal with -this type of honor fits the category of peer-to-peer and personal recognition.

Utilize employee retention or another data point as your lag indicator and evaluate the success of your lead indicators over time.

Maximize Your Commute

Learn more about executing a plan built on leading vs. lagging indicators by listening to The 4 Disciplines of Execution during your commute this week.

For a high-level and brief written summary of the 4 Disciplines, check out this summary on Storyshots.  

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