Caring & Serving: Achieving Success through Why

1. Steven A. Brigance 2712 Market Trace Fort Smith, Arkansas

3. Caring & Serving • Not the top goal, but the only goal • It’s the why that will get you through almost any how • This applies to everybody – no silos, no non-connectivity, no opting out

4. “He who has a why to live can bear with almost any how.” ~Frederich Nietzsche

5. Great care and service to every resident and family member by skilled people dedicated to doing the right things in every community, everyday, in every situation will make us the most successful company in the industry – guaranteed. ~Darryl Fisher April 26, 2008 In a prepared but undelivered speech

6. Threats to Survival Let Alone Success • Compelled reorganizations • Highly visible personnel changes • Occupancy threats • Extraordinary downsizing • Media assaults

7. Threats to Survival Let Alone Success • Uncertainty (there must be a stronger word) • Imposed complexity • Consultants who are legal & financial experts, but… • Unqualified people judging “success” • Little if any internal control over events • Important but dangerous industry

8. Collective Success Stories • Increased focus on quality care & service • Increased focus on doing the right things • Focus on MVP’s • Focus on fewer but more important metrics • IQR (Independent Quality Review) • Accountability & rewards

9. Collective Success Stories • Communications from the top • Management team in place & functioning at highest level • Suits/claims down • Residents & Employee satisfaction surveys up • Occupancy up • Training • Community involvement

10. Amazing

11. Lines of Care • Executives/Home Office Leadership • Home Office staff • Regional Managers • Administrators • Community Care Givers • Community Support Staff

12. Which is the most important job in the company? Yours

13. Second Answer -- Administrator • Most important & most difficult • Terrible title – worse than meaningless • ED, no better • How about something with the word “Chief” in it

14. Quantum Shift • Skill sets • Hiring standards • Right models/different rewards • Not everybody will make it • Example 50% need to change • 50% of those can change • 50% of these in other jobs • The rest have to go – do the math

15. Why it Matters So Much ?

16. Hypothetical Skill Sets • Absolute commitment to quality care & service • Absolute commitment to do the right thing in every situation • Advocate for the resident • Team-oriented • Goal-oriented • Committed to accountability & rewards for all employees • Good hiring/training/re-training/retaining skills • Recognition that this is a business & a calling

17. Case Study • Owner/investor choices • Architect choices • Doors • Personnel choices • Construction Company • Supervision • Liquidated damages • Refusal to correct • Administrator • Credentials • Employment history • Cover-up • Retaliation • State regulators • Caregivers – nowhere to go Dorothy & Jack

18. No-Nos When Stuff Happens • Ignore the problem & underlying cause • Blame things on a resident or family member • Delay contacting people who should be involved • Lie • Hide • Cover-up

19. No-Nos When Stuff Happens • Coach • Try to fix things yourself • Misstate • Equivocate • Never say you’re sorry • Obfuscate & wait for things to blow over • Assume the police are our friends

20. No-Nos When Stuff Happens • Screw up the records – before, during & after • Fail to appreciate we are in the elder care business • Have no appreciation of our MVP’s– no plan, strategy or vision for early resolution • “Diss” or cajole the state • Assume your staff will cover for each other -- and you • Assume the family and/or resident will flag

21. What’s Needed From Each of You: • To align your individual purpose/content-ment/why with the collective why of quality care and service • To become a trusted colleague • To trust your colleagues • To see the big picture and your role in it • To become a trusted, “first-person” leader and advocate • To eliminate the “graffiti” • Between stimulus & response to make the higher choice with your “Whole New Life”

22. Values = Trusted Colleague T – Team player R – Respectful & responsive U – Understated S – Safe T – Talented E – Executes well & consistently D – Dedicated & devoted ~Dr. David Wong, MD, MPH Seattle, Washington

23. Three Stages of Becoming an Effective Leader • Dependence • Requires almost nothing – its innate • Independence – requires 3 habits (knowledge, skills, desire) • Proactive (circle of influence) • Begin with the end in mind (vision) • First things first (management)

24. Three Stages of Becoming an Effective Leader • Interdependence • Win, Win • Seek first to understand…. • Synergize (2 + 2 = 5) • Sharpen the saw – continuous renewal of yourself and others ~Stephen R. Covey The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

25. Commitment The stage where people are truly ready to identify with new goals and are clearly focused on how to reach them. • More comfortable • More confident • Adapted to the “New State” • Sense of accomplishment • More cooperative • More successful • Sense of some control

26. Great accomplishments come when trusted, talented people appear “at the right time and the right place” with the right idea. ~Malcolm Gladwell Outliers, The Tipping Point, Blink

27. Between stimulus & response is a space of time – an opportunity to exercise one’s freedom, whatever the how (circumstances) An opportunity to make the higher/better choice based on one’s why (purpose) ~Viktor E. Frankl Man’s Search for Meaning (1945)

28. Steven A. Brigance (479) 783-7070 sbrigance@4OurElders.com