3 Critical Takeaways from My Seniors Housing Conference Keynote Address at LALA

There’s nothing like a senior housing conference to sharpen your leadership skills and help you walk away energized, motivated, and inspired.

If you were at the Louisiana Assisted Living Association’s (LALA) Annual Conference, then you had a chance to hear me speak in person on senior living leadership.  

But many of you didn’t make the LALA event.

Whether it was the distance or your busy schedule, sometimes it’s difficult to get away to a senior housing conference and focus on your professional development.

The good news is…

In this article, I’m letting you in on my LALA keynote address.

Keep reading to discover the why behind my keyonte focus and three key takeaways from my address on senior housing leadership…

The Backdrop behind my Senior Housing Conference Keynote

My keynote address comes at a critical point for the senior housing industry: this very moment, our industry is in a state of transformation.

At the LALA senior housing conference, I underscored how we’re undergoing a shift. We’re transitioning…

• From nursing homes…to senior living communities.
• From a focus on care to a focus on culture.
• From a place where seniors go to die to a place where seniors go to live.

(For more on this shift and how to stay viable, check out our article here.)

Here’s the bottom line.   

In the coming years, you won’t be serving the Silent Generation but discerning, discriminating Boomers.

Surviving the Silver Tsunami will take purposeful leadership if you want to help your organization net up and grow…and that was the focus of my charge to the LALA audience.  

Let’s dive into 3 key takeaways from my keynote…

#1 – Work On—Rather Than In—Your Business

I discussed how true leadership in your organization means taking the time to work on, rather than in, your business.   

However, that’s not a phrase that I tossed around to make a good impression at the senior housing conference.

In my keynote, I provided some concrete examples of how senior housing leaders can pour their energy into what matters most.  

Working on your business typically consists of things you want to do as a leader—but never have time for. Maybe it’s the day-to-day business demands…or perhaps you’re always putting out fires.

Whatever situation you’re facing, at the conference, I encouraged leaders to carve out 45-60 minutes each week for this activity.

Here are some examples I provided of ways you can work on your business:  

• Employee development and retention
• Revenue growth
• Resident programming
• The customer experience

#2 – Consider 90-Day Visions

At the senior housing conference, I also touched on how most people work from a 12-month goal plan.

Don’t get me wrong.

There’s nothing faulty with having a vision for what you want to accomplish in a year’s time. However, what I encouraged senior living leaders to do was this: consider 90-Day Visions.

Here’s the advice I gave…

1. You need to select three to four big-picture goals which will move you closer to the completion of your annual plan.  
2. Choose a goal within that vision that’s uncomfortable, but, once you complete it, will be a game changer.   
3. Print off your 90-Day Vision, and post it where you can reference it weekly.
4. Challenge your department leaders to draft their own 90-Day Vision. Their own 90-Day Vision will fit into the bigger picture of your 90-Day Vision.

Here’s an example of how you can implement this for your operation…

In the next twelve months, your goal is to increase occupancy at two struggling communities by 50%. Simply break up that goal into 3 90-Day Visions like the following…

• 90-Day Vision #1: Analyze the talent at the struggling communities and find new team members if needed.

 

• 90-Day Vision #2: Equip your teams with the proper onboarding and training.

 

• 90-Day Vision #3: Measure performance and continue to provide support for targeted areas based on team member metrics.

#3 – Leverage Your Talent

At the LALA senior housing conference, our keynote didn’t end with a focus on the leaders in my audience.

The final message?  

As a leader, you must learn to develop up.

Develop up is investing in your organizational talent and empowering them to become leaders, too. That means…  

• Helping your employees tap into their Zone of Genius. (If you’re unfamiliar with the term, Laura Garnett defines it as “where your greatest passion meets your innate talent.”)  
• Letting go of your personal ego…and allowing your employees to rise.   
• Embracing The Leadership Test, which means having the confidence to put ourselves out of a job.
• Developing a strong culture to meet the demands of tomorrow.

Working on your business. Executing 90-Day Visions. Leveraging the power of your team members.

When you make these three shifts, you’ll begin to see positive results in your organization…results that empower revenue growth.

Ready for strategic leadership advice?

At Bild & Co., we provide executive coaching…but we go beyond merely offering guidance. We empower senior housing operations with the solutions they need for occupancy growth and improved NOI.

See for yourself the transformation we’ll create when you read the success story of Era Living, or contact us online.