In business, the only thing that matters is what works. The people in your company who are dealing with your customers are where the rubber meets the road. That’s why it’s essential for the company leaders, the men and women in the office that are often far from the front lines, to be where the action is on a regular basis.
By first building assisted-living communities and then operating them, I’ve developed certain practices over the decades. These practices work in any business because they keep the leadership actively involved in what’s going well—and not—on the front lines, and provides a system for regular communication through all layers of the company.
Here are three tips for management that produces excellent results:
- Identify the influencers in each work group. Within the various groups that make up your business, identify the key players—the people who influence others’ behavior, whether or not they hold a title or official authority. Meet with them on a regular basis so you can stay plugged in to what’s happening on the front lines.
- Identify areas that need improvement. Talk to your influencers about systems and areas that need to be fixed, overhauled, or eliminated, and about how team members are working together. They’ll often have ideas for innovations. The idea is not to look for people or problems to blame, but to work together to develop solutions and improve the team’s overall efforts. The information you get in speaking with these key players is invaluable. There may be nothing at all wrong, which is great, but these meetings give you, the CEO or manager, the information you need to constantly improve. It also reinforces the message to employees that they, and their ideas, are valued members of the team.
- Figure out those “wildly important goals.” You can have the best people in the field working for you, yet if they’re not specifically guided to a certain goal, they are putting their time and effort toward an end that they’re assuming is correct. CEOs and other upper-level managers have the 30,000-foot view, so it’s up to them to guide everyone beneath them. Short-term priorities may change slightly or drastically on a regular basis. Your team may be self-sufficient, but their vision is limited to their daily duties. If they don’t know that a goal or objective has changed, they can’t work toward it. ■
About The Author: Peder Johnsen is the CEO of Concordis Senior Living, www.concordisseniorliving.com, which owns, operates, and develops senior housing communities. He’s a third-generation assisted-living specialist whose grandfather and father built one of the first contemporary-style ALFs in Florida more than 30 years ago. He is an industry leader in staff development and training, and has overseen the development, acquisition, and financing of several communities.
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Modern Contractor Solutions, May 2015
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