You Have Access to a Wealth of Information; Are You Taking Advantage of It?

As we read the news about two major industry associations about to merge (see article at SeniorHousingNews.com), it leads to the question: Do you fully utilize all the resources available to you?  Do you even know about all the resources available for education, training, financial knowledge, industry trends and more?

One trend you need to avoid; operating in a bubble not taking into consideration what is going on in your community, your city, your state, your industry.  Keeping up with the latest research, recent developments, up-to-date training, what is happening with competitors and most importantly regulations, policies and laws that affect you will keep your community from falling so far behind it cannot catch up.

Go to the Moore Diversified Services (MDS) Industry Links page.  Here you will find just a small sampling of resources to help you stay informed, stay competitive, and maintain top notch performance.  In addition to what we have listed, be sure to check local and national headlines from your preferred news source and link up to your state associations.  The state associations will help you stay on top of state regulations and laws which are imperative to your operations. 

Don’t Let Success Lead You to Fail

So, how are your sales going? It’s the middle of the month and time to evaluate how sales are progressing.  Are you close to filling those units you set out to fill this month? No doubt if you are behind your sales indicators, you are going to be even more focused on selling over the next two weeks.  And if you are right on track, you are going to keep on doing what you’re doing in the hopes that you STAY on track and meet your sales goals.  What if you are ahead of your indicators? Time to sit back and rest on your accomplishments so far? Don’t do it!

If you have read “Go for No” by Richard Fenton and Andrea Waltz, you know that now is the time to really kick it into gear! Why, you may ask, would I work harder NOW that I am ahead of my goals? Because as hard to believe as it may seem, that confidence in what you have done the first two weeks of the month could be what keeps you from reaching those goals and filling those units at the end of the month.  You relax your demeanor, you don’t focus quite as hard on closing the deal because you have plenty of time…or do you?

And if you are getting more “no’s” than you can stand, you are on the right track! How you may ask? Because with each “no” you are getting closer to your “yes”. 

If you are an administrator, sales manager or sales person, we recommend you get a copy of “Go for No” and see how this theory can help your sales department perform above and beyond.  And MDS can evaluate your marketing strategy and make sure you have the sharpest marketing program around to bring all your potential residents into your community and to the desk of your sales department.

 

Laughter (and Fun) Can Be Great Medicine

When we talk about “wellness” for residents, most immediately think exercise, healthy diet and monitoring the typical health indicators.  While all those things are necessary, don’t forget to include things they enjoy.  Your residents are no different from their younger counterparts, they just want to have a little fun!

A retirement community in Essen, Germany created this awesome calendar using their residents to recreate famous movie scenes. (Think James Bond, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Rocky, The Blues Brothers) These lucky residents got the star treatment with professional stylists, makeup, costumes and professional photographers.  Residents that participated ranged in age from 76 to 98.  Buzzfeed.com reports “The calendar models were interviewed about the project and said it was a ton of fun to dress up as their favorite actors.”

See all these wonderful photos at Buzzfeed.com

Are Your Employees On Board With Your Organizational Goals?

“Researchers have found that companies with the strongest cultures – where values and norms are widely shared and strongly held – tend to outperform their peers” – Adam Zuckerman

It is the time of the year to review past goals and set new ones.  A few things to ponder:

“A good plan today is better than a perfect plan tomorrow” – General George S. Patton

Employee performance increases by an average of more than 15 percent when supervisors help their team members set goals.  The best goal statements are challenging but attainable, communicated clearly and known to others and accepted by employees (i.e. “buy-in” has been achieved).

To add practicality to your goal-setting process, keep these bits of advice in mind:

• Look backward before you define tomorrow’s goals.  The future can often be foretold dimply by projecting last year’s history forward and adjusting it for current conditions.
• When you sense the changes may make history obsolete, define your new goals within ranges.  That is, instead of an absolute goal of, say, an 8 percent reduction in expense, aim for a range of 5 to 10 percent.
• Always set the routinely attainable goals first.  Then you can consider goals that require problem solving and innovation.  Don’t commit to more than you can deliver.  Set only goals you believe you can attain with the resources at hand.
• Allow for environmental or organizational influences that can affect your plans for better or worse.  Give special attention to human factors – especially the extent to which your employees will support or obstruct your plans.
• Follow up by creating a feedback loop.  Monitor your goal-achievement success to see what lessons you can learn for future improvement.

Finally, be assured that the more often you set goals, the more accurate you will be.  This is one activity that improves with experience. – Supervision: Managing for Results, John W. Newstom

Let MDS help you review your goals and performance and make 2014 your best year ever!

As an Employer, Are You Helping Your Employees Help Your Organization?

One of the biggest factors in poor performance is lack of or insufficient training.  If an employee does not completely understand what their job is, they will perform that job poorly.  If an employee is not regularly updated on changes in their job, be it organizational changes, legal changes, or best-care practice changes, they will perform their job poorly.  If the employee is not clear what is specifically expected of them, goals, expected outcomes, quality/quantity expectations, chances are that employee will not meet those unknown expectations.

With the new year upon us, this is a great time to evaluate your organization’s training schedule, content and procedures.  New employee orientation is a foundation for all employees and training should build from there.

• Is your new employee orientation complete and effective?
• Do you make sure your employees are kept up to date with changes, whether internal or external?
• Do you offer incentives for them to participate in continuing education programs?
• Do you offer periodic in-service training?
• Do you promote personal development to your employees?
• Do you ever ask your employees in what areas do they feel they are not completely trained, educated or informed?

Here are a few recent articles with an increased focus on training for 2014.

Senior Housing Execs to Double Down on Training in 2014 (SeniorHousingNews.com)

With Senior Living Resident Acuity Rising, Providers Turn Attention to Training (SeniorHousingNews.com)

Senior Living Providers Turn Attention to Staff Training as Resident Needs Rise (SeniorHousingNews.com)

Most, if not all, successful people will point towards consistent personal development and certain habits that are keys to their success.  Do you engage in personal development? Reading or audio books are great sources for inspiration, motivation, creative ideas and sound advice.  One book highly recommended is Jeff Olson’s The Slight Edge.  This book tells you how to use all the personal development information and explains how small, daily habits make a huge difference.  We have included links to various article that give you some habits that successful people engage in on a regular basis.  Now, do not get overwhelmed trying to incorporate ALL these things into your daily schedule.  Add one or two until it truly becomes a habit then look to add another one or two.  It is all about small, daily steps not one huge leap.  Also, see our previous blog on personal development for a kick start to your personal development library.

5 Things Super Successful People Do Before 8 AM (Forbes)

14 Things Successful People Do On Weekends (Forbes)

14 Things You Should Do at the Start of Every Work Day(Forbes)

20 Things the Rich Do Every Day (DaveRamsey.com)

Jon Gordon’s Blog; Developing Positive Leaders, Organizations and Teams

Again, this is just a small sampling to get you started.  There are so many resource available and you need to find your “fit”.  Find that author or that blog that speaks to you, that motivates you.  Also, encourage your staff to engage in this habit as well.  If they feel productive and successful in their jobs, they will help promote customer satisfaction within your organization.  And in the end, that reflects well on you!

WSJ: Foreign Investors Betting on China’s Senior Housing Market

A number of global investors are joining local Chinese real estate developers as both look to bank on a senior housing boom sparked by the country’s massive elderly population, Wall Street Journal reports.

Global property firms such as Merrill Gardens Related, a joint venture between real estate developer Related Cos. and senior housing operator Merrill Gardens, have been eyeing major Chinese cities of Shanghai, Harbin and Suzhou for senior housing developments.

Fortress Investment Group, a New York-based asset manager, with China’s largest mainland conglomerate Fosun International, formed a 50-50 joint venture called Shanghai Starcastle Senior Living Services in 2012.

The partnership opened a facility in the Baoshan district north of Shanghai in May that already holds 60 seniors, but will feature 171 independent living units and 47 assisted living units once all floors are completed.

In August, Emeritus partnered with Beijing developer Sino-Ocean Land to develop a 110 bed community called Senior Living L’Amore-Kaijian, which was part of the partnership’s $110 million senior care pipeline in China.

“China’s population is aging very quickly, so there is going to be a huge market and lots of opportunities for investors and operators,” said Serena Xie of Kaijian Huazhan Senior Care Service in the article.

In 2012, China had 121 million people aged 65 and older, representing 9.1% of the population. By 2020, that figure is expected to reach 171 million, or 12.4% of the population, according to data cited in the article from the Economist Intelligence Unit and Monitor Deloitte Analysis.

Read the WSJ article.

Written by Jason Oliva

Material courtesy of SeniorHousingNews.com and Wall Street Journal

Staffing is such a vital part of any community operation! In addition, staffing is so much more than just hiring people to fill various positions.  Successful staffing involves:

• Screening potential employees
• Hiring the right person for the right job (a “good/experienced” employee in the wrong job can be just as detrimental as having a “bad/inexperienced” employee)
• Proper orientation and training
• Supervision and leadership that motivates and empowers employees
• Ongoing training and developing of employees
• Employee satisfaction / retention / reducing employee turnover

And to emphasize the importance of proper staffing “based on a nationwide survey of roughly 1,500 assisted living communities spanning customers and employees in 2012, the National Research Report finds that staffing is still paramount among all other resident satisfaction factors.”  Bottom line, your staff satisfaction directly correlates to your resident satisfaction.  In fact, Senior Living University Customer Service in Assisted Living Training addresses that you MUST treat not only residents but employees (as well as many other people groups outside of residents) as customers and strive to achieve high satisfaction among all these groups.

Staffing is Key Driver for Assisted Living Satisfaction Study Shows (SeniorHousingNews.com)

While you may think you have it covered since all your positions are filled, you must ask yourself a few questions:

• Do I have the best people in the right jobs?
• What motivates my employees? (If you think a paycheck is enough motivation, you are missing out on major contributions by your staff!)
• Are employees trained properly for their jobs?
• Are my employees satisfied? Am I treating them as a “customer”?  (A satisfied employee is what gets efficiency, productivity and resident satisfaction.)
• Are my employees trained/empowered to problem solve and contribute new ideas?
• Are my employees growing and developoing in their job functions, leadership, and knowledge?
• Are my employees looking for opportunities outside my community? Why?