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Monday, December 15, 2014

Don't Lose Heart




I once had a conversation with the President of a senior living organization for whom I worked in which he related that he believed that the Executive Director role is by far one of the toughest in the industry. You’re ultimately responsible for driving occupancy, meeting financial targets, cultivation an engaged workplace, over seeing compliance issues, functioning as the community HR representative, and overall quality assurance. Finally, we are expected to have a resident focus and create a setting that will allow each individual to have a quality of life that is vital and relevant. Piece of cake, right?
Sisyphus in Training
Anyone who has been or is currently an Executive Director wholeheartedly resonates with the laundry list of expectations. We’ve put in the longs days, lain awake at night remembering things not completed that day and thinking ahead to the next day’s challenges. And to be honest, sometimes it’s just exhausting. There are days we could very accurately compare our jobs to Greek tales of Sisyphus—always pushing the rock up that hill only to watch it roll back down and being faced with doing it all over again. Ever. Single. Day. So what do we do when we fell as though we cannot push that boulder up the mountain one more time? When we hit the proverbial wall?
And the answer is…
I got the answer last week when I was talking to a dear friend and fellow senior living warrior. We hadn’t spoken in a while, and as we were catching up she told me about a coworker who recently took her to his office, put some headphones on her to listen to some smooth, mellow music, and told her ” Do not lose heart—what you do has meaning, and even though tit is hard it’s worth it in the end.”
An AHA! Moment
I knew as soon as she spoke those precious words that their impact would be far-reaching and a source of strength I could pull out in some of my most difficult moments. It would be a source of reassurance to me that there is purpose, value, and hope in my role in senior living. In the last week as I’ve had to deal with staff changes, a belligerent resident, an unfortunate communtiy event, licensing complications, and numerous other challenges, that phrase has been my mantra.
Here is what I learned:
Do not lose heart—for every resident who is difficult there are other who are quick to tell you that you are special to them and that you’ve changed their lives.
Do not lose heart—for every staffing change that happens, you’ve got the unique opportunity to bring in someone fresh, new perspective and they’ll see things in ways you’ll need for that advancement of you community.
Do not lose heart—for every emergency situation you have to deal with you have the opportunity to prove to your residents that they can indeed trust you and you wil do all you can to ensure that they are safe and secure.
Do not lose heart—when you are exhausted and think that you cannot hear one more problem, you find that one resident who shars with you just how happy they are and how you and your staff have made it possible. I’m sure you are seeing a theme here; as leaders in this industry, we often come home emotionallyu spent, physically tired, and mentally drained.
Yet, ask most of us in this business and you’ll find that we cannot imagine doing anything else. Nothing compars to laying your head on you pilow each night and knowing you’ve helped alleviate a families fears, delivered on promised to create a community that exceed their expectiations, and wholeheartedly poured yourself into the lives of those entrust to you care and oversight. So, if you’ve had a tough week, take a few moments to balance the good with the bad, see the blessings in the challenges, and don’t forget to give yourself this piece of advice. Do not lose heart. Leslie