Outside the box leadership in Long Term Care
The lives that your Long Term Care business touches aren't only those who fill the beds. The business of Long Term Care comes in contact with a wide range of people on a daily basis and chances are some of them are significant untitled leaders of your staff. It could be the janitor on the night shift, the cafeteria lady, the front desk administrator, the groundskeeper or the charge nurse. These people are the unheralded advocates that create a unique leadership ecosystem of support for profitable operations. They are as important to a facility as rebar is to a home's concrete foundation.
These local leadership groups are more than employees and they seek added value beyond a paycheck. In many cases they either joined the profession to make a difference or caring about others is just part of their nature. A key trait of these people is the conventional wisdom that inspires their coworkers and residents while quietly promoting policies and solving problems before they happen. When addressed properly, this local leadership ecosystem can develop new approaches to progress and motivate goodwill towards management's compelling vision.
Communicating to these internal champions is essential to establish a non-turbulent operational environment that supports new opportunities. In a manual called "Implementing Change In Long Term Care, a practical guide to transformation" prepared by: Barbara Bowers, Ph.D., R.N., Kim Nolet, B.S., Tonya Roberts, B.S., R.N., Sarah Esmond, M.S. University Wisconsin-Madison, School of Nursing and highlighted by the American Association of Long Term Care Nursing, several points are mentioned regarding how facility managers responsible for change can build leadership at their operations:
- Be clear about why change is being implemented.
- Understand what staff are experiencing by actively participating in the change.
- What managers do is more important than what they say.
- Anticipate and address staff responses.
- Decide before hand how to determine success.
- Look at whether daily activities are consistent with the changes being implemented.
The Point: While having a good idea about what you are trying to achieve in Long Term Care operations is important, it is critical to take into account how the untitled leadership culture of facilities will embrace and support these goals.
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