The Growth of Relationships as a Driver for Problem Solving
The growth of relationships between people is the primary driver of many solutions to the toughest leadership problems that long-term care, assisted living, and senior living staff is faced with.
We’re not talking about the relationships between clients and caregivers. The long-term care industry is getting better and better at determining how to recruit, train, and retain those people.
As usual, we are talking about administrators and leaders leveraging the power of relationships to retain high-performing individuals and teams during the stressful time of COVID-19, social distancing, and the challenges of mandatory lockdowns.
The Power of Relationships is Often Underrated
Leaders know that the power of relationships is often underrated. By carefully considering the inherent (and growing) value of storytelling, self-awareness, and conflict management leaders know that doors will open to creating a macroculture of connection, reduce burnout, and increase retention.
Here are a few questions for leaders to consider in the space of “thinking differently” about relationship and connections, first on their teams, and then in their organizations:
- What are we paid to do?
- What do our clients and customers believe we are paid to do?
- What is the value of education about connection to our customers and clients?
- What is the value of connection for our customers and clients?
- What is the value of the tools around the act of connecting with our clients and customers?
- What do our clients think they want from each other?
- What is the market value of our network, to our customers and clients?
- What is the risk profile of our market, our clients, and our organization?
Relationships Grow in Crisis
Avoiding these hard questions and hoping that “muddling through” crises similar to what has faced the senior living industry this year is not the most optimal path forward.
If connection is the product of the future, the problem is going to be answering the questions, in brave ways and then acting on the scary answers.
