In 2012 I had an interesting conversation about a holiday party that an organization had planned for their staff. A happy topic right? But the person I was speaking with was frustrated that many of the non-supervisory staff members were not attending. She wondered if it was a reflection on employee morale. Lots of effort was…
Fresh off the Thanksgiving holiday, I’m going to let you in on a little secret. I strongly dislike the whole Thanksgiving gratitude thing. Going around the table and say what you are thankful? It just doesn’t do it for me. Yes, of course I’m thankful for my awesome family. My wonderful friends. The great people I get…
“Do the right thing!” That’s how I often refer to the “person-centered” or “culture change” philosophy. Recently I presented at the Pioneer Network with Steve Moran and used those words, “Do the right thing.” When I finished speaking and sunk into my chair at the front of the room Steve slipped me a note. On…
Does your organization provide “good care”? You give everyone two baths a week, you are below the national averages for falls and weight loss, and you rarely have a medication error. Would you be insulted if I told you good care isn’t enough? What separates organizations that provide “good care” for residents from those that support…
I write this as I sit on a piece of metal gliding gently through the air. My plane thrust it’s way into the clouds just a few minutes ago. As a frequent flier this is a common occurrence for me. But apparently it wasn’t for the young girl sitting behind me. A few seconds in…
Shakespeare reasoned in Romeo and Juliet that what we call things does not matter, it only matters what things are. “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” Who am I to disagree with the great Bard, and my favorite poet? But alas, I must disagree. (At least I used the word alas while doing it….
“It is with great excitement and joy I am honored to share these photos with you today! Below is a report from Dr. Patrick and pictures of Well #150!” Today I’m sharing with you my personal journey to receiving that email and the curious way that it connects to what I teach: How do you inspire people…
If someone came up and asked you, what’s the difference between a successful person and an unsuccessful one, what would you say? I’ve talked about this before, but in my line of work, I hear a lot of excuses. Excuses as to why a certain organization “can’t” implement person-centered care, why they “can’t” overhaul certain…
A deficiency during a survey. An accident involving a resident. An employee committing a terrible wrong. What do all of these dreadful things have in common? They usually end in a new rule and set you on the path to rule creep: it’s that knee-jerk reaction that involves addressing negative situations with a new policy, process…
