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…
“Make no little plans, they have no magic to stir men’s blood.” This powerful quote is from Daniel Burnham, the man who planned Chicago and several other major cities. During his time the field of urban planning did not exist. Some say he invented it. Many believed Burnham’s ideas were impossible. But Burnham believed in…
How much time do you spend on the “low performers” in your organization? If you are like the majority of leaders, the bulk of your time is spent dealing with a few employees. Low performers drain a leader’s time and energy. Both of which could be used to further inspire higher performers. It’s no surprise that low…
I’m always interested to see how other businesses work. I don’t just mean the nuts and bolts; I’m fascinated by communications and culture in the workplace. (Translation: I’m a nerd!) I love reading those lists of the best places to work—not so much for the onsite pools and restaurants (although those would certainly be nice!), but for…
This week I listened to Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” address. A speech that, though less than 18 minutes long, managed to inspire countless people. I find it truly amazing that despite such a dim reality King refused to accept the status quo. Refusal to accept the status quo…most leaders could learn from this…
This second part of Steve Moran’s interview with me on person centered care for his blog, seniorhousingforum.net, originally appeared on January 12, 2014. You can read part one of this interview here. As you know, a number of months ago, in an article I wrote about the nursing home industry, I made this statement: “Nursing Homes Suck” which got me…
Steve Moran’s interview with me for his blog, seniorhousingforum.net, originally appeared on January 12, 2014. I met Denise Scott in a very unique way. I was on the floor of the trade show at LeadingAge in Denver and felt someone slug me in the shoulder, not hard, but in that kind of friendly, “I haven’t seen you…
It seems like leaders tend to be divided into two camps: those who criticize every little thing, and those who never criticize anything. Both can be equally destructive. I talked about being overly negative—correcting every little thing instead of giving meaningful compliments. I suggested staying away from negative comments and focusing on praising positive behaviors….
