Why Investing in Yourself Matters with Rose Saenz

Unlocking Leadership Potential in Senior Living Through Coaching: Featuring Rose Signs

In this episode, Erin speaks with Rose Saenz, president and operations specialist at RevealSol, about the pivotal role of coaching in senior living leadership. They delve into their personal journeys, emphasizing the transformative impact of coaching on enhancing leadership skills, improving retention, and fostering growth in senior living communities. Rose and Erin share insights on overcoming challenges, the importance of investing in leadership development, and the benefits of coaching for both new and experienced leaders. They highlight the value of mentorship programs and the critical need for supportive structures within organizations to ensure long-term success.

00:00 Introduction to Senior Living Leadership
00:25 Meet Rose Signs: Expert in Senior Living Operations
01:19 The Importance of Coaching in Leadership
03:14 Personal Growth and Leadership Challenges
08:48 Investing in Team Members for Success
13:21 The Role of Regional Directors and Coaches
21:11 Overcoming Leadership Isolation
25:13 Celebrating Success and Motivation
26:28 Challenges in Healthcare Leadership
29:19 Balancing Personal and Professional Life
33:47 Coaching and Mentorship in Leadership
36:42 The Importance of Boundaries
40:58 Final Thoughts and Encouragement

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Transcript

Erin: 0:35

Being a leader in senior living can be overwhelming managers. Well leaders walk into a whirlwind of responsibilities, expectations, and challenges without always having the right tools, guidance, or awareness of where to spend their time and energy. That would be the most effective. But what if the secret to long-term success, retention, and growth wasn't just about training, but about. Coaching Today, I am joined by Rose Signs, an expert in senior living operations to talk about why coaching matters and how it can change the game for senior living leaders. I am excited to dive into this episode. Rose, thank you for being here. Oh, hold on a second. Did I say. I did. Okay. I just said Rose saying. Okay. Alright Rose, thank you for being here. You are the president and operations specialist for Reveal Soul. You are in Texas. I met you at Talla, Texas Assisted living last year and I get to see that guys this year. So excited. Thank you for being here.

Rose: 1:42

Thank you, Erin. first thank you for the opportunity to be here on your podcast. I truly find it very inspiring, so appreciate, appreciate it and thanks for the invite.

Erin: 1:54

Absolutely. I, I remember when I first met you and being kind of new to being on my own and, and seeing you and. Really in your element at the Texas Assisted Living Association, I remember asking you like questions like how do you do it and what do you do? And you know, all these things. And I finally got the nerve to ask you to be on here. And I think it's really important, you know, to learn from people who are doing it right, they've been doing it longer mm-hmm. That have the experience and that are making a difference. You know, making a difference for the people that they serve, which I think is really, really important.

Rose: 2:34

Well, I, I feel that way too. I mean, we, I think all of us somewhat feel that way. You know, we're, we're lifelong learners. We're always trying to grow and improve, and, and I felt the connection when you and I first met that there truly was this m. Kind of this internal fire to share the knowledge that we have to help others, maybe just to get over that hump that they may be going through, that we've already gone through, and, and so that they don't have to, almost like maybe with your own children, right? You just, you just don't want them to suffer through it like you did. so yeah, no, it was, it was really great. Meeting at Talla and Talla is an amazing opportunity to be able to network with so many professional leaders in this industry and to gain insights and, and. For your own personal growth and development. I, I think that's why I'm so committed to it too. I just enjoy every moment being there and meeting people and hearing their stories and realizing, oh wow, I wasn't the only one that went through that. More common than not,

Erin: 3:37

I know there's something about validation, isn't it? I mean, there really is something about having somebody say. What you feel that maybe you, you were scared to say it out loud. And I think that is why coaching matters. I have invested in coaching in myself. and honestly, it changed the game for me. Mm-hmm. It, it changed the game and I wish I would've understood it when I was inside the community, because it would've helped me realize. That I was putting myself in a cage, you know, that I was, I was doing a lot of the things to me that I thought other people were because of the way that I was digesting things. Yeah. And perceiving things.

both: 4:27

Mm-hmm.

Erin: 4:28

do you see that a lot with people that you were working with? Like, do you see that they make it harder for themselves

Rose: 4:34

than Of course. Absolutely. and I can say that for myself, the same vulnerability there, like I was absolutely my own worst enemy. and I think, honestly, I feel like that can be a sign of a good leader is someone who is putting that kind of pressure on themselves and setting those expectations high. Because you do expect better of yourself, and you expect to be able to, lead this team into success and there's so much weight that you're carrying on your shoulders. So it's, it's no wonder that we're gonna beat ourselves up and say, oh, I could have done that different, I could have handled that employee different. I could have handled that family situation different. so yes, I, I saw it in myself a lot. And like you, I. I was fortunate enough also to have a coach that helped me get over my own self detriment. but it didn't come without cost. Like I had to go through as a new leader myself when I was first in the role in senior living, which it's been 25 years now in senior living, a little over 25 years. and so I came into it very young, very naive, and really. It was by chance that someone took an opportunity to on me, like they took a chance on me and said, Hey Rose, yeah, you're young, but you seem like you're bright and here here's this, you know, multimillion dollar building that you're gonna run. And I'm sitting back going, oh my gosh. I really need to take this and take charge and go. And I went with the tools that I had in my head of what I thought were the right things to do, which is basically a lot of that comes from your upbringing, from your own, you know, kind of, knowledge that you gained as a young child of how to manage people, how to communicate and all that. If you didn't have the additional training, like me, I didn't have, the additional training that you get when you go to college. I had a nursing license, but I didn't have a degree, and so I, I just didn't have those extra tools to coach me. I had to learn it the hard way. And so I brought in all those preconceived ideas of, well, you know, work ethic, it, everybody should have it the same way I do. Thinking that's the way it works, and culture that everybody should, you know, really respect others the way that I do.'cause that's the way I was taught. And of course I was absolutely wrong and I fell flat on my face and, realized very quickly that we all have different, Maybe definitions of respect and what that means. We all have different, ways that we view communication. Some of us are more shy, some of us are more direct. Some of us, you know, are more introvert, extrovert kind of situations. I had not really experienced that as a new leader. I just, so I came in very much, with like an iron fist kind of attitude. And my team, God loved them. The very first team that ever dealt with me. I truly am sorry and thank you because they really did step up and teach me a lot. I mean, I learned a lot in those first few years. A lot about my own faults. but it wasn't until later in my career that I, I truly had an opportunity with, you know, most of the, or the organizations I've worked for, I think are truly amazing. I have great respect for all of them. One of them invested in a mentor for me, and that mentor was my inspiration and my guidance, and really helped me to start digging a little deeper within myself of what is my why, why do I do this? And then what can I grow and learn in? and then as I grew in. The role and started to transition into more responsibilities, such as opening newer communities and that whole dynamic, which if you're going through that hang in there, we'll coach you through it. But it, you know, it's a lot, it's a lot to manage. and that organization provided me a personal coach, which, wow, when you start peeling back the layers. Of your own personal self and your own barriers and walls that you've put up to protect yourself, that's when you really get vulnerable and that's when things really start to come out. and I went through a really big transition with that personally, where I had to realize that I really was, I didn't love myself. I wasn't ready. and that took, look, I don't, I'm not gonna cry. Oh my gosh. But I am emotional, so I'll be, everybody who knows me knows that Yes. But that was a truly, mo it wa it was a very important moment in my life where I was able to get past that so that I could be a better leader to my team. Yeah. yeah. And so from there I've grown, I. Internally, a ton of respect for the true value of investing in your team members. And at Talla, I've had the opportunity to use some of my skills and, time to be able to help them with workforce development. So this area of investing back in your, team members. From the very beginning is to me, so important to the overall success of, of senior living communities. When you invest in the people, then you do get better outcomes, for the residents and for the community and for the staff. So,

Erin: 10:01

yeah, I mean, you do, well, our story is, I didn't know that, but our story is very much aligned. You know, I became an executive director at 28, but like. I mean, I'm, I am a naive kind of person, but I was so naive at 28. I mean, like, I was surrounded by like-minded people my entire life and my parents were really, really strict. So, you know, like I didn't watch, I didn't listen to secular music. I mean, there was just a lot of things, like I was very much in a box, my childhood, and for some of those, I'm, I am thankful for that. And in some cases. You know, that first, executive director position? I had no idea. I thought people were motivated like me. I thought people thought like me, like exactly what you said. I mean, I, I was shocked. I, I was just like, I, I mean, I literally, it was the first six months was probably, I don't even know how I did it because I just didn't understand. The different types of people. I, it just took me a long time. It took me more than, it was a great learning experience, but these people saw me at 19 as a concierge in the same community that I became the executive director at, at 28. Oh, wow. So like,

Rose: 11:19

yeah,

Erin: 11:19

there was, there was, there was some growing that I had to do and, and just like you, you know, they respected me enough. They, they saw my heart. Yeah, they saw the maturity too, but you know, they saw my heart and how consistent I was and the changes that we were making, that I think that it was easier on me than, than it could have been. But it was certainly very tough. And it wasn't until I got a, you know, a, a, a coach that did both te teach you how to start a business and kind of help with like life coaching skills that I realized. How much I loved other people, and that the only worth that I got was by helping other people serve problem, solve problems.

both: 12:12

Yeah.

Erin: 12:13

And that was, that was because I didn't, I didn't value me at all. My, my value came from serving others. And then when the community, when I no longer had the community. I was left with just me, you know what I mean? Like, and like, what am I supposed to do with me? I, I dunno what to do with this. I've been, I've been having someone to care for my entire life, like my entire life and caregiving was what I did. and, and so mm-hmm. You know, going through that, like you're listening to two people who. Understand the power of coaching because it radically changed their life. And I, and I wish, I hope that companies do start seeing the power of investing in their people because it ain't gonna grow if there ain't people in there.

Rose: 13:10

Right.

Erin: 13:10

And understand growth. Yes. Because being stuck is not growing.

Rose: 13:16

No. And I mean, my heart goes out to companies that are trying the best that they can to make this work.'cause as you know, Erin, and, and our listeners most likely know this world of senior living is. A lot. It's very fast pace. I know we think we're taking care of older adults, and maybe it's slower than in the perception of it, but it's not. It's, it's very fast paced. And when you're in the leadership role sitting there, managing your community or attempting to, you're putting out fires all day long. and if you can knock off one thing on that to-do list. You should be celebrating because you're mostly putting out fires mm-hmm. Before you can even get to that to-do list or that report you need to get done and so forth. so I, I think that companies are starting, at least I'm seeing a trend where companies are investing in people like yourself or myself or other organizations to help. Their leaders be successful, because the opposite side of it has a true financial impact. And not to mention it, it's detrimental for the culture of the community and for the reputation. When you have just a ton of leadership turnover, that in itself has its own, deficit on, on the finances that really impact, the success of that community. So if. When owners are seeing that, okay, look, we we're, we've gone through. The decision to go ahead and hire a new leader and put them into this community, whether it's, you know, promoting somebody from within and putting them into the leadership role or bringing somebody from the outside into your community, that in itself already took a huge investment of time, energy, and not to mention you're trying to get everybody at your community on board to accept this new person. So why wouldn't you want to just go ahead and. Let's just invest a package in that individual to say. We want you to be successful. We're gonna give you this in addition to our normal, you know, operating services that we offer you. Like for example, many, companies will have a portfolio of several communities, and so therefore they can afford to have a regional director of operations that is, a part of that company. And, and, I love. These regional directors, they're experts, they've been in these shoes, they've done so much of this. They are also tasked with managing multiple communities at one time. And so their, their time resource, which is extremely valuable, is stretched, and sometimes very difficult for them to be able to commit to onboarding a leader. In that coaching way.

both: 15:54

Yeah.

Rose: 15:55

they do, they do a fabulous job, don't get me wrong. And I know many of'em have a great deal of respect for, they, but they've also expressed, you know, yeah, we're pretty stretched and we're dealing with crises in multiple communities, and so it is difficult to commit. so in addition to that, they can provide of course, the guidance, the policies and the culture direction that the organization has. And then you bring in a coach and a coach that can dedicate specific time with that new leader to really identify what are, let's say, the areas that need some direction, just. Like, I love football. So to me, football is a great analogy. I'm a, I'm an NFL fan. I won't say the team because everybody will make fun of me, but whatever. I'm from Texas. I think you'll figure it out. But, but, so in that analogy, you need to have a good coach. A coach that sees your potential, sees your skills, which is why you're in the role in the first place, but then can also guide you through the areas of development you need. And so when a coach comes in, they, they can tell you, okay, this is the, the, the play call that we have. It's the direction you need to need, you need to go in, which is maybe stabilize, staffing, increase your occupancy. All those things I'm sure are on the table almost every time. Yes. yeah. So, so those may be the, the goals that you need to reach for that game. but in the, in the middle of it all, there's so many different strategies you can take to accomplish that. And a coach is gonna see what skills you have that are gonna get you there better, quicker. Faster that you can just really like fine tune those skills and what skills do you really need to foundationally develop. Mm-hmm. Right? And we all have that. None of us are perfect. There are like so many areas we have to grow in and so many areas that we're doing good, we just have to sharpen. Right? Yeah. And so I think that's what. A coach provided for me at least, they really helped me identify those really weak areas that I could then focus in on, deal with them, accept them and grow, and then find resources for that. And then also just sharpen those tools that I was already really good at. and then at the end of the day, you know, it's, they're not forever. Coaches are definitely not forever. You get to a point where you become the coach, you become the expert. and, and honestly, that's kind of a. A really fun time. I know when that happened to me and I became a coach to multiple other leaders, that was really rewarding. Like I just, wow. Just kind of like you said, it was fulfilling my hole in my heart of my value, when it kind of finally came back around. But if I didn't have that. It would've been a lot harder. Maybe I would've made it, maybe not. but it would've definitely been a lot harder, and I think that kind of margin of risk of losing that new leader is a little greater when, when you don't have somebody guiding them, through the pain points.

Erin: 18:56

Yeah. Well, there's two things to that. A smart people pay for speed. I mean, don't get it wrong. A coach speeds up your learning process. It will identify your, your, your blind spots and tell you where to spend your energy. Yes, you can do it alone. We did it alone. I did it alone, you know, but when I realized that you can find somebody who will. Help you. And it is not forever. It's with certain goals. It's with intention. you actually speed that learning curve up and that's an investment that you will compound in interest over and over again because you just literally removed barriers in your, in your development, which is really, really important.

Rose: 19:48

Sure.

Erin: 19:48

The second thing to that is I think we lose a lot of. Very solid, potentially great leaders in their first year because it's so hard.

Rose: 20:00

Yeah.

Erin: 20:01

And I think that communities should really, really, really consider, I mean, leaders themselves, but also companies creating that mentorship program inside their, inside their, their companies, because we're gonna have to grow our leaders from the inside because there's not enough of them. The demand is coming.

Rose: 20:19

Absolutely.

Erin: 20:20

We don't have it. And so it's going to, you know, if we know that the money's coming, we know that the revenue's coming, like we know it's coming, right? It's going to be, now you've got to invest in your people so you have people to care for your customers. Whereas before we were fighting for customers who we're not gonna be fighting for customers. We're gonna be fighting for people and to keep people. And like you said, the regional directors. I had some great regional directors, love them.

both: 20:52

Mm-hmm. Me too.

Erin: 20:52

my community was a community. They could come and kind of walk around, smile and wave, because I didn't need much direction from them.

both: 21:05

Mm-hmm.

Erin: 21:06

But I needed. Development or awareness or something. But, but they weren't skilled in that. And they didn't have the time. They didn't have

Rose: 21:16

the time that, right. It's, it's really, I think, boils down to the time for them. Yes.'cause they truly are stretched. and, and mostly because they're just dealing with the multiple fires that the other eds need from them. When they are, you know, they have. A larger portfolio that they're trying to support and manage. and they travel a lot. And, and so there, there's just, there's a lot on their plate. Yeah. and there's equally a lot on the director's plate that's running a community. And the, the other piece to it that I think is so important is we forget that a leader doesn't have. A coworker that they can just go vent to. They don't necessarily, they can't, when they're running a community, you cannot just go to your wellness director or your, you know, health services director and just be like, oh my God. Like, can you believe that this just happened with that dining person? And I, I've already told'em three times, I don't know what to do. Like, you just can't, you can't do that. You wouldn't do that. It's, you know, obviously not appropriate. And at the same time, you need to be able to vet. The frustration you have, because you need to be able to bounce off those ideas for the solutions to come to your light, right? So that somebody in a coach helps teach you like, okay, you gotta look past anything personal. What is the root cause of that issue? You know, is it that they're lacking, tools? Are they lacking education? Like, you know, what can you do to support that person? Can they overcome the barrier? Or are they truly just not a good fit and you're not willing to let go? Like a coach tells you that like they're gonna see it for what it is and they're gonna coach you and tell you that. Whereas, without that, a leader can really feel alone and isolated. and we all are growing and developing. We all need that kind of balance, to help us to see things that we wouldn't see. normally and especially when you're running a community, you end up, I like to say you end up like with the horse blinders. Or you, because you, you're only seeing what's in front of you and what you have to deal with right then and there. That the, the bigger pictures can sometimes be, you know, blocked from you and you don't really realize that there's so much more around you, that's impacting what's happening right in front of you or contributing to it.

Erin: 23:37

Yeah. So, or, or you don't even realize everything that you've done, right, because you're focusing on everything that's. Not. Right, right. You know, like, yeah. We don't even give ourselves enough credit for what fires we did put out because there's this big inferno over here that we weren't prepared for. And so all we're doing is focusing on this one when, when everything that we just did over the last 30 days has now been negated because we have this big thing here and. Somebody who's listening to you talk can say, hold on a second. Yes, yes, we've got a major problem, but you have learned how to do all this because of all these things that you've done, right? So now let's go and, and try this without the panic. yeah, and that's really important. I did have one regional director who, who would tell me, do you hear how you're talking about yourself? Hear that And I thought he was the weirdest guy. Like I just am. Like, yeah. So he's like, you are so harsh. And I, I wasn't aware, I wasn't aware that that was not normal. I thought he was, un just like not living in reality because he was so positive. I mean, he called problems. Opportunities. I'm like, dude, these are not opportunities. These are problems.

Rose: 25:01

The real issues. Let's be real. You

Erin: 25:04

don't live in my reality. Okay, stop bringing me to yours because these are not opportunities. These are problems. And I see now that they really were opportunities.

Rose: 25:16

Yeah, they are, they're always opportunities for growth. It's all on your perception. How do you wanna, you may be mad in the moment and it's an issue then, but then after a little bit you're like, okay, wait, what did I learn from that? Yeah. Well, I wanna go back to something you said because I think you're, that's probably a missed point that maybe we should probably highlight a little bit more. Just like you started you, the successes. Mm-hmm. Do re do deserve reward. Yes. And, and those, sometimes it's not the big things like, oh, you hit a hundred percent occupancy. Yay, that's great. That's, that's the first part of the goal. The next part of the goal is to maintain that a hundred percent occupancy, right? So, but we need to pause and make sure that there is celebration, and coaches do that. Great. And again, in sports you'll see'em high fiving and hugging and yeah, you're the man, you know, you did a great job and. Woo hoo. and that is inspiration and it's motivation for that leader to not give up and to keep going and keep trucking forward. and just like many of us, it's not necessarily a monetary thing. It's a, a high five. It's a pat on the back. It's a quick note. That was awesome. You handled that great. That was amazing, that very difficult, challenging family member that you brought back to say. Okay. I, I see where you were, what you were talking about. I can now see mom's progression in her dementia. I, I, I now see it that I can step back because of how you helped me. Like that is a huge win, right? For a leader, like that's like, yes. Mm-hmm. and it means a lot to them. So yeah, those opportunities, I think you, you hit spot on. We need to, we need to definitely highlight those more.

Erin: 27:02

Yeah. I mean. We work in an industry or we support an industry that is open 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. That is, I mean, healthcare never stops. So we cannot treat our industry like a nine to five job. You, you, right? Like our leaders need more support than. Then teachers are similar, but they get summers off and holidays off, and, and, and my sister's a teacher and I hear her pain points and I, and I understand them on a very deep level, unrealistic expectations, you know, the desire to mm-hmm. You know, have high grades and like overlooking certain things for the bigger picture, like I. I can. I see that. I feel that. I get that. But she still gets Spring break and Mardi Gras break and summer breaks and Christmas breaks and Thanksgiving breaks. We don't get that right. No. You know, we don't get that. So teaching people how to manage it effectively, value time, our time, just as much as somebody else's time, all that, all that's gotta be. Mm-hmm. Taught or enforced or reinforced, trained, empowered, and, and the company itself is not, most of them are not set up to do that for their leaders.

Rose: 28:39

Well. Yeah, they're, they're nec, they're not necessarily set up to be able to give them permission to take time off. And because they, the company, the organization sets up the standards that are across for everybody and for fairness and for equality and to make sure everybody is treated fairly, which is fabulous. Right. So. When you're a leader, like you said, you take on that responsibility of your community 24 7, 7 days a week, 365 a year. And what I think gets neglected is that doesn't turn off when you take time off it. I mean, unless you, unless maybe you've been coached in a right way to give yourself permission for that, then yeah. That it's possible. So let me give some hope out there. It's possible. Yes. and you can get there. but there is a pause point where there, there's this transition when, when you take on this role. To, and the commitment, you're not, you're doing it, of course, you're, it's your career, you're advancing your career and that's awesome. but there's so much more to it. There's a passion that you have. There's a drive, there's something ignited within you that you're giving for this really fulfilling, purpose driven type of career. And that will bleed into leaders' family life. And what I have seen in coaching a few leaders, over the years that. Really has brought to light in my coaching strategy an important aspect is to make sure I don't neglect that portion of their life and talking about it and the impact that the role has on them. and I have a few leaders that have shared with me the challenges in their marriage, where their spouse doesn't understand, that they have to keep the phone by the bed. Mm-hmm. Because it might ring at three o'clock in the morning with that emergency situation, which. Happens and the spouse is saying, no, turn that thing off and put it away. And so that's a very difficult and very emotional thing to kind of work through, for that leader. And it's no, there's no perfect answer for it because those relationships are very personal and unique to each leader, so all you can do is support them through that. We, we don't ever blame the spouse, we don't blame anybody else. We talk about the reality of what the role is and how you're internalizing that and how you balance that because you do have to balance it. And like your sister who's a teacher, and it's so weird because my sister's in education. Here we go. And she's got like her master's in education and works in school districts and, and has her whole career has been fully dedicated to this. And she's probably just as driven as I am. So the differences are she can shut it off Yes. For that period of time. And I never could. yeah. And the moment that I one time did, for the sake of my family situation, I got backlash. I got ridiculed, I, I got made fun of and told that I abandoned certain situations or whatever, and that was really hard. That was probably the hardest thing I ever had to do, deciding between my family situation and that community situation, because I love them both. Yeah. You know, what do you.

Erin: 32:02

I know. I mean,

Rose: 32:03

yeah,

Erin: 32:03

it's important. It's the boundaries piece, you know? Mm-hmm. Like, I never realized, I said this in a podcast episode, previously like that, that, you know, without boundaries, that success turns into stress. That passion, you know, it turns into exhaustion and, and that's when leadership becomes a burden. I. Instead of a privilege.

both: 32:29

Right.

Erin: 32:30

And I think that that's what,

Rose: 32:31

like very well said,

Erin: 32:33

that's where I went. You know, like that's where I went because I didn't understand how to create the boundaries. Like what boundaries can I create? And you know, in one community we had an on-call rotation that worked seamlessly. And so there was three weeks that somebody else could take the calls. And, and that was important, but that didn't always work for every community. Right. And so each community is different,

Rose: 33:02

or until you stabilize them and you can implement those things. But in the beginning, there is a lot of pressure on these new leaders. Yes. and it's a lot for them to handle. And you and I were talking about this just before we jumped on, to, to start, you know, the recording, but it was very. It's a very real deal that these, these leaders are feeling when they first come on board. and they wanna be successful. And, you know, the newer ones, of course, are very excited and there's a lot of energy and they're, well, most leaders when they come into a new role, they're just thrilled to have the opportunity and to do it. and when they're new, they're moldable. Like you can really coach them, you can give them good guidance, and they're, they're open to it. The more experienced leader maybe has even more expectations put on them because they come in and you're, oh, you're experienced. You should be able to handle this. Go for it, get it done, and be. Hundred percent full in three weeks, right? And so they're sitting back going like, whoa, we gotta peel back the layers in this community. And they may have all this experience, but at the same time, they still gotta work it just like you would a new community. You know, it's still the same thing. You have to peel back and really discover where the root cause is and then start, you know, addressing those root causes before you can, solve the symptoms. So. I think they have equally as much pressure and, and I, I feel like they need just as much coaching as a new leader. And I've seen that where I've worked with experienced leaders and it may not be as, as, maybe fundamental. The layout of the coaching sessions, but it's more like, oh, okay, I get where you're coming from. Let's, let's work through this one particular challenge and, and how you can maybe tackle that simultaneously that you're dealing with so many other things on your plate. so they're just different approaches, but there's both equally as important in my opinion.

Erin: 34:56

They really are. I mean, they really are. And I do, I, I am a firm believer. I mean, I don't believe, I don't believe that. Coaching will solve every problem. But if you wanna make a, a huge impact in this retention problem, creating coaching opportunities for people who want it, you know, and creating a mentorship program to grow leaders and to serve your current leaders is really, really important. I, I, I do. I believe that highly in the power of it, that it can make a difference if you hire the right ones with the right experience. Like there are companies that I've spoken to that hire, you know, executive coaches and they don't even get people to come to their scheduled meetings. And I think executive coaches have their place, but the problems that the leaders are facing with an executive coach has no idea what. They can give them Right.

both: 35:57

You know,

Erin: 35:58

guidance, but like the specific guidance from people who are tried and true, bruised and battered and learned from it, like,

Rose: 36:07

and survived

Erin: 36:08

and survived to tell the story is really where the power is. And impacting Yeah. And, and creating the change. And so if you're listening as a leader, and that sounds important to you, you know. Both Rose and I are available to you, and if you're a company, both Rose and I are available to you. you are in control. The leader yourself, you know, you can make decisions and invest in yourself and become better and be so thankful that you have to be willing and ready.

Rose: 36:45

Yeah,

Erin: 36:45

you have to be willing and ready.

Rose: 36:48

You have to be willing and ready. And there have definitely been times where the person was not, and I think you and I would be the first to say to that organization, probably not the best fit. Don't need to waste your money on it. just don't, you know, and. And if the person is great and or maybe they have their own coach already, that's awesome. Run with it and let that person hopefully be as successful as possible. and I think I just kind of wanna maybe close out by saying we encourage this. Greatly with all leadership roles. I mean, primarily the executive director role is, a skillset that both you and I have worked with, one-on-one and have lived it, bruised and battered and all. Yeah. and survived it. So we definitely get it. In that sense, and it's a very, niche kind of role, you know, because you're not just dealing with the, hospitality side of everything. You're dealing with the care and the liability and the risk side of it as well. And there's, there's so much that an ED is managing in a community. And so to that uniqueness, that's where our expertise lie. But we do encourage it to other leadership roles, like a cook who's now your dining director or a nurse who's now your health and wellness director. That's a huge leap. And speaking, you know, as a nurse, myself and I, and I'll just kind of quickly share this. I didn't, as I went to school to be an LVN, this is why I didn't have a full degree, with all that skillset when I became an ed.'cause I was an LVN first. I, I had skills, but I didn't have leadership skills. But because that role was, a good fit for me and I had the opportunity to go into an executive director role, I got pulled into that and I, I wasn't ready. I, I wasn't. A hundred percent ready. I didn't have all that extra, support and coaching around what it is to be a leader, and so there were some failures and things I had to overcome. We, we do a great job identifying people, I think in our communities who are good and they're strong and they're good at their roles. We sometimes don't do a great job when we, promote them, we promote them to a termination or a potential termination. And I, I hate to say that, but. We fail them. If we do that without supporting them through that transition. You know, if you have a great nurse, she's awesome, she's good on the floor, or he, and they, they do a great job with their, the staff that they manage then and there, those are now their buddies and now you put'em in a leadership role If they haven't learned how to transition into that. They're, we're setting them up for failure. The same thing in sales. I've seen that, I've seen it in, in lots of, of roles. So just, I encourage it. I know you do as well, Erin. Erin and just, you know, make sure that we're here for you. We come to you from passion. This is, this is not something that we have to do. It's something we choose to do. We have this in our head. Mm-hmm. We've experienced it. We've been through the pain points, and we'd love to just guide your leaders to success. and if, if it's not the right fit for them, we are gonna coach them through that as well. Because the, it doesn't mean that they're a bad person, it doesn't mean they don't have skillsets. but this, this job requires a lot. A lot of the person, the heart and the head, and the commitment, it requires a lot. And so it, it's not for everyone. and we get that.

Erin: 40:14

I certainly made the mistake of hiring somebody thinking I could carry the load that backfired pretty quickly. And it was a, it was a director of nursing position and yeah. that one, that one. Really stings, even though it was years and years and years ago. But I really valued this person and it was too much. And I think deep down I knew it was too much, but I thought that I, I thought that I could help her through it, but it was just too much. So yes. And even, yes, everything Rose said yes, a hundred percent in agreement with a hundred percent.

Rose: 40:51

So we've all been there. Erin? Yes. I many times we probably held on to people too long too. Yeah. That we knew. We knew the decision was to move on, but it is hard to do that. Yeah. It's hard to let somebody go and'cause you know, you're impacting their life, their family, everything. And that it's a very difficult decision to do. It's, but, but it comes with the job you, that's. Part of the responsibility to protecting and, enriching your community so that it can thrive is you have to make those hard decisions

Erin: 41:28

and you have to make, and, and having somebody help you make them is, is really valuable too. Well, rose, this was great. Thank you. I hope that we. Share this episode with people who need to hear it and do not be afraid. I will put Rose's information in the show notes. Rose, they can find you. What's your website? And on LinkedIn, how can they get in touch?

Rose: 41:50

Yeah. so the website is the company name Reveal Soul. So it's R-E-V-E-A-L-S-O l.com. you can contact me directly through there. There's also on LinkedIn. I'm on LinkedIn. Just rose signs. Can find me, like the company also has a LinkedIn profile as well. Erin, I truly, appreciate this opportunity and hopefully, wow, if we can also share all of your contact information. We are both in such a different region and area that we can really help a lot of people through this. And, we really hope to, to be out there and supporting you guys out. You're not alone. Keep trucking. You can do this. battle through it. Don't worry. The scar is heal.

Erin: 42:34

Yes. And I love the fact that we are the same and different, and I want it to be a model of collaboration because for too many, too much time, communities have competed against each other and we're entering a time where the competition is not gonna be as fierce. Now, maybe for associates and managers maybe, but. We get better when we're together. Mm-hmm. You know, we realize we're all on the same team and you know. We are not competitors, we are collaborators and we're friends. Mm-hmm. and

Rose: 43:09

we're all experiencing a lot of the same challenges. We, we need to be a network to support each other. Yeah. Through these things. And you're right, I mean, the, the wave is here. And it's going to fill our communities. Can we keep those residents thriving, safe and happy, within our communities, and then keep our staff motivated? Because the real challenge we're running into is attracting new leaders and keep and attracting good staff to that really have the passion for this work. That's our really biggest challenge. And when we get those people, we, we've got to invest in them. So that we keep them, so that they will then in turn promote employment with us in our communities. They will promote the, the career choices that you can get in senior living. Like most people don't know what those opportunities are, and we, we need that good voice out there, just like we need a good reputation for resident care. We need a great reputation for our staff.

Erin: 44:08

Yep, absolutely. All right. Reach out to us. We're, we're happy to help. Yes, always. Thank you, aspire for more for you because that is the most important way to lead and influence others. Have a great rest of your day. Heart-Centered Leadership in Senior Living: Insights from Jenna La Charity In this episode, we explore the essential elements of leadership in senior living, focusing on service and empathy. Erin sits down with Jenna La Charity, Director of Sales and Marketing at Levante Senior Living and a professor at Algonquin College, to discuss ways to balance business goals with heart-centered leadership. Jenna shares her journey from social work to senior living, emphasizing the importance of personal connections, resilience, and problem-solving in sales and operations. They discuss the significance of understanding cultural perspectives, the emotional aspects of sales, and the power of relationships in creating thriving communities. Jenna also highlights the educational initiatives preparing future leaders in senior living, reinforcing hope and potential in the next generation. This conversation is a valuable resource for new and seasoned sales directors alike, offering mindset shifts and practical strategies for success. 00:00 Introduction to Heart-Centered Leadership 00:37 Meet Jenna La Charity 02:08 Jenna's Journey from Social Work to Senior Living 05:53 The Importance of Relationships in Senior Living 07:25 Training the Next Generation of Leaders 18:02 Cultural Perspectives and Aging 20:54 Navigating Sales Relationships 21:09 Overcoming Money Talk Challenges 21:54 Building Trust Through Questions 24:11 The Art of Small Closes 25:11 Adapting Sales Styles 26:13 Human-Centered Sales Approach 26:57 Competitive Analysis and Trust 29:34 Real-Life Learning in Sales 31:02 Mindset, Boundaries, and Energy 34:03 Achieve, Connect, and Thrive 36:33 The Importance of Teamwork 37:56 Conclusion and Final ThoughtsHeart-Centered Leadership in Senior Living: Insights from Jenna La Charity In this episode, we explore the essential elements of leadership in senior living, focusing on service and empathy. Erin sits down with Jenna La Charity, Director of Sales and Marketing at Levante Senior Living and a professor at Algonquin College, to discuss ways to balance business goals with heart-centered leadership. Jenna shares her journey from social work to senior living, emphasizing the importance of personal connections, resilience, and problem-solving in sales and operations. They discuss the significance of understanding cultural perspectives, the emotional aspects of sales, and the power of relationships in creating thriving communities. Jenna also highlights the educational initiatives preparing future leaders in senior living, reinforcing hope and potential in the next generation. This conversation is a valuable resource for new and seasoned sales directors alike, offering mindset shifts and practical strategies for success. 00:00 Introduction to Heart-Centered Leadership 00:37 Meet Jenna La Charity 02:08 Jenna's Journey from Social Work to Senior Living 05:53 The Importance of Relationships in Senior Living 07:25 Training the Next Generation of Leaders 18:02 Cultural Perspectives and Aging 20:54 Navigating Sales Relationships 21:09 Overcoming Money Talk Challenges 21:54 Building Trust Through Questions 24:11 The Art of Small Closes 25:11 Adapting Sales Styles 26:13 Human-Centered Sales Approach 26:57 Competitive Analysis and Trust 29:34 Real-Life Learning in Sales 31:02 Mindset, Boundaries, and Energy 34:03 Achieve, Connect, and Thrive 36:33 The Importance of Teamwork 37:56 Conclusion and Final Thoughts