The Boulevard Senior Living – Wentzville Strives to Empower Their Team Members

As leaders, we hold the power to inspire, uplift, and bring out the best in our team members. By fostering an environment of empowerment, we can unlock their potential, drive organizational success, and ultimately enhance the lives of the older adults we serve. As the Executive Director of The Boulevard Senior Living – Wentzville, I want to explore what empowerment means to me, its impact on the workload, and the strategies I use to empower my team members, as well as the current threats to the senior living industry and how empowerment can be a catalyst for overcoming these challenges.

To me, empowerment means trust, appropriate delegation, support, guidance, mentorship, development, and granting decision making authority to team members. It also includes having open communication to share ideas, recognizing, and rewarding team members, and promoting creativity by taking risks and learning from failures.

When my team is empowered, it alleviates some of my workload. It makes them more efficient and effective by fostering independent thinking, and most importantly they work as a team to contribute to the overall success of The Boulevard. I empower the team by leading by example, promoting growth opportunities, properly delegating authority, and responsibility, providing mentorship and coaching, establishing clear expectations, and fostering open communication.

The greatest threat to the senior living industry is staff stabilization. By empowering your team, you create an environment that fosters job satisfaction, motivation, skill development, collaboration, problem-solving, and succession planning. These factors significantly reduce the threat of poor staffing by increasing retention, maintaining morale, enhancing productivity, and preparing for future staffing needs.

When I was the Executive Director at a campus that was licensed under the hospital, SNF, and ALF, I thought running it all as one Administrator would provide better communication and consistency. I quickly learned that I was getting everything done, but not to the best of my ability, because I was stretched so thin. I also found my communication struggled as I did not have “time” to address everyone 1:1.

In conclusion, as a leader, empowering your team members is not just a noble goal; it is a strategic imperative. By fostering an environment of trust, autonomy, and continuous growth, you unlock the full potential of your team, reduce your own workload, and enhance the well-being of the aging adults you serve. Empowerment becomes a powerful tool to navigate the challenges faced by the senior living industry, fostering resilience, innovation, and sustainable solutions. So, let’s embrace the transformative power of empowerment and lead our teams toward a brighter future.