Retirement living communities demand a new kind of leader
I recently wrote an article on LinkedIn called, “Why Council CEOs must be visible in the communities they serve”.
Much of my work over the years has rotated around government decision making – and more so, the role of people, groups and communities in that decision making. However, whilst the article was written for and targeted at senior leaders in local government, the sentiment is exactly the same in retirement living communities.
Let me start by making it perfectly clear.
Trust is at an all-time low.
In fact, the 2022 Edelman Trust Barometer acknowledges that distrust is now society’s default emotion.
So, whether you’re a politician, a journalist, a businessperson, a public servant, or a senior leader in a retirement village organisation, it’s more than likely that your community doesn’t trust you.
I appreciate that this might be hard to read.
Let’s call it tough love.
I’m writing what you need to hear, and as awkward as it might feel, building trust needs to become your main leadership goal moving forward.
And to add to your challenge, this trust building shouldn’t be contained to just your residents, but across your whole workforce and the broader communities of which your organisation is a part.
But where to start?
It starts with understanding that a glossy marketing brochure will no longer suffice. Stock photos of people happily living in retirement communities are more likely to turn off a Baby Boomer than to entice them to live in your village. Turning up once a year to the village’s AGM is not enough anymore.
The Baby Boomer expects more than this. And this generation isn’t afraid to demand it.
People in 2022 and beyond want real community. They want to feel the community. They want to have a strong sense of ownership and pride in their community. They want to belong in their community.
For all these things to exist, they need to feel heard in their community.
We need leaders who can listen.
We need leaders who aren’t afraid to be led by the people with lived experience.
In order to trust our leaders, we need leaders who trust us.
Once you adopt a style of leadership that focuses on building trust, active listening and ensuring all voices are heard, you’ll find this new generation of people living in retirement bring decades worth of professional skills and knowledge to village life.
The wealth of expertise and lived experience held by the Baby Boomer generation should not be seen as a threat to your leadership, but instead provides tremendous opportunities.
The importance of leaders in retirement living organisations being truly present in village life and being regularly engaged with residents is proven to make a difference. Not just to the reduction of calls to your complaint hotline or emails landing in your inbox, but to your organisation’s overall reputation and quite frankly, its bottom line.
More than ever residents living in ALL types of communities want, and may even demand, the opportunity to meet, share and discuss with the decision makers, including the CEO. Just like in a local Council!
Let’s build trust!
Let’s build community!
Let’s engage!
To learn more about taking a community-centric style of leadership in retirement living, you are invited to register for the upcoming Engaging with Age Friendly & Retirement Living Communities - A 6-week Bootcamp being run by Becky Hirst and Jodie Prosser. The program will be delivered live, online for 2 hours per week for 6 consecutive weeks from Wednesday 26 October 2022. Book now.