Owners and operators understand that the leadership within an elder care community can make, or break, the community. This is especially true when it comes to finding the perfect executive director. Being a top-level senior living executive is no easy feat. Do you have what it takes?
If you want to pave the path to becoming an ED, here are some traits you need to have:
✔ You have emotional intelligence
Social awareness and relationship management are important skills for an ED to have because so much of the job requires interacting with residents. Simultaneously, the executive director of an assisted living property needs to have leadership skills.
The primary job of your ED is managing employees. That means there needs to be a balance between compassion and management. Like all leadership positions, you need to be unafraid of making unpopular decisions. That said, you don’t want to push talent out the door with your inability to be flexible. When you’re pursuing this career, you need to lead with a servant mindset.
✔ You have leadership experience
Even if you haven’t been in the senior living space for long, any related experience can be leveraged into an eventual leadership position over time. Those with experience in related industries like hospitality can use their experience to distinguish themselves from the competition
Having a resume that displays a progression of roles is an essential aspect of a strong candidate. A great senior living executive may have a background in many things, but the actual experience speaks louder than the position title.
✔ You are goal oriented
No matter how you measure it, finances are always a priority. Executive Directors need to be highly aware of occupancy, revenue, ROI and other metrics.
An executive director needs to be passionate about meeting predefined outcomes and working with the sales team to meet goals.
Even without looking at the bottom line, more than half of your time will be spent taking care of your community’s relationships. You create your own goals, but you create goals for your staff members. There are going to be times when management must step up and adjust based on the current situation. Flexibility is often necessary for realistically achieving goals.
✔ You want to create a lasting impact
Unlike other industries where the clients tend to come and go, senior living residents are with you to stay. The senior living industry yields a unique opportunity for staff members to really bond with their clients. You are providing a personal service that provides families with peace of mind knowing their loved one is receiving proper care. This is a huge responsibility to take on and your leadership will create a lasting legacy within your community.