By Steve Moran
On June 10, 2011, with trembling fingers, I pushed the publish button for the first-ever article at Senior Living Foresight. It was titled, rather embarrassingly now, “Senior Housing – Opportunity or a Sow’s Ear?” It was read by maybe 50 people, nearly all friends and family. It was also full of typos. It’s still there . . . minus the typos.
Since that time we have had millions of page views, created and published more than ten thousand pieces of content, and grown a loyal following in North America and around the globe.
We have been unfailing in our goal of making senior living better. Better for residents, team members, and family members . . . but not just that. We continue to believe that the highest profits come from excellence.
We have sometimes been called the conscience of the industry — being willing to ask hard questions and talk about difficult issues. Each and every time we have been critical it has always been about making the industry better, never about destroying it.
We have had some remarkable successes and some colossal failures. We have tried many experiments, some of which worked spectacularly and others that were complete flops.
We have received emails and phone calls from leaders telling us how something we published helped inspire their teams and make their communities better. These comments are like manna from heaven.
We have had harsh criticism — sometimes deserved and sometimes not. While the criticism has been always painful, it has made us better as individuals and as an organization.
Shoutouts — Our Team, Our Partners, and All of You
I have made more friends than I can count, and wish I could name each of you in this article, but there is not enough room for all the names. But I love each of you.
Our team has grown from just me and more typos than you can count to a team of 9 that is deeply committed to our mission.
I have discovered that it is a lot easier to write about how to be a great leader than it is to live it out in real life.
My very first team member, Pam McDonald, is still a part of the team making my sloppy writing look better than it is and hosting our twice a month podcast.
Jack Cumming, who lives in a senior living community, has been my mentor, my hero, and my team leader. He brings a resident’s wisdom and tremendous grace to all that we do.
There have been so many other senior living leaders who have provided keen wisdom and thought leadership content for our readers.
Finally, there is this amazing group of companies that make what we do financially possible. They make it possible to provide content to our readers without a paywall and are a huge part of transforming senior living.
I wish I could name them all, but I want to single out Faith Ott, the founder of Sage Age Strategies. She believed in our mission back at the very beginning and continues to support us today. She has become a close friend and valued mentor.
Our Work is Not Complete
The senior living industry is more than 100 years old, but we are just getting started. I envision a time when senior living will transform how we think about growing old. To borrow from Chip Conley: We will become a place of regeneration.
We will be that place that inspires older people to make new friendships and bask in old ones, a place where older people transform their own lives and the lives of emerging generations. Making the world a better place for all.
The team at Senior Living Foresight is right now putting the finishing touches on some new and fantastic initiatives that we believe will be part of the next evolution of senior living.
I love each of you and can hardly wait to get face to face with you in the coming months and together transform the marvelous adventure of growing old.
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