By Jack Cumming
My friend John Hadley recently remarked on LinkedIn, “If the work constantly feels like you have to ‘just grind through it,’ maybe it’s not the right fit for you.” Does that sound familiar to you? Maybe you know someone for whom work has become no more than a grind. We’re here to tell you that a better life awaits you if you go find it.
Senior Living
In a senior living community, a big part of the job of an executive director is to make sure that people are suited for the work to which they are assigned. That’s easily said, though it’s seldom that an executive director moves people around.
Think of it. The life enrichment director may have an inborn sales closing talent but that’s lost in his “lane.” You know the talk, “Stay in your lane.” That leads to loss of talent and mediocre organizational performance.
In this case, if exchanging a mediocre salesperson with a life enrichment director results in a 5% increase in occupancy, that can powerfully impact the bottom line. The former salesperson may also shine with empathy for residents.
A Weak Executive Director
Let’s say, though, that the executive director doesn’t have that kind of counseling ability, and employees are generally frozen in the functional area into which they are hired. Some may even have been in the same department for 20 years or more. Not all executive directors are perceptive. The executive director may be a nice person but ill-suited for the responsibilities of management.
Executive training programs are also rare in senior living. In some industries, a position like executive director would often have a lengthy, content-rich in-house training program. At one time, many executive directors were clergy. Now they are often certified nursing home administrators.
In general industry, it would not be uncommon for directors to also be rotated to give them more experience with different people and varying local cultures. That, too, is rare in senior living. Even many trade association training programs involve currently popular leadership books rather than specific content related directly to the job. It’s no wonder that many observers consider senior living to be stagnant.
What You Can Do!
If you are mis-fit, bored, and unchallenged in your current job, you can go to your boss or executive director for counseling and possible reassignment. If that doesn’t work, though, then it’s up to you to take charge of your job fate. You can look for a suitable job elsewhere, but that may be scary and difficult. It’s hard to change lanes if you don’t have experience or qualifications for the faster lane that you’d like to choose.
In that case, you can take a baby step to prepare. Start reading journals and blogs for what you find interesting. Take a class or a course to demonstrate your interest. Above all, don’t settle for a life of job bondage. No one should submit to the inevitability of an unhappy life.
A True-Life Fiction
I once met a man who turned out to have an extraordinary back story. No one he worked with knew his story. We’ll call him John. With an ROTC (Reserve Officers’ Training Corps) scholarship, John majored in education in college hoping for a career in teaching. After graduation, he spent four years in the Air Force to fulfill his obligation.
Coming home in late October one year, there were no entry level teaching jobs available. John thought it wise, though, to take a job in a school so he could gain familiarity with the teaching milieu. The only opening was as a janitor, and John was willing to do whatever it took. As a first-generation college graduate, he didn’t realize that that choice would label him and inhibit his wanting to teach. It may also have hurt that John had a minority ethnicity.
Ten years later, John found himself as the school custodian, beloved by students, teachers, and administrators alike. No one knew John’s background. No one asked. I met John during a residency at the school. Something about him struck me, so I got to know him. We would have lunch together, and one day I drew out of him his story of education, service, and dedication.
Fateful Acceptance
By this point in his life journey, John accepted that he would never become a teacher. He enjoyed the love that he received for his humble service and good cheer. He was an advisor and informal counselor for many students in need of a kind word. Some students had troubles at home. They would come to John, and he would listen patiently, ask gentle questions, and help them to find their way through difficult times. John was filled with folk wisdom.
Although this story is not intended to describe anyone living, it is a story that is repeated often among the dedicated workers in senior living. We know them for their generosity of spirit and their hard work. You may be one of them. You likely know several of them. These are the people who came to work through the pandemic, never complaining and always ready to pitch in.
If you are like John, and I hope you’re not, you may feel happy with your lot. If that’s so, there’s nothing to be done. John has found his happiness by elevating his custodial job to one of counseling. He’ll never get monetarily what he’s worth for having that skill and for helping so many, but he will be amply compensated by scores of people touched by his giving nature. Love, respect, and esteem should never be undervalued.
Asserting Your Value
Most likely, though, you realize that your value is more than what is recognized where you work. You may feel stuck in a rut with nowhere to go. First, let yourself feel your discontent. Second, determine to do something about it. You can take both those steps in an instant of insight.
The good news is that you will feel better immediately. Acknowledging your predicament and envisioning a change unleashes hope. There’s no better feeling than that optimistic embrace of hope. The future will be better. With that future firmly in mind, work your plan. Ask your boss or your executive director for advice. Think of how flattering it is for a boss if you start by saying, “I admire you so much. I’d like to learn how I can advance to a position like yours. Can you help me to prepare?”
If that boss responds, “You’re never going to be promoted,” as one boss I know said to an ambitious worker I admired, then it’s time to look around. In this particular case, though, Providence was on the worker’s side, and the stifling boss soon left the company. The worker now loves his job, and the enterprise shows the sparkle of his commitment.
Take the Next Step
Remember, your future is in your hands. The rewards of good luck and opportunity shine on those who are prepared to welcome them. Start preparing now for the job you aspire to. Let others know of your preparation. And when opportunity arrives, recognize it and seize the moment. Cherish yourself and those who help you to find success.
