By Steve Moran

A big part of being a good leader is knowing a lot of things about a lot of things. The big problem with knowing things about a lot of things is that once we know a lot of things, we tend to think we know it all — or at least know enough. The other thing that happens is that we stop questioning whether or not what we know to be true is actually true.

Sometimes the things we know to be true are not true and have never been true. Other things were once true but are no longer true.

Staying on top of this requires leaders to be deliberate about not being too comfortable with the idea they know it all.

Better Knowledge

One of the ways to avoid the trap of knowing is to ask “what if” questions. For instance …

Right now there is a big push by a number of senior living organizations to advocate for immigration reform as a significant way to solve the staffing crisis. In order to make sure we don’t miss other opportunities, we should be asking …

What if immigration reform will never solve the staffing problem?

Asking this question does not mean that immigration reform is the wrong thing to do, but what it does is get leaders thinking about what else could be done to solve the staffing problem. The danger of not doing this is that the industry will put all their eggs in a single basket that may or may not solve the problem.

It could be that reform will never happen, or that reform will happen but will not solve the problem. Asking this “what if” question simply puts the industry in a better position to move forward.

More What If

  • What if we assumed people really wanted to live in senior living?
  • What if our current marketing strategies are targeting the wrong audience?
  • What if the current models for senior living are all wrong?
  • What if the staffing crisis is not just about numbers but about the work cultures we create?
  • What if technology can replace more human tasks than we think, and that’s a good thing?
  • What if the greatest competition for senior living communities isn’t home?
  • What if we need different unit configurations?  (Like four-bedroom units, with unrelated people living together.)
  • What if we assumed that residents wanted to be less dependent?
  • What if we really believed that senior living was a great job?
  • What if we saw assisted living and memory care as vital to the health care system?

What other “what if” questions should we be asking?