By Steve Moran
Brookdale has a new CEO, Nick Stengle.
I applied for the job, didn’t get it.
I didn’t even get an interview …
I wasn’t surprised about either.
Contemplation
I, of course, never expected anyone at Brookdale to take me seriously about wanting the job of either CEO or being added to the board of directors. I have spent some time contemplating what I would do first if, in a moment of clarity, they offered me the job. First, I would immediately demote myself to COO or chief culture officer, because it would be the place where I could impact the most lives and ultimately have the biggest impact on the success of the company, on the lives of people who work for Brookdale, and the residents and family members.
I would then look for low-hanging fruit. What would make the experience of living in Brookdale better? What would make the experience of being a family member or friend of a Brookdale resident better? What would make the experience of working at Brookdale better?
Be Different/Stand For Something
I recently listened to an episode of the Guy Kawasaki Remarkable People podcast where he interviewed Laura Ries, author of the book The Strategic Enemy. During that podcast, she talked about how companies need to be focused on standing for something, focused on being different.
This is Brookdale’s challenge and opportunity. Right now, the only thing Brookdale stands for is being big. There is no sense that they are better, that they are creating better employee or resident experiences.
There is actually one other thing they stand for: having an occupancy rate that is substantially lower than the industry average.
While they need to start with low-hanging fruit, that is not good enough. They need big, bold moves. They need to be thinking about how to create wow experiences, in particular for residents and family members.
The $50,000 Cup of Coffee
In the next few days, we will be publishing an article titled “The $50,000 Cup of Coffee” that is all about how creating a great experience for residents and families can be the “Be Different” thing that creates incredible value for everyone. If Brookdale gets it right, they will win, and the entire industry will win.
