At some level every person is either ahead of the pack, behind the pack, or in the middle . . . it is not the same for every person in every area.

By Steve Moran

At some level, every person is either ahead of the pack, behind the pack, or in the middle. While largely based on personality, we tend to favor one of the three; yet, it is not the same for every person in every area.

This tends to be true in organizations and we have actually created a little poll at the end of the article asking where your organization is (not you personally):

Good and Bad

All three have benefits and drawbacks.   

  • Ahead of the Pack creates a huge opportunity for market dominance because you have clear market differentiators. It can also mean you are offering new products or old products in new ways, with little or no competition.

    It is not all good though. It also comes with some risk. First, it means you are forced to invent stuff or figure stuff out . . . and if we are honest, some of the “Ahead of the Pack” stuff you try, just plain won’t work out. Overall though senior living providers who operate with an “Ahead of the Pack” mentality seem to be those with the most success.

  • Middle of the Pack always feels safest and yet, I am not sure it is the best place to be. If you look at occupancy — where according to NIC the averages are in the 80s — it’s not really all that good, other than it might mean no one will ever call you out for blowing it (mostly). When the economy is great, being in the middle is fine; however, when the economy is not so good, you will mostly be fine . . . mostly.

  • Back of the Pack is the very safest of all positions in the short-run, but ONLY in the short-run. Being back of the pack means being behind in technology, programming, and amenities. Like the middle of the pack, it may work okay when times are good. But it is a terrible place to be at all other times.

Moving to the Front

Right now we are in a very unique time in the senior living space. Things are frothy because of too much inventory, lots of capital, a tightening labor market and more. We will see the “Ahead of the Pack” organizations thrive like crazy.   

If you are looking to move to the head of the pack, the National Investment Centers Spring Conference in Dallas is a great event that will help get you there. The conference theme is “Unlocking New Value in Senior Care Collaboration.” The big idea is that even with all the frothiness, there are some substantial opportunities for increasing occupancy, customer loyalty, and revenue through the exploration of collaborative relationships.

I will be there. I hope to see you there and hear about how you are a part of (or moving in the direction of being a part of) the “Ahead of the Pack” senior living organizations that are changing the face our industry . . . and more importantly, improving the lives of seniors and team members.

You can dig deeper and register HERE. And . . . let’s grab a cup of coffee!