A good leader knows when to step back and give staff a voice. That’s why Copernicus’ founder and CEO, Claudia Blumenstock, encourages interaction and communication across organizational teams. She recently joined the LTC Heroes podcast to share her insights on inspiring the best in others. “I learned that being present for staff, listening to their […]
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Eight months ago, I was diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy. For those of you unfamiliar, it is a condition in which the heart’s ability to pump blood is decreased because its main pumping chamber, the left ventricle, is enlarged and weakened. When I asked the physician’s assistant if my life was at risk, she said, “Not […]
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While taking a break during a day of training in a facility, a staff member wheeled a resident to a nearby aviary to watch the birds. The employee sat in a chair across from me and began talking about a variety of things including my haircut. We sat behind the resident so her back faced […]
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Staff tell me all the time that leaders don’t hear them, acknowledge them or listen to their thoughts and ideas. Leaders disclose frequently that new staff entering the workplace are lazy, don’t want to work hard and don’t care about the residents. Team members share regularly that they are disrespected by their peers and immediate […]
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A horrifying discovery in the mid-1990’s created a painful learning experience in my career. I was called by my Assistant Administrator/Director of Nursing and told that one of our Nurse Managers thought that a young resident in our care was pregnant. This Nurse Manager expressed concerns that our resident was agitated (unable to articulate verbally) […]
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When my sons were young, I made a conscious parental decision. I began asking each of them, “Who do you want to be?” and “What do you want to do?” The reason that I asked for their thoughts was because I aspired to teach them how to build meaningful lives based on their views of […]
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Conflict is awkward, annoying, uncomfortable, unavoidable, inevitable and most times, unresolved and left to simmer. Many times, it is the elephant in the room that no one wants to confront. Perhaps it involves a staff member exhibiting bullying behavior who intimidates teammates. Or an employee favored by a supervisor who doesn’t pull her weight and […]
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Most of us have played the game Telephone. We begin with a clear phrase and whisper it to the next player. As the message is heard and interpreted by each person, it has the tendency to change. This presents a clear challenge, as each player may further muddle the original intent and alter it according […]
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Getting Off This Crazy Ride in One Piece!I had a conversation last year with the Executive Director of a Senior Living Continuum about his loss of four R.N.’s all at once. He told me that the hospitals were paying substantially more to nurses than was affordable for most long-term care facilities. As we conversed further, […]
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My father passed away three weeks ago. As a little girl, I adored him. He was my hero, strong, smart and funny. He was a lawyer and practiced for 60 years. He loved the law and used his amazing brain to solve the complex legal issues that his clients faced. He was well known, well […]
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