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At the start of each new year, many of us feel compelled to set New Year’s Resolutions—save more money, lose a few more pounds, get more exercise...you know what we're talking about! However, there's plenty of data that shows that many of us will give up on our personal resolutions before the snow has melted. But when we talk about business resolutions, we think it may be significantly easier to achieve them. Why? Because the focus is not on “me”.

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Focus Your Resolutions on YOUR CUSTOMER

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It is undeniable that for most of us, serving the 55+ population is much more than a job or a career. It is a calling. Serving seniors, directly or indirectly, gives us purpose, engages our hearts, and challenges our minds. We may even be assured that, through our efforts, we will leave the world a little better for our contributions.

 

So, when we set our professional resolutions for 2019, focusing on whom we serve will infuse our resolutions with the energy, passion, and drive needed to achieve them.

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Q: How are Goals and Resolutions Different?

A: Resolutions Help Achieve Goals

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In our December blog, we talked about reviewing the past year and setting meaningful, achievable goals for the new year. What is the difference between Goals and Resolutions? They are not the same thing. Goals are specific: tactical, measurable, numerical and directly relate to the bottom line. Such as: “Increase tour to move-in ratio by 20%”, or “Hold 4 more onsite events per month”.

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But resolutions, especially in the workplace, play a supportive and motivating role. They should be qualitative. Think of your resolutions as more of a concept, a behavior, or an approach. Ultimately, smart resolutions are guiding principles that help improve our work and our sense of cohesion – which makes it easier to reach our goals.

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What Does a Workplace Resolution Look Like?

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Here are a few examples:

• Improve recruitment and hiring processes.

• Improve communication with our families.

• Take time to celebrate team successes.

• Simplify cross-team communication within our community.

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Focus Your Resolutions on Your Mission Statement.

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As soon as you read the examples above, you may have thought, “Yes, but how do we choose which resolutions are best?” First, take a look at your company or your community's mission. What elements of the mission statement need attention, improvement, or action.

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Your mission statement is your promise.

 

How well are you keeping that promise?

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“At XYZ, we are dedicated to providing high-quality care and personalized service to residents and their family members, making a difference one relationship at a time.”

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This mission statement could lead the team to ask the following questions.

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Mission Promise

• What is Needed?

• Quality of Care

• What concerns do our residents have?

• What does our nursing staff need?

• What do our state surveys say?

 

Personalized Service

• What services do we offer that are unique?

• What services do we need?

• Can we improve “personalization”?

• What do our residents want?

 

Making a Difference

• Can we measure this?

• What sets us apart?

• Where are we making a difference?

• Are we good at communicating what we do?

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Answering these questions can open up many more questions, so remember to keep it simple. Keep your resolutions few, and directly in support of your mission. Make sure they are aligned to help you achieve your goals.

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