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A Seth Godin blog recently sported this title. The gist of the blog was that when said to you, other staff members and associates, new hires or freelancers, those nine words essentially kill any hope of new ideas, innovation or creativity for an organization.

It got me thinking about our field – senior living – and in the almost 20 years I’ve been working with communities across the country, how often I’ve heard those (or very similar) words uttered.

“Have the sales office open on weekends? That’s not how we do it here because…”

“Serve food 24/7? That’s not the way we do it here because…”

“Sell a prospective resident using e-mail? That’s not how we do it here because…”

“Provide a variety of contract options with varying levels of refundability? That’s not the way we do it here because…”

“Hold back some information from the initial sales presentation to give a reason to follow up? Are you kidding, we can’t do that because…”

You get the idea, right? There are countless examples.

This phrase needs to be stricken from our vocabulary. The world has changed and is changing, each and every day. The more your organization or you hold back – the further and further behind you’ll get. And things are already hard enough, aren’t they? 

We’ve all got to get better about approaching what we do with an open mind, an innovative spirit and an adventurous attitude. As the new year begins, take a moment and ask yourself instead, “How can we do it differently and better around here?” Trust me… you’ll encourage everyone to look at things in a whole new light.

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The opening session of the AAHSA Annual Meeting & Exposition always provides an inspirational way to start the week and puts into perspective why we all do what we do every day. It always helps me stop to take a breath and remember what our business is truly about….serving seniors.

This year’s theme Who Decides? frames some big moral, ethical and philosophical dilemmas our field faces on a daily basis. Michael Sandel, the keynote speaker, kept us on our toes with thought-provoking exercises testing our moral imperatives. His answer to the question is: “Everyone decides, and we must all work together to find the best answer.”

Who Decides? can also set the stage for you to think about what kind of experience you will have at this year’s conference. With so many opportunities for expanding your knowledge, meeting new people and growing your horizons, the more you decide how to take advantage of it all, the more you will get out of the next few days. The social media lab, the future house, the many educational sessions all provide ways for us to continue to push ourselves to make ourselves better advocates for this ever-changing field.

So take a minute to step back and plan how you will get the most out of AAHSA 2010. Stop by and see us at our booth for a cold drink or at the social media lab to learn why Foursquare isn’t just played with a big red ball anymore!

If you couldn’t make the meeting this year, keep watching our blog for more fun updates from sunny Los Angeles. We’ll be sure to keep you updated on what we’re learning at AAHSA.  

Have a great show!

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I was at a meeting last week when, after the “good to see you’s” had been exchanged, we all had the same realization: We’re almost half-way through 2010! Holy cow! Where did the first half of the year go? Before you know it, the stores will be decorated for the holidays and we’ll be talking about New Year’s resolutions.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves; there are still six months left in 2010. And there’s no better time than now to assess the success of your marketing efforts (or your own personal goals), and make adjustments to achieve the results you want by the end of the year.

So ask yourself these five simple questions:

1) What am I going to focus on?

You’ve probably gotten caught up in the day-to-day trials and tribulations (or are just spending too much time on Facebook, Linked In and Twitter) that can distract you from what’s really important. Don’t feel bad. It happens to the best of us. Take some time to understand what’s worked, what hasn’t worked out the way you had thought or planned, and what’s changed in the past six months. Re-forecast and renew your efforts in areas that have reaped the most benefits, and disengage from those things that haven’t.

2) What am I going to improve?

Whether it is personal or business, we all start the year with resolutions, goals or strategies for ‘getting better’ at something – eating, exercising, making calls, planning ahead. But then the real world happens. Take time to re-ignite that passion and find opportunities for small improvements.

3) What are you going to grow?

Everyone has ideas, but how many of us actually act on them? Now is a good time to put a plan together to nurture that great idea you had at 3:00 a.m. when you couldn’t sleep. A new event theme, a new collateral piece, a new iPhone app, a new search engine program. Go out on a limb and take a chance ─ you never know until you try.

4) What I am NOT going to do?

We all have lists of things we need to get done. I heard recently that some of the most successful people are those who create lists of things they are going to STOP doing. Take those time wasters off the list – it will enable you to put more energy into focusing, improving and growing!

5) What am I going to learn?

Things are changing every day, it seems. Media is more and more fragmented, people are connecting to one another in new and different ways, the Web changes at an alarmingly fast rate. So how are you keeping up? We stay fresh and creative by learning new things. What topic or field gets you excited that you haven’t devoted time to learn about?

It only takes a little bit of time to step back, review and make the necessary tweaks to achieve the results you want. There are 168 hours in a week, so I bet you can find 30 minutes to think through these five easy questions, so 2010 can go out with a bang! Good luck!

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Whether you’re hosting family in town or traveling across the country to visit relatives, the holidays are always a great time to enjoy the company of those dearest to you. It’s also a time when adult children and other family caregivers first notice changes in their parents or loved ones. And it’s a time when talk about the future is likely to occur. Senior living communities should make sure they’re ready to help families understand their options.

Position yourselves as a resource to answer questions or simply talk. Whether its evenings or weekends, phone calls or tours, make sure you have someone available to meet with inquiring adult children. These are valuable chances to put your community top of mind with everyone involved with making a decision.

Being accessible is important. It shows you’re service oriented to make time to see them, no matter how busy the holidays can get. You only get one chance to make that first impression. These days no one has time to waste.

And don’t forget about New Year’s. This is a time of change. Resolutions are on people’s minds. Make a resolution to be more proactive and customer service focused. Be proactive and talk to them about the small changes they may have seen in themselves or their parents. You may find your New Year starting off with a bang.

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In the field of senior living there has been a so-called list of prohibited words and phrases when it comes to marketing to older adults. Don’t use the word “facility”– it conjures images of a nursing home. Don’t even think about “elderly” as it may imply “frail” when referring to an older population.

When it comes to housing, Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) has been the moniker for campuses that offer independent living, assisted living and skilled nursing.  In today’s world, there is so much talk about active older adults. Perhaps CCRC is no longer an accurate description?  Larry Minnix with the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (AAHSA) recently gave a presentation at a gathering of senior living housing professionals and suggested using CCRC may become a thing of the past.  Will the phrase end up joining the list of “don’ts”?  He suggests retirement communities might be referred to as Centers for Healthy Living.

It is an interesting thought. But it also raises questions. Is the public ready to take on yet another phrase relating to older adults? As much as we try, it is still very difficult for the public to get past using the phrase nursing home — even if they’re referring to a CCRC. Think about it, there are lots of folks who still call flight attendants, stewardesses!

I have to admit it is exciting to think about where the future of senior living is headed. As older adults remain more active and involved, perhaps a community with the word “care” in it isn’t appropriate anymore. After all, those 62 and better are, for the most part, just as busy in their everyday lives as the rest of us.

We don’t use facility anymore…is CCRC on its way out? 

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