Cultivating mentorships in long-term care is vital to bringing up and retaining the next generation of sector leaders, a group of six prominent women leaders said this week at a McKnight’s Women of Distinction Forum panel.
The speakers — all honorees at the evening’s Women of Distinction Awards ceremony Tuesday — repeatedly emphasized the core needs of honesty, humility and an ongoing commitment to learning for successful mentors. The discussion was moderated by McKnight’s Senior Living Editor Lois A. Bowers.
“It’s all about the people,” said Lynn Hood, CEO of Principle LTC and winner of the program’s 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award. She emphasized that being able to bring new talent up from within the ranks of long-term care has been a primary motivation in her career.
At a baseline level, being honest and upfront about the challenges of senior care is necessary to show employees respect and care, said Karen Peck, vice president of clinical services at Brookdale Senior Living.
“If you don’t do that, you’re not going to be able to hire people or hold onto them,” she said. “And then once you get them in the door … give them ‘thank you’s’ … It sounds simple, but if you don’t do it, they don’t think you care.”
It’s vital for long-term care leaders to consistently invest in the careers of their most dedicated workers, said Becky Bodie, executive vice president and chief operating officer at Diversicare Healthcare Services.
“We have to identify those that are coming up and recognize those individuals and develop them,” she told an overflow crowd at the JW Marriott in Chicago. It was a common theme raised by panelists.
Beyond expressing appreciation, Bodie repeatedly stressed the importance of having humility and taking responsibility for the results of your team — a perspective shared by Stephanie Parks, chief development officer at Reliant Rehabilitation.
“Don’t ask someone to do something you wouldn’t do yourself,” she stressed.
Hands-on approach
Actively walking the floor is a key method leaders can use to identify potential mentees and address daily problems that can build frustration with employees. Mentors should use the opportunity to share feedback and offer help to employees with leadership potential, said Nancy Maina, senior health services director at Brightview Senior Living.
“Make sure they trust you,” she said. “I promise if you can offer help … you’re going to be able to retain them.”
Cultivating a sense of ongoing learning is critical for both mentors and mentees, according to Shelly Koch, vice president of operations at The Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Society. Beyond the self-improvement benefits for learners, being open to learning from mentees can be a refreshing experience — even helping fend off burnout — she explained.
Hood emphasized the importance of these lessons — especially for women in the sector. She noted that she gave advice to mentees who now find themselves rising in the professional world the way she once did.
“As women, there’s not always as much opportunity for us to grow in our careers,” she said. “You need to seek out people in your organization that are good leaders, follow them, ask good questions and have a self-mentoring program. … Work for some of the worst, work for some of the best, and find out what’s different between the two.”
And for women in position to guide the next generation, she advised they “find the talent” and “keep them close.”
“Go bodacious!” she added. “They don’t have to fit into your box. It doesn’t matter their color, their age, their sexual preference, their religion. … You have to find the best and you have to bring out the best in people.”
Hood later gave a stirring acceptance speech at the awards ceremony, urging women leaders to continue striving to open positions of power in the sector to women and minority workers making their way up the career ladder.
Both sessions of the McKnight’s Women of Distinction Forum preceded a cocktail reception and awards dinner celebrating this year’s honorees. (Read more about the other session here.) Read more about this year’s winners in this digital commemorative booklet.
Healthcare Services Group was the Platinum sponsor of this year’s McKnight’s Women of Distinction Awards and Forum. PointClickCare was the Gold sponsor, and PharMerica was the Silver sponsor. Other sponsors included Curana Health, DirecTV for Business, Easyshifts, Hireology, Reliant Rehabilitation, ShiftKey and Sentrics.
Above: McKnight’s Senior Living Editor Lois Bowers (far left) moderates a panel about mentorship and leadership panel at the 2024 McKnight’s Women of Distinction Forum in Chicago. Panelists, from left: Principle LTC President and CEO Lynn Hood, Diversicare Healthcare Services EVP and COO Becky Bodie, Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Society Executive Director of Operations-Home-Based Services Shelly Koch, Brightview Severna Park Senior Health Services Director Nancy Maina, Brookdale Senior Living Vice President of Clinical Services Karen Peck and Reliant Rehabilitation Chief Development Officer Stephanie Parks. (Photo by Tori Soper Photography)
