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Authentic Discussions: Conflict is Good; Consensus Is Not

Graphic of 5 people surrounding a table in the midst of a passionate meeting.

Today’s article is for your home care agency’s leadership team and centers on how conflict can be beneficial. Now, it must be said that by conflict, we don’t mean any actual physical violence or verbal abuse. What we’re getting at here is passion! As the owner and/or operator of your agency, you should be full of passion for your business. Passion about serving your clients, taking care of your caregivers, and staying updated on the regulations around the senior care industry in your state. Likewise, the people that you’ve picked on your leadership team (your scheduler, care coordinators, and your sales team) must also have passion for their roles and your agency.

You may be wondering about the second half of the title. After all, unlike conflict, consensus seems to be something that we all strive for in our lives. On the surface, it seems that your personal care agency’s leadership team should reach a consensus on company goals. Yet, if every time you, as the owner or operator, suggest a new idea and your whole team agrees to it without any discussion of the pros or cons, it could end up derailing other goals that are already in motion.

Conflict is Good, or Passion

Instead, it would be better for your personal care agency to have some conflict (passion) in your leadership meetings. When there are competing ideas on the direction your agency should focus on i.e. marketing or increasing caregiver salaries. Allow the head of marketing and the scheduler to both make their proposals. Once they have each made their points, have your team discuss which position would be best for meeting overall company goals.

Then, as the owner or operator of your senior care agency, decide which path to follow. Once your decision has been reached, your whole leadership team must support it. By allowing passionate discussion in your meetings, your team will become more engaged. They will also all feel “heard” and hopefully understand why a decision was reached. Rather than feel like the owner/operator is deciding without listening to advice and concerns from the broader team.

If your agency is looking for more operational guidance and ways to get your team engaged and come to work with more passion, we can help! To set up a Free 30-minute consultation call my number at 678-340-3649. To read about all the services we offer and learn more about our backgrounds visit our site www.seniorcareBA.com. We look forward to working with and serving your agency. All of our solutions are customized for your agency. We believe in personalized consulting, for personal care!

Author: Tyler West

Tyler West is a founding partner of Senior Care Business Advisors with over 10 years of experience in personal care, home care, health care and technology. He is also a former Director of Operations for a Home Care Agency and worked in technology with ClearCare and other organizations. Additionally, he is a published author. Connect with him through Senior Care Business Advisors website, www.SeniorCareBA.com, twitter.com/@seniorcareba or LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/senior-care-business-advisors-llc. You can also reach him via email at twest@seniorcareba.com.

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