By Steve Moran

Over the past few years Boeing went from being the most respected and reputable aircraft manufacturer to a colossal example of what happens when you put the goal of maximizing profits above everything else.

They are behind the curve on pretty much everything and only surviving because they are an American company and so deeply embedded in the world’s airlines. There seems to no question that Airbus is building better airplanes. An even bigger treat is looming in the form of Chinese built aircraft.

New Leadership — Asking the Right Question 

Just a few months ago (July 2024), Boeing fired their old president and CEO and replaced him with Kelly Ortberg, who is having to clean up massive piles of bad leadership and decisions. They need to, more than anything else, get back to excellence and launch some new, modern aircraft. They have massive labor problems that need fixing.

More than anything, they have a focus problem.

It is said that as he looks at everything happening at Boeing, he is asking a simple, single question:

“Does this help us build airplanes?”

 

The Senior Living Question

It struck me that you could turn every single senior living organization into something amazing if the leadership every day, every time asked this one simple, single question:

“Does this help us create better resident experiences?”

 

I am convinced that too often we start chasing this or that, try solving some problem or another, and find ourselves chasing around down a rabbit hole that does not really lead to better resident experiences. Part of what makes this so difficult is that, like the airplane building business, senior living is really complex, and getting it wrong can mean killing people.

Sometimes we get so focused on doing the right thing, like keeping residents alive and safe, that even safety needs to be done in the context of creating better resident experiences. It is a hard reality, but sometimes the safest path is not the one that creates the best experiences.

At the end of the day the resident experience is everything.

Here is my challenge. Try it for a week. Before making any decision ask, “Does this make for a better resident experience?” And be honest with the answer.