Challenges Are There for Everyone When asked about the challenges of being a leader in the senior living profession, especially during the years a pandemic set the world, and those in care of the most vulnerable senior popu- lation, reeling, Lee said her own loss of her parents tested her. “I lost my mother, my father, and my brother during that


time in South Africa. And, I realized by meeting several of my employees that had parents in other countries, they went through similar situations. But what kept them going was car- ing for our residents because they couldn't do it for their own family, but they got to do it for the ones that we serve,” she said. In that respect, Lee explained, she was inspired by her


associates (not employees because the term associates means they are part of the whole effort) during the pandemic be- cause they had their own families that were struggling and their own families that were dying. “But they chose a very heroic thing to do in being of a greater service to serve others beyond serving themselves,” she said.


George Floyd and Change The other big issue shaping Lee’s mindset as a leader in recent times was the tragic death of George Floyd, which has brought change to businesses of all types and the growth of Black Lives Matter and Diversity, Equity, Including, and Belonging (DEIB) efforts. “For me, as a minority leader in senior living, which there's


not too many of us in senior living, I had to reflect as to what this was going to mean to Century Park. Was it going to be something we just checked off on a box?” she said. Growing up in apartheid South Africa and legalized racial


segregation, Lee said she knows well what it is to be margin- alized because of the color of your skin. “In crafting what we were going to do moving forward


[post the Floyd murder], I met with the team, and they know my story and they have been on this journey alongside with me, too. So, we decided that it was going to be something that was going to change the DNA of our company. It was not going to be a program.” What resulted instead was a core change “to our values


and making sure that our values align with being a company that everyone can belong.” She said the Director of Talent and Development, Danielle Rhodes, was instrumental in helping craft the change in Century Park’s hiring practices and then also making sure that associates can have the op- portunity to tell their stories, considering they come from all parts of the U.S., as well as from the Congo, Somalia, Ethiopia, and Saudi Arabia. “When someone tells their story, just like I'm telling you mine on this call today, it creates emotional connection and belonging. I feel like that has been transformational through- out our company.”


The other big result of the changes was a diversity pledge


crafted by Rhodes for Century Park’s residents that would ensure everyone in the communities is on the same page when it comes to the issue. “Residents sign that diversity pledge as well. But you know,


then it's actions. So, when a resident refuses a Black caregiver or refuse service from a Black server in the dining room, then we've trained our leaders on how to act…. Here again, our actions speak louder than our words. And so, I feel like for us, we're on a journey. I don't think we're there yet, but we are on a journey to make things better for our company and for the people that get to live with us and work with us.”


Finding Workers The broader topic of the workforce and how to find and keep quality staff is something front of mind as well for Lee, as it is for all leaders in senior living. For Century Park, she said they are focused on selling their brand to consumers who may want to move in, but also selling their brand to potential workers. “Recruitment is one piece of the puzzle, but it's the reten-


tion piece that is huge as well. And so, we have something called a growth track,” she said. “It's part of something that we're trying to do across our company. But one of the dimen- sions of growth track is grace. Lots of times it's very easy to say this is our disciplinary process and you're out. But, you know, where is grace in all of this and how do we give that to our employees that sacrifice their own families to come serve in our communities? How do we offer them grace?” For recruitment, the onboarding process is vital to making


it work, Lee said. In general, the expansion of what it means to be a leader


has been altered in recent times, and she wants to follow the mantra of being an action person and not just a words person. “Look at your companies. Think about the people that sit


around the table that make decisions about your company and ask it they are reflective of the people that are serving your residents in the hallways,” she noted. “One thing that really spoke to me is we have a commu-


nity in Georgia and a large majority of our associates were African-American and the large majority of our residents were white. That just did not sit well with me because that's not the way it should be. And how did we change that? We did so by being very, very proactive on our hiring and then also our recruitment, and in attracting residents, making sure that our resident population looks a little bit more like our employee population.” Actions, not just words.


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