help me grow, make decisions, and learn the difficult things that come along with being an executive director. There’s a good mix of being able to learn


business skills and combine it with making a difference…and to be involved in a lot of dif- ferent fun and impactful things along the way. Earlier this year when the opportunity


arose for the regional position, I thought: Worst case, it’s a great opportunity to have a discussion and see what that role would be like. Once again, this company proved that they want to help people grow and learn and that they’re willing to do that alongside you. With MBK, I’ve had mentors along


OPEN UP AND ASK


Courtney Hill, regional director of operations, MBK Senior Living  She began working in senior living wearing several hats: dining room server, concierge, and activities assistant.


 Encouragement from mentors and a corporate career-pathing culture supported her climb.


I was getting closer to the end of my degree and was studying health care administration at Sacramento State University and wanted to do something I felt would fit what I was studying. There was a senior living com- munity being built near me, so I applied…I instantly fell in love with senior living. My grandma and grandpa were a huge


influence in my life, and when I started at that community, I instantly had a hundred new grandparents—it connected with me fast.


I said to the executive director, “You


know, I think I want to be an executive director one day,” and it all just took off from there. I had an absolutely amazing time learning and had so much support to


the way that have given me opportunities to try things that I have not done before. They create an environment to grow and to learn. They gave me some freedom to make mistakes if need be and bring ideas to the table as I grew. I’ll be the first to say I definitely don’t


know it all. I’m here to learn every single day, and I love to surround myself with


TIP: Share your ideas and career plans with mentors and managers when you have the opportunity—they can help you realize your goals.


people that I can learn from. But I also try at every opportunity to teach people things I was given an opportunity to learn. As an executive director, I was really pas-


sionate about helping people take on lead roles so they could promote up. When I left, my business office manager, who was in the executive director training program, was promoted into the executive director role, and the lead concierge was promoted to business office manager. I was able to grow, but two people there also got to grow.


SELF-EXPRESSION BEGINS AT HOME


A study conducted by researchers from the University of Texas and the University of Michigan and published in The Gerontologist found that older adults’ living spaces reveal personality traits and provide evidence of mood.


When a living space aligned with the personality and preferences of the person who lived there, older adults reported enhanced well-being. Researchers said this demonstrates that older adults who can create an environment that best suits them are happier than those living in a space that does not reflect their preferences, according to an article about the research in UT News, the University of Texas’ news site.


The rooms of extroverts, it said, tended to reflect newness and cheerfulness (but not comfort), while people with high levels of conscientiousness had rooms char- acterized by newness and comfort (but not cheerfulness).


Interestingly, what might look like a “cluttered” space wasn’t necessarily troubling. For older adults with functional limitations, clutter was associated with fewer symptoms of depression—it means residents had made an effort to set up their space for their own convenience. In fact, researchers said cleaning can be done in collaboration with residents, so a cleaner won’t unwittingly undo an arrange- ment that works for the resident.


“People who have a match between personality and living space report better well-being, and they feel better about their life and have a better mood,” said Karen Fingerman, professor of human development and family sciences at The University of Texas at Austin and director of the Texas Aging and Longevity Center in the interview with UT News. “Home is where we can express ourselves.”


NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021 ARGENTUM.ORG 17


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