Lynne Katzmann Founder and CEO, Juniper
Communities
Q: Tell us about your motivation? A: I started Juniper at the age
of 32. And wanted to make a difference with the focus on the troika of health care: cost, quality, and access. Juniper is a very different type of company. One of the things
that has enabled us to be different is that our investor group are individuals with substantial sums of personal money, but the in- vestment with me was one that they felt strongly about but it did not change their portfolio mix. We started with more than 60 investors with none of them putting in a large sum of money. This has given us enormous flexibility and made us very successful. You also must be aware that this business is cyclical and there
will be times when you are the darling of the investor class and sometimes not. One time, my team and I went to see some lenders who also dealt in private equity, and it was clear they were not going to give us any money. It was not the right time. At the end of our meeting, a young analyst came up to me and
asked if she could ask a question, which was simply: Why are you doing this? I told her about wanting to make a difference, and to give peo- ple the opportunity to live fully in any part of their life. This just reminds me to tell you that you can connect with
people if you show them who you are and demonstrate that you are passionate about something and you have a reason for being. I learned that day that I did not have to hide my passion. And
this is also really important as we recruit our next generation of leaders. Younger people are very savvy and very aware of what is going in our world, globally. They are also concerned about making a difference and especially to make the world a better place for older adults and for children. I think demonstrating passion and recruiting people for their passion will help us dramatically.
Q: Share a challenging story from the pandemic and
how the learnings from that event leads us to a different/ stronger path forward? A: We learned many lessons from the pandemic and the top one
is that people are the key. As leaders we need to support people and offer opportunity for them to grow as a professional and as a person. This is very important. And during COVID we had to think differently about how we supported people. The second thing that we learned from the pandemic is that
leaders need to be clear. Hundreds of goals do not work in a crisis. You need one and one that people feel comfortable around and that they can grasp. Once COVID started our one goal was to protect and promote the well-being of stakeholders. This meant from residents to staff
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to vendors … and more. It was very simple: protect and promote. Everything we did we brought back to that.
Q: What advice do you have for others? A: Understand what you love. The work we do in any industry is so hard, and it takes a lot of your time, a lot of your head space and a lot of your heart. Because of this, we have to think about what makes you passionate. From there, it is important to find a good cul- tural fit or to create a culture that is demonstrable and identifiable, and one in which you can clearly communicate to others. Culture is built on values and behavior and a leader needs to have
those values and make sure the team is aligned as well on the val- ues. That does not me you have to surround yourself with copies of yourself. For instance, my team is very different with different political beliefs and backgrounds, but we align around our core values of tak- ing care of our stakeholders’ well-being and nurture the spirit of life.
Q: Anything specific for women in our profession? A: I have been around long enough to know that in most ev-
ery meeting of CEOs or top management of a company there are a bunch of white men in suits who predominate. To change something you need to be mindful of that and make sure you have gender balance within your management and on the board. This is about who we serve and who makes up our staff. Do not shirk it off and think it is not politically correct or cool, just be yourself and say what is important to you.
A Sneak Peek at the New Look for Women in Leadership
Our new Women in Leadership logo is a symbol of our dynamic future. We have grown over the years and have altered our logo to reflect who we are today and to symbolize our dynamic future.
Watch as we officially unveil the new look throughout the fall!
The design features eye-catching colors and shapes that reflect the forward-thinking direction, momentum, creativity, and leadership of all women in the senior living industry.
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