Here’s What Happens When Great Minds Get Together

Mike Rambarose, CEO of Whitney Center in Connecticut, one of our dear clients at Drive, shared that they have established a centralized screening process for applicants. We’ve all been guilty of hiring a person just because we really, really, really needed to fill the position. The centralized process essentially establishes what he refers to as a “cultural gatekeeper,” a person who helps to ensure that the potential employee not only has the technical skills, but values that are congruent with the organization’s.

Terri Cunliffe, CEO of Covenant Retirement Communities, told the group that her organization’s driving force is people that are “Inspired to Serve.” This includes how employees serve residents and each other. The leadership team didn’t craft the standards for their “Inspired to Serve” program. Instead 33 multi-disciplinary team members from around the country were flown into the corporate office to develop them! I’ve had the opportunity to experience the impact of these standards first hand. In the focus groups that we conducted with team members at Covenant Shores outside of Seattle, Washington, team members constantly shared how proud they were to be of service to others.

Tom Grape, CEO of Benchmark Senior Living, shared that his New England based company had established the “One Company Fund” to help team members in their time of need. When disaster strikes or hard times come, employees can apply to the fund for financial support through a grant, not a loan. One of my favorite parts of this program is that a panel of fellow associates review the blind applications and grant the gifts. The fund was initiated 10 years ago for their 10-year anniversary to thank frontline associates. To date, they have raised over $3 million, and distributed more than $2 million to associates in need.