Creating the Future, One Leader at a Time

March 25, 2008

There is no question that Jim Collins is right. Leadership matters. Four years ago, the AAHSA Leadership Circle, which is comprised of several dozen CEOs of AAHSA members, concluded that the problem that keeps them up at night is where the next generation of leaders will come from. Our Leadership AAHSA program is the result.

Our approach with Leadership AAHSA is to recognize and identify the next generation of leaders among us. Those who already make a difference in our organizations and are poised to be the leaders of the future—from frontline staff to department managers and marketing directors—all with significant career experiences in health care, banking, the military or as homemakers. Clari Gilbert from Beth Abraham Family of Health Services in New York began as a CNA and is now the senior vice president of operations. Rich Schutt started mopping floors at Rest Haven Christian Services and is now the CEO. It's about the journey to become a leader and fostering that development at all levels.

To help and encourage these people, we created a one-year curriculum that includes site visits to transformational organizations, an action learning project to delve deeply into a particular topic and valuable networking through the face-to-face and online interactions that are offered.

I've been amazed by the first two classes of Leadership AAHSA and the fellows have been amazed by the learning and bonding they have shared. Take, for example, Tom Akins. Tom is vice president of development and planning at Brewster Place Retirement Community in Topeka, Kan. Tom's no stranger to leadership development. He's a former student body president who attended leadership conferences and read his fair share of books on the topic. But he found something unique in the power of community that Leadership AAHSA fosters.

Tom focused his action learning project on technology and reimbursement, developing a catalog of existing reimbursement available from government and other third-party payors. He identified key factors to convince these entities to support technology applications in our work.

He's now using the knowledge and skills he gained in his home organization, his state association and AAHSA nationally. Tom is one of the ambassadors for our Long-Term Care Solution initiative to fix how long-term care is financed in this country. He's meeting with his legislators to tell them why our long-term care financing system is broken and is challenging them to help us transform it.

Tom is also taking the lessons he learned as a Leadership AAHSA fellow back home and working with his state association and Leadership AAHSA faculty member Dr. Michele Holleran to develop a similar program on the local level. At the Kansas Association's meeting about the program, nearly 60 people showed up to learn how they could get involved.

"Outside of my marriage and the births of my two daughters, Leadership AAHSA was the most significant event in my life," Tom says.

To me, that says it all. The way I see it, we are creating the future of aging services, one Leadership AAHSA class at a time.

Leadership AAHSA requires a significant commitment from individuals and their organizations, but is sure to pay a greater dividend for the future. The application is available online and the deadline to apply is May 15. I hope you'll identify the Tom Akins's of your organization and encourage them to sign up. And if you are that person, I'm looking forward to meeting you at the next class's kickoff at our Annual Meeting in Philadelphia.

Leadership matters, my friends. Make sure you show your organization how it matters to you. And if you are a CEO or board member of an AAHSA organization, rest easier tonight because the next generation of leaders is probably already hard at work within your organization. We'll help you find and develop them.


William L. Minnix, Jr.
AAHSA President & CEO


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