Over the past few months we’ve told several stories about events and activities at our communities in an effort to promote what matters most to us: our residents and our associates. Following up on this, we recently connected with Todd Spittal, president and co-founder of Provision Living, and over lunch we delved into the culture and values of the organization, and looked ahead to the new year.
As Provision has expanded with new communities in Georgia and Florida, and plans to open a new assisted living facility soon in Webster Groves, Missouri, Spittal explained that he’s come to rely less on measuring the details and outcomes of each process the business puts in place to manage operations, and more on maintaining a focus on the core values that drove the founding of the company.
“I always get a lot of positive feedback, and connect with everyone, when I share the story of what drove the creation of Provision Living, which was essentially a belief that trying to love and care for people would generate positive results in terms of business performance,” said Spittal.
A recent decision to take a step to improve employee benefits, and other small, but important efforts to address the needs of the communities, in terms of repairs and building new amenities, has helped Spittal re-align the actions of the company with the values it was founded upon.
“If you tell someone they matter, but you don’t follow through and do anything to show what that means it’s not likely to resonate as much, so we’re trying to do the right thing as we grow and show everyone what’s important to us,” said Spittal.
The challenge, as any organization accelerates its growth, is to become too focused on the problems without helping develop the tools to handle the problems. In the case of Provision Living, the answer to this challenge means focusing on teaching and training and creating techniques that bridge the gap between problem and solution.
“In some cases you have to retrain your brain to focus on becoming solution-oriented, which might be a simple as asking what you can do to make a situation better, rather than continuing to just look at the problem and have it sap your energy,” Spittal explained.
For 2012, Provision Living expects to continue it’s growth, but is attempting, while it grows, to shift the mindset of the company toward finding solutions that reflect the organization’s mission to "create a radiant organization where people are loved, inspired and thriving."
This probably won’t mean any big, new programs, but rather small, practical steps to translate the values of the organization in ways that help the associates and residents of Provision Living solve challenges and experience a fullness of life. We will follow up with another vision update in 2012 to see how this effort is coming along.
Enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday, everyone!
