As president & CEO, Dan Lindh has been a driving force behind the extraordinary growth of Presbyterian Homes & Services (PHS), transforming it from a local organization to the third-largest nonprofit provider of senior housing and services in the United States. As he embarks on a new chapter, Dan is excited to launch a blog series, ‘Making PHS Stronger,’ dedicated to sharing insights and strategies for continued success in growing the next generation of leaders.
We can never reach our full potential as an organization or ministry without capable leaders, and the need for strong leadership has never been more important. How we think about attracting, identifying, growing and developing leadership is critical to our future at PHS.
Empowering leaders of today and tomorrow
A mini-case statement
- Problem: Despite a strong history of internal leadership development, the Covid-19 pandemic and its aftermath disrupted our ability to invest in future leaders within PHS.
- Mission: To honor God by enriching the lives and touching the hearts of older adults.
- Solution: As a faith-based organization, PHS is committed to growing and developing our own talent. To rebuild our leadership pipeline, to provide the best opportunities possible to our leaders and to ensure a sustainable future, we will be implementing a strategic approach to developing our next generation of leaders. This initiative aligns with our mission and values, fostering a thriving leadership ecosystem that supports the growth and success of our organization.
- Impact: As PHS continues to grow and meet increasing societal needs, strong leadership is essential to fulfilling our mission and positively impacting the lives of residents, customers, families, employees and volunteers. Our faith-based approach provides a unique opportunity to make a lasting difference in the lives of older adults.
- Call to Action: Let’s work together to empower the next generation of leaders. By focusing on talent acquisition, development and retention, we can ensure a sustainable future and continue to deliver exceptional care that truly makes a difference.
PHS: Talent management is a top priority at PHS. Can you elaborate on the specific challenges or opportunities that have made it such a critical focus for the organization at this time?
Dan Lindh: Leadership is the cornerstone for any organization, and it’s never been truer for where we are at. We can never reach our full potential as a ministry without capable leaders, and the need for strong leadership has never been more important. How we think about attracting, identifying, growing and developing leadership is critical to our future at PHS.
Why that’s more important now than ever is because our leadership development pipeline got disrupted during the pandemic. For many years, roughly 90 percent of all leadership placement was from internal growth and development of leaders throughout the organization. By the end of the pandemic, that number was down to under 50 percent.
It’s one of the most urgent and important priorities for our organization to rebuild that pipeline.
So, we have a need to rebuild and to continue that commitment, refocusing on it and creating more energy in every part of the organization. For the next few years, everyone will have to be extra vigilant in finding talent and helping people develop.
And coming out of the pandemic, I think employees want a chance to succeed as much as ever. So, all the pieces are coming together.
How has the rapid pace of change in our field and the world at large sharpened our focus on developing leaders from within?
The need to provide services and support for older adults is projected to nearly double by 2040. We are helping meet this emerging demand. We’ve opened new communities, and we have a lot more coming. We are hoping to do more in all the markets that we operate and will be emphasizing eastern Wisconsin and now the new one emerging in Nashville.
Overall growth in workforce is projected to be limited. So, there might be a half percent to one percent increase in the number of workers over the next five years. And the increase in demand is probably going to be at least seven or eight percent growth.
So, the math just doesn’t work. Here leadership makes a huge difference.
In addition, we have a lot of diversity in our organization, especially in direct care roles. And we’ve had some success in growing leaders from first-generation Americans and a variety of ethnicities. Part of our talent development for the future is going to emphasize more robust, comprehensive talent talks at the frontlines. Because we know we have talent there. We know we have people with high capacity that just need a chance. And in some cases, they need some encouragement and support.
And so how do we do that? That’s what we’re going to be working toward in the next months and probably years.
What specific qualities or behaviors do you believe are essential for a successful leader at PHS, and how do these align with our organization’s mission and values?
I go back to our mission of honoring God by enriching the lives and touching the hearts of older adults. So, we are in the ministry of high-touch service within long-term relationships. We engage for about 7.5 years on average with the people that we serve; we get to know them, we get to know their families, we get to know their needs and their preferences. Our job is to help residents, families and customers flourish and live with purpose.
For that reason, we’re looking for employees who have high capacity and are highly collaborative. We’re also looking for leaders who embody and extend Christian values.
Where I want to spend my time is on that second quadrant. It means leaning into your faith as appropriate. It’s a biblical concept – you can only exude or extend what’s on the inside, no matter what. So, we aim for employees at all levels embodying Christian values: caring for people, showing compassion and serving a higher purpose.
A lot of organizations seek high capacity and high collaboration. But we want both quadrants, and we want them to travel together. We have worked hard to build a culture and environment in which employees can lean into their faith and extend it — in response to customers’ requests — wherever they are. There is no rule book like at most organizations where there might be an HR issue about sharing anything you believe.
A new employee who joins PHS can take advantage of a ministry platform. If a resident or customer has a physical need, enrich their life by stepping in and figuring out what that next step is. If it’s a need in the spiritual dimension, don’t shy from that. Feel free to step into the conversation.
The organizational emphasis is on creating an environment where that can be consistently done from day one. We want you to be able to — as appropriate — lean into faith conversations. And why is that? Well, there’s a biblical calling to honor God, and that’s part of Scripture as we know it.
Looking ahead, what excites you most about the future of PHS?
The future is very bright. We have strong and capable leadership. We’ve been strong on leadership development before, and when we’re there, we’re much more effective in our mission. We need to get there again, and it’s going to take a few years, but we’re starting now.
The board and leadership team know this is absolutely essential to the future. With everyone’s support, a strategy can be put into motion that will propel us forward.
Discover how the exceptional leadership at PHS is making a tangible difference in the lives of older adults. In our next installment of ‘Making PHS Stronger,’ Dan shares inspiring stories of high-quality leaders from all levels of our organization. Get ready to be moved and motivated!
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Further reading:
Reimagining senior living in Minnesota and beyond: A conversation with Dan Lindh
