Heading into 2023, aging services leaders and organizations face several headwinds, including questionable economic conditions, staffing shortages, and ongoing state and federal underfunding of essential services for older adults—not to mention the lingering effects of the pandemic.

Here are three suggestions aging services leaders can consider as they prepare their organization for success amid potentially challenging circumstances in the year ahead.

1. Reaffirm your vision and mission.

At the heart of any organization is its mission—a definition of what it stands for, its purpose, and the reason for its existence. A mission declares the difference an organization seeks to make in the world.

Workforces today want to be a part of an organization that makes a difference. And a mission is a valuable asset leaders can use to rally teams. If you haven’t done so recently, review or update your mission into a compelling story that better connects with teams—no matter their function, level, or location.

By reaffirming their organization’s vision and mission, leaders of non-profit, faith-based, and mission-driven organizations can better tap into employee engagement to drive organizational performance and success.

2. Consider Current Priorities When Cutting Costs

As CEOs watch financial indicators, many may face the uncomfortable decision to trim budgets to deal with rising costs. As they do this, it’s important to consider current priorities.

Since the pandemic rewrote many aspects of operations, past cost-cutting strategies may no longer work. Today’s priorities aren’t the same as they were two or three years ago. For example, given the continued fragile state of supply chains, the focus now may be to keep a steady pipeline rather than rock the boat by trimming back.

Agile responses have been critical for organizational success during the pandemic—and will continue to be in 2023 as current priorities are reconciled with cost-savings needs.

3. Protect Your Team’s Well-Being

As our President & CEO Katie Smith Sloan wrote recently, “Recruiting, retaining, and developing a quality aging services workforce has always been hard work. That work got much harder during the COVID-19 pandemic, when we asked our dedicated teams of frontline professional caregivers to work long hours and to put their own lives at risk, all while they struggled to meet the needs of their own families.”

Taking care of your team’s well-being should continue to be a priority goal in 2023. The tight labor market, coupled with high inflation and economic volatility, means placing focus on your employees’ mindset is a must if long-term growth is your goal.

Take a moment to reflect and have meaningful conversations with frontline employees and management teams to understand better what’s top-of-mind today. Identify areas to continue to support and gaps that can be filled by new programs, services, and resources to advance team members’ need for growth. This time of year is the perfect opportunity to evaluate what worked well and what needs to be adjusted in 2023.

We’ve created tools for members’ use that provide information about workforce-related challenges, and collaborating with employers and policymakers to identify, demonstrate, and assess workforce development and improvement practices.

As 2022 comes to an end, reaffirming your mission, focusing on current priorities, and protecting your team’s well-being will keep your organization flourishing in 2023 and beyond.

Plan to join us at the 2023 LeadingAge Leadership Summit where you will meet, exchange ideas, and network with other dynamic leaders and gain additional insights and knowledge about what your peers are doing to prepare for success ahead.

Save the Dates!

LeadingAge Leadership Summit | April 17-19, 2023 | Omni Shoreham Hotel, Washington, DC
Leaders from across the country will unite again in Washington, DC, for the LeadingAge Leadership Summit. More than 1,000 CEOs, CFOs, COOs, emerging leaders, and dedicated advocates will spend three days advancing the field, networking, creating partnerships, rejuvenating themselves, and elevating their organizations. Learn more.

LeadingAge Annual Meeting + EXPO | November 5-8, 2023 | McCormick Place, Chicago, IL
The longest-running aging services conference is returning to the Windy City from November 5-8, 2023. After inspiring more than 5,000 attendees at the 2022 meeting, the momentum is bound to create a memorable event next year. Plus, you won’t want to miss the new EXPO experience, E2, or the sessions that can transform your organization and the lives of those you serve. Learn more.