ATLANTA—Thrive Senior Living has launched its High Potential Leadership Development program (HPLD), a cohort leadership group designed for current and future Thrive leaders.
Launched by Thrive COO Nicole Moberg and director of leadership development Tate Stewart, the year-long program was developed with the intention to invest in team members and to build Thrive’s talent density from within the organization.
Having previously developed an Intermentor program to attract talented individuals to the senior living industry, Moberg and Stewart found there was a natural progression to building internal talent through HPLD. Through discussions, leadership activities and readings, role-playing, mentoring, and real business cases, the Thrive team is able to build up their highest-potential leaders in an unprecedented way.
“You don’t find this type of program in senior living,” said Moberg. “But we believe this level of individualized leadership training is a vital step in executing our vision of what the senior living industry should embody. By taking the time to invest in our leaders in this way, Thrive is able to distinguish itself as a pioneer leader in our industry.”
The 10 selected applicants were chosen across all Thrive communities and the Thrive Hive (corporate office) on the basis of the “Thrive As & Bs,” Thrive’s team member value system. The As and Bs emphasize qualities such as “eat problems for breakfast,” “gritty,” “lead low,” “focus,” and “relationship guardian.” The selected participants were known to exhibit each of these important Thrive values and had proven themselves to be invaluable team members with a desire to grow their leadership abilities. Through internal assessments, as well as recommendation letters and interviews, the 10 brightest future leaders were then chosen for the 2021-2022 Leadership Bootcamp.
The HPLD program officially kicked off in September, when participants engaged in conversations about self-awareness, personal brand, goal setting, and what it means to be a leader. Upcoming months will feature topics such as communication, time management and customer service, guiding discussions, and readings. Each monthly theme is carefully chosen with the intention of training each participant in general leadership skills as well as in what it means to be a Thrive Senior Living leader.
As an industry-disrupter, Thrive relies on its team members to help shake up senior living norms. Thrive’s core philosophy of seeing residents as human beings rather than individuals in need of care could not continue without individuals committed to this mission. The bootcamp’s curriculum is naturally rooted in Thrive philosophy, teaching these game-changers how to best make decisions that create an autonomous, joyful, and enriching life for their residents.
The 2021-2022 HPLD program participants:
- Jennifer Mohler, community president
- Sarah Biehl, operations specialist
- Liz Talbott, community business director
- Laura Bailey, community president
- Melita Winnick, community president
- Sharon Norsworthy, community relations director
- Kelli Long, community president
- Kim Gebert, Thrive Hive
- Kesha Johnson, Thrive Hive
- Dallas Fletcher, community relations director
About Thrive Senior Living
Thrive Senior Living designs, develops and operates innovative independent living, assisted living, and memory care communities across the country with a fresh perspective on senior living. Thrive strives to enrich lives and be faithful stewards of all that is entrusted to them by respecting and honoring older adults as valuable members of society. Privately held and headquartered in Atlanta, Thrive has been named a “2018 Best Workplaces for Aging Services” by Great Place to Work® and FORTUNE and a “Great Place to Work” by Activated Insights for four consecutive years. The company currently operates communities in Texas, Florida, Alabama, and Georgia, with continued growth in primary and secondary markets in the Eastern region of the United States. For more information, please visit thrivesl.com.
