Julie Bissonnette
Executive director, Newcastle Place
12600 N. Port Washington Road, Mequon
Industry: Senior living
Employees: 210
www.newcastleplacelcs.com
It can be easy to get caught up in day-to-day tasks and responsibilities, but Newcastle Place executive director Julie Bissonnette said it is important for managers and executives to help their employees see how their roles matter.
“Work is called work because it can be hard. It takes effort and dedication. Work means task lists, budgets and deadlines. Sometimes, we focus so much on the ‘to-dos’ that we fail to connect the work we do to the impact we want to have.
“At Newcastle Place, a full-service senior living community in Mequon, we are in the ‘people business.’ We do our best work when we can directly connect a task, role or project to its impact on the people we serve – our residents. We strive to make that connection by linking it with some of our core hospitality promises. This allows our employees to embody and fulfill the vision of our organization while seeing a direct impact on our residents.
“It doesn’t matter whether you work in the service industry or not; if you don’t have visibility to the way your specific role is driving the larger business plan, goal or mission, you can clock out after a full day and wonder what you’ve really accomplished. Managers and executives must make this connection for team members. It is our responsibility, as leaders, to ensure that our employees see how their puzzle pieces fit into the bigger picture of our organization’s goals.
“When employees can see the impact their work has on driving the organization forward, it is a rewarding experience that drives passion, a level of ownership and pride.”
