Senior management holds the power to making or breaking an aged care facility, as it is they, not the ground force employees who are responsible for allowing a toxic culture to foster and it is they who can, alternatively, resurrect a workplace from the dead.

With a track record of transforming aged care workplaces and previous work experience in a facility, training expert, Richard Dore will advise the sector on how to create a positive culture at the Aged Care Association Australia conference in Adelaide in November this year.

Director of The Proteus Leadership Centres, Mr Dore, stressed the importance of having specific leadership skills that are distinctly separate to clinical skills.

“If you are performing a management role, it is a privilege, not a right,” Mr Dore said.

He said that problems will, more often than not, eventuate if a clinician with well-developed clinical skills, moves into a leadership role without first developing their leadership and people skills.

Tradition dictates that “once a great clinician moves to a management role, they expect to automatically crossover and have all of the skills descend upon them”.

“But it’s about thinking, ‘What do we what from our leaders?’ instead of thinking about what their clinical skills are.”

“Leadership is not about the old school of command and control but it’s about asking, ‘How do I engage my people and help them to reach their potential?'

“…Don’t confuse leadership with authority or title.”

While most would comment that transforming workplace culture is actually easier said than done, Mr Dore believes that anything is possible.

“The outrageous thing about my presentation is that it is ridiculously simple. If you want a great culture it starts with you. The hard part is being conscious of that and challenging long-held habits.

“Start off with what success looks like. If you are not clear with that then how can you sell that to your team? Challenge people on their poor behaviours and call them on it. What frightens people is managing the tough stuff.

“In a perfect world, change needs to come from the top, like from the senior leadership team, if the change is to be successful or sustainable.

“If you want a great culture, be solution-focused. But, if you don’t want to be part of a solution you forfeit your right to complain.”

The key is to reward good behaviours, eliminate negative practices, create incentives for employees to work better and harder and champion the change so that other managers are motivated to make radical improvements also.

But, “you can’t just have fluffy stuff. You must also have team rules”.

At the end of the day, according to Mr Dore, all employees share three main options when facing a toxic or unproductive work situation: “Stay and try and make your job great- at least in your area; stay and do nothing but this could make you bitter; or get the hell out of there.”

“Leaving doesn’t mean you leave straight away but you should tell yourself while you are there, ‘Make it work’, and if it doesn’t ask ‘What is my exit strategy?’”

“What ever [your strategy] is, it is not about having a reaction, cracking it and walking out. It’s about asking yourself, ‘Where can I align my passion with my work?’ It could be with another organisation or even another team.”

The most important piece of advice that Mr Dore can give however is to simply step back from the situation, think creatively and evaluate.

“If you don’t stop and do a stocktake at a conference or workshop and ask yourself how you are tracking then you will just keep repeating the same results.

“…So stop being busy and start doing things differently.”

ACAA 29th Annual Congress will be held at the Adelaide Convention Centre from Sunday 14 to Tuesday 16 November. More than 600 delegates are expected to attend. For more information click here

Above: Director of The Proteus Leadership Centres, Richard Dore.