Tips for Young LTC Administrators with Joe Mason, Administrator at Prairie Manor

Challenges as a Young Leader in LTC

In this episode of the LTC Heroes podcast, Joe Mason,
Administrator of Prairie Manor, sits down with us to share his
experience of being a young leader in the LTC Industry.


At only 28 years of age, Joe already has many years under his
belt as a successful LTC administrator. He shares that building
confidence as a young leader is a process, and that there’s
always a little bit of imposter syndrome you have to work
through. These insecurities, however, can help you stay on your
toes and strive to improve everyday.
LTC Culture

Joe discusses the cultural changes that he’s seen over his years
as an administrator, including the push to make LTC facilities
feel more like home for the residents. Part of accomplishing
this, according to Joe, is to give residents as much autonomy as
possible so that they feel like they are playing a bigger part in
their plan of care.


He says that some unique traits he brings to the table as a young
administrator is having a deep understanding of technology and
systems, which allows him to support other staff with new
technologies. He also notes that his ability to be decisive has
played a big role in his success.


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Rapid Fire Q/A

What valuable or actionable advice will we chat about that might
be helpful for someone else in our industry?


I think regulation is always a hot topic about long-term care. We
get regulation from so many different areas, whether that is CMS,
CDC, Department of Health, Department of Human Services, and
regulation is always a topic.


What is one lesser-known book, newsletter, or industry resource
that you would send me to understand long-term care?


Leading Age, for our area especially, is a huge resource for me.
On a not so long-term care-related topic, Ted Talks. I love TED
Talks. I always listen to TED Talks and they help me become a
better leader.


Name one mentor that has influenced the way that you deliver care
in our industry?


Chad Stroschein, the President of Caring Professionals. He's the
one who gave me my first job at 21 years old. He had that faith
and confidence in me. And if you are in long-term care in South
Dakota, you probably know the name Chad Stroschein or Caring
Professionals. He’s a wonderful guy so big shout out to him.


He also helped me with confidence. He was a man of faith, and I
am as well. He just taught me to embrace that faith in my
professional life, as well as my personal life.


What advice would you give to your younger self?


Putting out those fires, having those tough talks, and being more
present is the most important thing for me personally, especially
given my personality. And I would tell myself to have that
confidence and not to be afraid to pick up that phone. Don't be
afraid to ask questions. People are generally nice, and they
don't want to upset you or to hold you back. So if you just talk
to them and ask questions, they'll help you.
Resources:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/chadstroschein/

https://prairiemanorcare.com/

https://leadingage.org/