My business partner Tom opened his remarks at our presentation at The Beryl Institute patient experience conference by telling people "You are all amazing." Imagine how that makes people feel.
Bill Strickland opened the Assisted Living Federation Conference of America (ALFA) conference last week and has built his legacy on the same principle as he told attendees "People are born into the world as assets not liabilities. It is about how you treat people." In short, everyone is amazing. However to bring the amazing out, you need a supportive and nurturing environment.
Mr. Strickland is a three-time presidential appointee, recipient of the 1996 MacArthur Genius Award and more than 15 honorary doctorates. He was recently appointed by President Obama to serve on the White House Council for Community Solutions and he is a former member of the National Endowment for the Arts. He is the author of Make the Impossible Possible.
Strickland founded The Bidwell Training Center in Pittsburgh.
With over forty years of experience, Bidwell Training Center attracts national recognition for its innovative and career-oriented training. They are accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology and a member of over 10 national and regional professional organizations.
They offer: an Occupational Associate's Degree in Specialized Technology for Chemical Laboratory Technician and Diploma Majors in Culinary Arts, Horticulture Technology, Medical Claims Processing, Medical Coder and Pharmacy Technician. They have 300 kids and a 90 percent graduation rate.
How Bidwell came to offer some of these programs are interesting stories, too long to expand here. But it still comes down to the fact that people are people and all are capable of great things if you surround them with the right environment.
In that regard, he built a Frank Lloyd Wright inspired building. "Environment drives behavior. A beautiful environment builds beautiful people," he shared.
The building has no metal detectors, no cameras and no incidents despite being located in one of Pittsburgh's highest crime areas.
He believes that you must get people out of the dark and into the light so his buildings are flooded with sunlight and therefore hope. (Note: I could not find photos of the Center on their web. The photos Mr. Strickland showed were amazing. They have more than $200,000 in art displayed for example.)
The arts is very instrumental in the Center. In fact the Center has a music auditorium and recording center and jazz greats have performed there. Strickland is the founder of the Grammy-winning MCG Jazz, the most successful jazz subscription series in America.
His authentic remarks attract attention. The president of eBay Jeff Skoll believes that his idea is scalable and is funding National Centers for Arts and Technology around the country and world. Several are operating already.
Strickland is on a mission to "cure cancer of the spirit."
"We are going to look like the solution not the problem. It is the way you think about people."
"I have a degree in common sense," Strickland said. And I love that because if we all had more common sense about how we care for residents we would make better decisions when it comes to their needs and not be so checklist and regulation driven. Yes you still have regulations but there can be flexibility in their administration if you approach them from a place of compassion and empathy.
Bidwell obviously is a Center for young people. So how do we bring this full circle to elders? Many of our seniors who have led purposeful lives and then retire wilt because their purpose has been lost. In some ways they are in their own poverty situation, financial for sure for many but poverty of spirit that sometimes comes with aging.
Strickland recognized this and expressed an interest in working with ALFA to see how his approach can be integrated with seniors.
"You know right from wrong. You do care. You have hope just like me. Thank you for being the extraordinary people that you are."
Learn more ~ or join the conversation!
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@Charlie Cowins
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