I have always worked in some capacity of food service, when I first graduated college in 1995 I was a Director of Food Services for a nursing home

Subject:BusinessPrice: Bought3

Share With

I have always worked in some capacity of food service, when I first graduated college in 1995 I was a Director of Food Services for a nursing home. My responsibilities included talking to the families and residents about food preferences and implementing the doctors' orders for the residents' diet. I remember this day as if it happened yesterday. I had a resident who was on a soft diet due to difficulty chewing. As a result, the resident was losing weight because they didn't like the texture of the food and wanted a regular diet. After many consultations, I involved the head RN and management team to assist with speaking to resident's family to encourage the lady to eat the meals to prevent further deteriorating health conditions. Instead of speaking to the family and resident , they decided to go against the the doctor's orders and just place a feeding tube in the resident. Well to say this was a disaster would be an understatement.

Our leaders showed no compassion for the resident or had any desire to honor their wishes; this was a serious problem for me. This management style did not fit into my core values nor did I understand why would we violate one's personal choice to make it easier or convenient for us. In a compassionate health care system, patients and staff would feel listened to, supported, and cared for (De Zulueta, 2015). After this decision was made, the resident's health declined rapidly and hospitalization was required. I felt as if the family had been lied to and the nutrition department had been the scapegoat, there was no honesty and no genuine concern for the overall health of the resident. I am a natural care giver and to see another person getting hurt or being mistreated showed me what kind of company I was working for and what they stood for. I no longer believed in the company's mission and vision, so I resigned and starting looking for other opportunities. This company did not believe in conscious leadership, they put profit before the people. Conscious leaders speak with integrity, lead with authenticity, and hold themselves accountable (Cohen, 2018). They decided that keeping the beds filled (profits) was more important than human rights. I think leaders need to be honest and trustworthy and express a genuine concern for others regardless of the situation. This example of leadership showed me that if I am blessed to have an opportunity to lead others, I will always be truthful and respectful.