"Transforming with Brilliance"

As an 18+ year veteran in the senior living and advertising industries, Jessica is a people person and has had the opportunity to partner with many brilliant and innovative minds and has led many dynamic teams. Yet, this opportunity was different from those in her past.

Jessica’s role with LifeStar Living is the EVP, Sales and Marketing, and the LifeStar Creative, Division President. “For the first time, I’m not simply a consultant sharing best practices and recommendations on what to implement,” she says. “Instead, I am blessed daily with the opportunity to engage with the residents and members we serve at our active living and healthcare communities and to know the work that I’m doing is enhancing their lives.”

The steadfast leader’s passion for this industry is fueled by resident and member stories of family and life achievements, their smiles, and over all gratitude for service to them. This interaction and energy drive Jessica’s passion for innovation and creativity as the Division President of LifeStar Creative. “We are each making a positive difference every single day. We are committed, hardworking, innovative, genuine and trustworthy. We remain confident, yet humble and we have an unquenchable thirst to succeed and evolve.”

“I feel it is important to lead by example. I approach each day with an energy and excitement that is contagious to others.

 

Jessica currently leads a predominantly female team, and there are a few key principles she reminds them of often; she states:

• We do not have a finger-pointing culture, instead we assume the best of intentions and seek understanding to help lift each other up.

• We have a “fail forward” approach – there will be times we fall, and when we do, we will do so as a team. We identify our missteps and opportunities for learning so we aren’t afraid to try new things and continue to grow and evolve.

• If we are comfortable, we aren’t doing it right – she is constantly pushing her team to think differently, challenge the norm, and reflect on their buying and purchasing decisions and what impacts them daily. If we sit in a comfortable place, we aren’t growing. It is important for us all to be stretched and it is essential in my role as their leader to identify opportunities for growth and to support them on their journey.

I possess a can-do attitude, and this optimism helps the team get through even the hard moments with a solution-oriented mindset,” says Jessica about how she is inspiring people toward becoming great leaders.

“I meet with my team regularly to discuss goals for their career and to further explore their passions.” These can be areas they have expertise in or new areas they’d like to explore. We work together to identify opportunities to pursue and further learning that aligns with their passions. As a female, it’s important to express your dreams and goals because if you aren’t an advocate for your future and success, who will be.

Jessica feels every leader needs to be empathetic. “I was once denied a CEO/President role of an organization because I was told I “feel too much.” That as a CEO it was best to limit the personal relationships with your team because they often interfered with business decisions,” she explains. “I disagreed with the statement, feeling as though people were not widgets and in order to have a strong, engaged team, with a purpose and drive to remain engaged, there has to be personal connections. The team has to feel valued, connected, challenged and also enjoy the individuals they work with daily.”

These relationships certainly can’t get in the way of decisions, but with strong relationships in place and transparency with the team, each business decision has a greater understanding. WL