Brookdale CEO: Five Tips for Getting Ahead In Your Career

Accounting may be boring to many people, but it's the language of business! That's how Brookdale CEO Lucinda 'Cindy' Baier started the conversation at a Leadership Health Care Executive Briefing as she shared stories and her experiences with an at-capacity crowd, on April 17. Baier started her career in finance, and worked in a variety of industries before joining Brookdale Senior Living as CFO in 2015, and then becoming CEO in February, 2018. Baier and moderator Jessica Wells of HCA spoke about Brookdale, of course, but also about what we can expect over the next few years as the healthcare industry changes.

Since Leadership Health Care is an initiative of the Nashville Health Care Council for nurturing the talents of future leaders, Baier also spoke about what it takes to get ahead in your career and to really make a difference for your company. Her advice includes these five tips:

1. Build a broad network
2. Take the hardest job you can
3. Put in the necessary hours
4. Figure out the most important things and do them exceedingly well, then fit in the rest of the things that need attention
5. Help others

Baier also fielded questions about residential life at Brookdale communities, healthcare provider burnout ('preventing it is a top priority') and the importance of gender diversity in leadership for making better decisions that affect a company's employees and customers.