Back-to-back Best of Gwinnett award-winning community, Village Park Peachtree Corners, is well known for its excellent service and dignified care. Guided by Executive Director, Octavia Badger, Village Park Peachtree Corners is more than just a great place to live; it’s a wonderful place to work. Through an open-door policy, structure, and accountability, Octavia leads a brilliant environment with a concept she calls, a culture of care.
Culture of Care
Joining Village Park Peachtree Corners in November 2020, Octavia recognized a need to develop a ‘culture of care.’ Her background in the banking industry helped her understand the value of meaningful, interpersonal relationships with her team members and peers. For Octavia, meaningful relationships begin with listening.
“You can’t support your team if you don’t know who you are working with or who is in your community,” Octavia says. “You have to know your audience.”
In Senior Living, it is important to stay connected and available to residents, but Octavia reminds us about the importance of offering the same attentiveness and engagement to team members. In the past two years, she invested her time and attention into her team to ensure they are seen, heard, and taken care of. She’s adopted an open-door policy by making herself available to her team whenever they have issues, grievances, or simply need someone to talk to.
“When they have concerns they can always come to me,” Octavia explains. “At that point, I’m able to ask the right questions to understand what’s happening, and I can take it to the manager to hold them accountable for making sure that they’re putting things in place to support that particular team member.”
Accountability, Resources, and Recognition
Accountability is no small thing for Octavia, as she understands the impact that empty promises can have on communities. She champions the responsibility that community leaders have in offering well-crafted and articulated action plans for resolving issues and accountable players who will make sure the follow-up is up to par. Octavia does everything she can to be a leader that her community can trust, rely on, and embrace
That sentiment is furthered by her emphasis on team member appreciation. Whether it’s one-on-one conversations, team giveaways, or recognition at every month’s team meeting, Octavia shows her team that their effort, sacrifices, and goodwill are noticed and valued.
Octavia’s leadership is successful because she cares. She cares about the residents of Village Park Peachtree Corners. She cares about the team members that take care of their meals, aid in their health, and make them feel at home. Octavia represents the best in leadership, with heart and wisdom that should be celebrated by all, and we couldn’t be more grateful to have her on our team.