IGNITE Leadership Academy LeadingAge New York 2014-15 2014-15 | Page 7

Joseph Bisaccia

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What have been important turning points for you, in your own learning, as you’ve engaged with the
action learning process (you might consider a surprise, insight, setback, or challenge)?

My barriers and challenges began 18 months ago when I took on the additional role of director of purchasing to go along with my then
current position of director of food and nutrition services. At the time, I agreed to take on additional responsibilities as long as my current
responsibilities did not suffer from my pulling back to focus on my new role. We had worked very hard making a solid food service department
and were in a good position to continue with our innovative service practices.
While I have been very successful in creating many new initiatives in the purchasing department that have helped us realize a positive bottom
line, I must admit that my absence from the food service department has resulted in a negative impact. We do have a great management
team, that willingly picked up much of my previous responsibilities, but I truly believe that my absence has fractured the cohesiveness of the
entire department.

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How do you hope your project might unfold in the months and years ahead and what impact do you
hope it will have on the field at large?

I am determined at this time to try to right this ship by putting a plan in place to foster growth, understanding and responsibility among all
staff members. I am also continually searching for better ways to organize my time, develop systems and prioritize my work flow so that I can
place more focus on our staff. I need to center my attention on our most prized resources, our workforce.
While these barriers were pre-existing, I needed to experience an outside influence to make me fully understand their impact. I am confident
that these barriers, as well as new challenges that will arise, will only serve to make for a better all around working environment.

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How has the action learning process in the context of the Leadership Academy experience contributed
to your growth as a leader?

I have always considered myself to be a good leader. I rely heavily on being honest, approachable and responsive to the needs of both our
residents and staff. I believe I have given staff the opportunity to be involved in decision making and I feel comfortable in allowing staff to
show by example. I work well with our administrative team and I believe their mutual respect for my work ethic has been the reason why I am
continually asked to assume more responsibility.
What the LeadingAge New York fellowship and this particular project has proven to me is that there is always room for improvement and
I can truly benefit by putting new learned practices into motion. From starting out with a self-assessment to examine my strengths and
weaknesses, through exploring my emotional intelligence and evaluating thinking hats to formulate a plan, my growth as a leader is at a stage
where I seek more knowledge and continually look forward to putting new principles into practice.
The priorities of family, work and play are juggled daily, and finding the time for all requires a very fine balancing act. As stated in our last
reading, The Power of Full Engagement, energy is such is vital component of our lives and I have experienced first-hand the benefits of
recharging at appropriate intervals. I am looking for my project to be a significant barometer to gauge my transformation from a good leader
to a truly effective leader.

IGNITE Leadership Academy Action Learning Project 2014-15

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