For the next six months, twenty high performing management employees of MorseLife Health System will go through the rigors of understanding what it takes to be strategic, creative, passionate and entrepreneurial leaders.   These employees are the newest enrollees in MorseLife Leadership Academy (MLA), an intensive, fast track leadership development program developed and launched by MorseLife Health System in 2014.

Keith Myers, president/CEO for MorseLife Health System, noted the organization is committed to being not merely the “provider of choice” in south Florida for seniors requiring health care, housing and supportive services, but also the “employer of choice” to motivated individuals seeking to work in the senior care field.   “We see a clear benefit in investing in our 2,500+ workforce in various ways – through competitive wages and benefits, generous tuition reimbursement, and our own learning institute which offers on-site and online classes and sessions to help them maintain their certifications and licenses,” he said.  “MorseLife Leadership Academy is a major element of that investment in our workforce, in helping prepare our members of our management staff for critical leadership positions in our organization.”

That commitment shown in this area to our employees, he said, very clearly pays dividends.  “Through a well-trained, high performing and motivated workforce, the seniors we serve in our many programs receive a level of care and service that is uncompromising and exceptional,” he said.

Kristofer Cooper, Vice President of Human Resources, noted that MLA was established two years ago by his department and by MorseLife Learning Institute (MLI) with the oversight of the latter’s director Jimmy Glenos.   “Our enrollees are nominated for this program by their supervisors and on the basis of their potential as high achieving, high performing leaders,” he said.  “These are the staff members whom we consider are the future of MorseLife Health System and the MLA program is designed to ensure that they are the mentors and leaders we need as we continue to progress as this region’s major employer.

Cooper noted that MLA is rigorous, fast-track and demanding, with classroom instruction, group initiatives and a capstone project that focuses on determining solutions to complex business challenges.  “At the end of the six months, we believe that our enrollees have the skills and aptitude to think strategically and creatively about how to lead MorseLife Health System in a complex business environment,”   he said.

Cooper added that since the launch of MLA in 2014, over 90% of its graduates have already progressed into more responsible, leadership roles throughout the MorseLife continuum of care.  “MLA is an innovative and unique program in our field,” he said.  “We believe that MorseLife Health System is one employer that goes to great lengths in areas of professional development and career growth, and with that, we believe we rank among the best places to work in our region,” he noted.

MorseLife Health System has been the recipient of numerous awards and honors in recognition for its excellence as a workplace, including “Best Place to Work,” “Business of the Year,” and “Ultimate CEO Award” from the South Florida Business Journal; and “Best Talent Management Strategy” and “HR Innovator of the Year” in the “Excellence in HR Awards of the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce.

For more information on MorseLife Leadership Academy (MLA), or career opportunities at MorseLife, go to www.morselifecareers.org.