WATCH NOW: Héctor Colón gets “In the Ring” and answers YOUR questions!

You asked and we delivered. This time Héctor Colón is “In the Ring” as guest. LSS Director of Communications Sharon Hudy filled in as “guest host” and spoke with the champ about his experience so far, his goals for 2024, and much more. Here are some of your questions for Héctor:

“What does a workday in the life of Hector look like?  I would think people would be interested in knowing!  Also, perhaps future goals?  There are always the politics rumors…” – Patty 

My workday consists of a mix of strategy thought and development, meeting with direct reports and assisting with key decisions, coaching, setting company direction, relationship building and fundraising. 

 Future goals: Pay our staff at Market or better. I would like to become a leader in our industry for paying our colleagues better.  I would like to innovate new programs that address the true needs of the people we serve through new fundraising dollars. And I’d like to ensure the financial viability of our organization so that it is secured for the next century. 

“Where do you see long term care going in the future and where does LSS fit in?” – Kevin

 I see our continued growth in our connections program serving individuals with long term care needs in their home as long as possible.  I envision this as a key program that is part of our growth strategy. 

“What strategies do you believe have been crucial to the success and growth of LSS, and how do you see them evolving in the future? ” – Tara

1. The quality, diversity, and talent of our board. 
2. The talent of our Leadership team
3. The compassion and passion of our colleagues that make a difference in the lives of the people we serve.
4. Our growth strategy
5. Our divestment strategy

We need to continue to build on these strategies to ensure our future success.  We also need to stay on top of industry trends to ensure we capitalize on opportunities and are prepared for potential headwinds.

“How would Hector assess LSS progress of being a Workplace of Choice and what actions/items does he think have been the most impactful over the past few years?”  – Susan

 It’s been a wonderful journey to become a workplace of choice.  When I first started, I felt the organization and leadership team were mired in challenge that did not allow them to think past the deficits that existed.  It’s been wonderful to work with the board, leadership team and colleagues to make this a workplace of choice.  I think there are many key points that have been most impactful:

• Our Servant leadership culture and the focus on our colleagues specifically relating to compensation and benefits. 
• The value of co-creating our vision, direction, and strategy along with our colleagues
• The value of compassion towards one another and the people we serve.
• The value of courage to make difficult yet important decisions that yielded great outcomes for our colleagues and the people we serve.
• The value that change brought to a reimaged organization that is the strongest it’s ever been.  – There is hope and confidence in our organization!

“With the amount of homelessness in Wisconsin growing at an exponential rate, is LSS planning to expand our existing programs to areas in need this year? Our area in Wausau, WI Could benefit from current programs such as the Rapids Rehousing/TBRA, HUD, and help from our Support Brokers. This would greatly benefit our existing clients in the Forensic programs!” –  Rebecca 

It’s sad that we live in the richest country in the history of the world and yet we still have homelessness.  So yes, we want to play a role in addressing this through our programs.  Having said that, I’d like to focus more on upstream programs to prevent homelessness by focusing on the broader social determinants of health at birth. 

“LSS has such a large geographic footprint as well as a wide scope of essential services. How have you been able to keep leaders and colleagues aligned and motivated given this?” –  Keri

I believe it’s because our value of co-creation.  We are doing this together, it’s not a top-down approach.  We are also one of the best social service organizations in the country so doing more means we are having a greater impact on those that could benefit from our services. 

“What does Hector see as critical to focus on to continue to engage and retain our colleagues?” –  Susan

• Continue to co-create our vision, direction, and strategy with input from our colleagues.
• Continue to make significant strides in compensation.  Let’s be the leader in our industry. 
• Continue to have flexibility for our colleagues so that they can do their jobs and attend to other priorities and family.

“Considering the rapid advancements in AI and technology, how do you see AI influencing or transforming key aspects of LSS operations and strategy in the coming years?” –  Tara

This is a must.  We must not be afraid of this technology.  We need to learn as much as possible and as quickly as possible on how AI would help us become more efficient and effective.