Western States Lodging Management and Development (WSLM), a leader in senior living, hospitality, and multifamily housing, manages nearly 90 properties, including senior living communities, hotels, and apartment complexes.
As their organization grew, so did their need for a structured leadership development strategy that would empower managers at every level to excel in strategy, accountability, and coaching.
In 2023, the company embarked on a journey to equip its leaders with the skills to strategize, hold teams accountable, and foster a culture of coaching. This case study explores how InsideOut Development partnered with Western States to create lasting leadership transformation through the GROW® Model.
Problem: A Lack of Leadership Culture
Western States had one goal: to gain occupancy. However, leadership challenges stood in their way. While they could develop effective strategies, they struggled with execution and accountability. They recognized that to bring their strategies to life, they needed to empower their leaders to coach and mentor others.
The company’s leadership development efforts had historically been one-off training events with no follow-up or reinforcement, leading to minimal impact.
Western States wanted to move away from this "one-and-done" approach and build a leadership culture centered around continuous learning, accountability, and coaching.
“We started with strategic thinking but soon realized that without accountability, the strategy didn’t mean much. We needed better coaching and mentoring to hold our leaders accountable and help them implement the strategies they developed. That’s when we were introduced to InsideOut.”
– Paul Fairholm, CEO of Western States
Solution: Implementing the The GROW® Model
To address these challenges, Western States partnered with InsideOut Development to integrate the GROW Model into their leadership development program.
The initiative kicked off with a comprehensive leadership conference, where InsideOut trained 30 top leaders as master coaches. These master coaches played a crucial role in disseminating the GROW Model across the company.
“We trained 30 of our top leaders to become master coaches with InsideOut’s guidance. At our leadership conference, your team introduced the GROW model, and our master coaches facilitated small group discussions to reinforce the concepts.”
– Paul Fairholm, CEO of Western States
In addition to the master coaches, six leaders became certified GROW coaches, tasked with training smaller groups throughout the organization. Western States set a goal to train 80% of their managers with the GROW Model within a year.
To ensure that the coaching didn’t stop after the initial training, Western States implemented a rigorous follow-up process. Leaders, including the CEO Paul Fairholm himself, visited each property annually to assess how managers were applying the GROW Model in real-time.
“We didn’t want this to be another ‘one-and-done’ initiative. This year, we visited all 90 of our properties and asked managers how they were using GROW with their teams.”
– Paul Fairholm, CEO of Western States
Results: Increased Accountability, Ownership, and Occupancy
The results of Western States' partnership with InsideOut Development have been transformative. After implementing The GROW Model, 97% of leaders reported increased effectiveness in coaching their employees, while 91% rated the overall GROW Coaching approach as highly effective.
The company has seen a shift in how leaders approach strategic planning and accountability. Managers are having better conversations with their teams, leading to improved ownership of responsibilities and more effective execution of strategies.
“GROW has helped us improve accountability, foster better conversations, and enhance strategic planning. It’s also reignited our Faith, Fire, and Focus across the organization.”
– Paul Fairholm, CEO of Western States
Operationally, Western States saw significant improvements in occupancy rates. Initially trending behind with only four new occupants from January to May, the implementation of The GROW Model led to a surge, resulting in mid-40s new occupants in June, 67 in July, and mid-30s in August.
Additionally, response times to inquiries improved drastically, decreasing from 3 to 4 days to just 2 to 3 minutes.
With these changes, Western States is on track to hit their occupancy goal, possibly ahead of schedule by 1 to 2 months. Frequent property visits and ongoing leadership coaching continue to reinforce these gains.
All in all, coaching with The GROW Model has empowered leaders to take ownership of their roles and responsibilities, creating a culture where managers believe in themselves and the company’s mission.
A Lasting Leadership Transformation Through GROW Coaching
Western States’ partnership with InsideOut Development has transformed the company’s leadership approach. By embedding The GROW Model into their culture, Western States has empowered leaders at all levels to drive accountability, strategic thinking, and meaningful change within their teams.
“We realized we needed to talk about leadership regularly. It couldn’t be a one-time conversation at an annual conference. That’s why we partnered with InsideOut to help us develop a sustainable coaching model that reinforced leadership behaviors throughout the year.”
– Paul Fairholm, CEO of Western States
Their journey is a testament to the power of consistent coaching, reinforcement, and follow-up to create lasting leadership transformation.
Want to learn more about how GROW Coaching can transform your organization? Download our GROW Coaching Program Guide.