What would Jesus do – or Abraham Lincoln? Ask Alison Quinn of Aveo

Tongue in cheek, we report on conversations with Aveo’s recently appointed Executive General Manager. Every few weeks we discuss how many Aveo villages she has visited since her appointment 20 weeks ago. It’s now up to 63 villages – or three per week across the country.

Why report this? Because as an outsider looking in one can identify the operators that have moved ahead during the bad (and the good) times, and they are the ones where the leadership is out in the villages, understanding the clients and perhaps more importantly understanding the issues and business challenges being addressed daily by village managers and salespeople.

For instance we have filmed head of the Gannon Lifestyle Group, Tom Gannon, in Adelaide, Griffith and Tamworth over the past two weeks – where he has hosted BBQ’s in each village, a monthly ritual. All his villages are selling well.

Those of us old enough will recall the concept of ‘Management By Walking Around’ (MBWA), the mantra of Steve Job’s mentor Hewlett Packard, the top tech innovator of the 1970’s. A quick Wikipedia search came up with an older Japanese practice, Genba, meaning "the real place." Problems are visible, and the best improvement ideas will come from going to the genba or the genba walk, made fashionable by Toyota.

Americans believe that Abraham Lincoln invented the management style by informally inspecting the Union Army troops in the early part of the American Civil War. But the best management catchphrase is ‘What Would Jesus Do’ (WWJD), the motto of Evangelical Christianity, based on the fundamental management and leadership principles of Jesus going to the marketplace to preach and lead by example.
Alison?