Dillon Hinker became a first-time administrator in 2016. His leadership changed the culture at Good Samaritan Society – Howard and developed the skills he now uses to lead home health services in Texas, New Mexico and Arizona.
When Dillon started his role at Good Samaritan Society – Howard, he was tasked with leading a senior living community in a small town where another competitor operated just a few blocks away.
Like most rural senior care providers, staff retention was one of the biggest challenges. It’s also an area where Dillon was able to make an impact, by inspiring talented professionals to do their best work.
When you set up a boat and take off and people know what's happening and what needs to happen … it's easy for that ship to turn around." – Dillon Hinker, Good Samaritan Society, administrator
A few of his employees turned down jobs that paid more because they enjoy their work, including Director of Maintenance Rick Kofford.
“He's also got the flexibility to really take ownership of this building, and take pride in that,” Dillon says.
Rick has enjoyed doing renovations such as replacing floors, fixing sheetrock and painting that have given the location a refresh under Dillon's leadership.
"I like the attitude here," Rick says.
That attitude of always looking for opportunities to serve others, is key to his staying.
"I have been offered a couple other positions and I just said ‘no.' It was more money but I like it here. It’s something new every day," Rick says.
Creating a culture of success
Dillon says in his first few months guiding his team, learning from each situation slowly built success over time.
He’s a firm believer that transparency and accountability are key to providing successful leadership.
“Part of my goal of coming here was creating a culture," Dillon says. "Not to sound like a football coach, but a culture of winning, and a culture of success and high expectations. It’s how do we figure this out as a group? Or what’s going to be best for our residents and our staff as a whole?”
Leading home health care
Dillon started working for Good Samaritan Society as a home health aide during college when he was 19. He had aspirations of becoming a nurse, before he realized he excels in leadership.
After almost two years in his administrator role in Howard, Dillon was offered the opportunity to become the executive director of home health in Texas, New Mexico and Arizona and is now based out of Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
He’s grateful for the different roles he has served in, giving him exposure to all aspects of providing care.
All those lessons helped to equip me for my leadership role today, because whether you’re the CEO or the janitor, your position brings value to your organization.” – Dillon Hinker
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