CEO MONTHLY / ISSUE 6 2023 23 since that first tentative step forward, Dan has continued through the epochs of many leadership opportunities. Even as a ‘leader’, Dan has always answered to someone else, a higher human power as it were, whether this be the board, a president, a donor, benefactor, or constituencies. It is very rare that he has ever had time to indulge in other interests, as the rigours and constant vigilance that come from being a conduit for someone else’s mission has never allowed for such an indulgence. In the 40 years or so that Dan has spent tackling challenges and fulfilling a wide variety of leadership roles across the United States and the world, he’s learnt a few things. He’s been able to clarify his primary role as being that of a balancing pole between defining reality and providing hope; sharing credit and taking responsibility; providing a living wage and being able to keep the doors open; simultaneously serving the stockholders and the constituencies; being a boss while remaining a human being. The key for Dan has always been to stay centred and true to himself, but he has borne witness to many colleagues become unglued and lose their footing over shifting principles and wavering loyalties. For him, the gauges of progress and success have always come from the attitudes of his constituencies, something that has always been easy for him to read. His guiderails have always communicated their satisfaction or dismay loudly and clearly. The only thing that’s not been so easy to pin down is how their satisfaction was won. In the end, age and experience has revealed the answer comes down to his employees and designees. He’s realised if they’re happy and satisfied in their job roles and environment, that positive energy will be transmitted vicariously to the constituencies. This creates a win-win sort of contagion, spreading joy on contact. This means that for Dan, his primary and overarching purpose as CEO is the long-term, measurable, and sustainable well-being and outcomes of his patient populations. The secondary priority is the overall wellbeing of his staff, something that is obviously well-served by successful achievement of the primary priority. In fact, this is very much a chicken/egg situation, so closely linked are the outcomes dependency on each other. Dan sees it as a paradox on most modern perceptions of leadership. The other factor to consider for any company is of course the need for survival in good fiscal and governance health. Without satisfying the stockholders, the auditors, and the ogres of compliance, all other endeavours are rendered meaningless. This is another set of skills requiring constant monitoring and balancing, ensuring the pressures and anxieties of the business side of operations don’t invade or infect the provision of the services. One side usually doesn’t understand the other, so they both stand at bay to one another, leaving Dan as the middle-man connector and balancing pole once more. This strategy has become Dan’s go-to policy, with the majority of his attention being focused on the superior functionality of a well satisfied staff. This is the key to producing unequivocal business outcomes throughout all constituencies, almost without exception. He has also found it works equally as well in both for-profit and non-profit settings. In his moment of reflection on past leadership positions, Dan has been filled with gratitude for all the many thousands of lives he’s had the opportunity to improve. His positions have included President and Board Chair of an International Business Consulting Firm, Operations and Finance Director for a national refugee resettlement nonprofit, and Executive Director and Spiritual Leader of a 100+ year old international spirituality organisation. And now, of course, there’s his current position as CEO of one of the most innovative addiction treatment centres in the United States and maybe the world. Throughout it all, the most consistent key to untangling the collective messes he’s been faced with has been to put his ego aside and work in deft, intuitive servitude to those around him. He has a need to help those that depend on him to navigate the dense fog of uncertainty and doubt, and deliver them to a better destiny without any personal gain or selfaggrandisement. For Dan Hostetler, the gains and rewards he’s received have exceeded his expectations, and reassured him that whatever gifts he possesses they have been put to good and proper use. Company: Above and Beyond Family Recovery Center Contact Name: Dan Hostetler Web: http://anb.today/
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