Have you ever gotten this text from your kid’s soccer coach?

“Don’t forget—it’s your turn to bring snacks for soccer practice tonight.”

Two thoughts immediately hit you:

1. “Why do I never remember this until the day of?”

2. “I don’t actually mind… when I’m reminded.”

That, my friends, is what recruiting feels like for a lot…

The call came in at 7:03 a.m.

“Hey, just a heads up—I won’t be in today. I think I have strep. Or maybe COVID again. Either way, I can’t cover Jen’s shift.”

That would’ve been fine. Except the other two staff scheduled that morning had also called out.

And now…

You hired someone who seemed promising. They were friendly. Polite. Said all the right things. But now, weeks or months in, you’re wondering:

Are they going to get it together... or do I need to let them go?

You’re not alone. Whether you’re leading residential, vocational, or community-based services, almost every human services leader hits this moment…

Some employees don’t cause problems.
They just solve them.

They show up early. They remember things nobody else does. They’re the ones you count on when things get messy.

But here’s the problem:
If you’re not reinforcing their effort, you might be accidentally punishing them for being excellent.

And that’s how you lose your best people…

Some days, being a leader feels like you’re starring in your own low-budget episode of “Survivor: Workplace Island.” You’re navigating staff shortages, last-minute callouts, paperwork avalanches—and then, boom:
Someone on your team starts spiraling into problem territory.

They’ve got potential. Maybe even heart.
But lately…

Let’s be honest: when someone says “work-life balance,” most human services leaders either:

• Laugh,

• Cry,

• Or mutter, “Must be nice…” while refreshing their inbox.

The idea of true balance — especially for frontline supervisors, program directors, or anyone above them — can feel about as real as…

In the world of intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) services, it's easy to believe that high turnover, low engagement, and chronic staffing gaps are just part of the job. But what if they’re not?

That’s the question Nick Filarelli and the leadership team of Core Services quietly answered through action.

Ever feel like your supervisors are stuck in “wait and see” mode?

They wait for problems to escalate.
They wait for you to make the first move.
They wait… and wait… while opportunities sail on by like that one sock that’s just out of reach behind the dryer.

If you're the leader of a team of supervisors, and you’re wondering why no one is stepping up, here's the hard truth…

Let’s be honest: we ask a lot of supervisors in human services.

We ask them to be the scheduler, the coach, the first responder, the staff therapist, the paperwork chaser, the role model, and the occasional backup DSP when someone no-shows. All before lunch.

And yet…

Let’s be honest.

You can feel it coming.

The shift in tone. The subtle detachment. The increased "sick days." The slightly-too-fast response when someone mentions a job lead.

You know something’s off. But instead of acting, perhaps you’ve done what many leaders do…

It’s so easy to miss the best, cheapest, and most effective solutions. Then we scratch our heads wondering why our retention initiative didn’t move the needle.

Many agencies focus their efforts on big solutions—higher salaries, better benefits, larger signing bonuses. While important, these investments alone rarely solve the deeper issue…

If you’re in the business of supporting people—especially in the field of intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD)—your success hinges on your direct support workforce. And yet, for many organizations, the people closest to the work are the least likely to be heard when decisions are made.

That’s a problem…

Can we get real for a minute?
Leadership books love to talk about vision and culture — which is great. But they tend to skip over the part where you’re staring down two terrible choices, both of which feel like they’ll explode your team…

If you wanted to start losing weight in 60 days, I guarantee you a dietitian could help you start getting results in that timeframe. If you wanted to gain muscle mass in 60 days, totally doable–just get coaching from a trainer and get started.

Reducing staff turnover in 60 days? It works the same. While you’re not going to solve everything in 60 days, you can start seeing results—much faster than you might expect…

You know those customer service calls where you get stuck in an endless loop of “Press 1 for frustration, press 2 for more frustration…” and all you want is a real human to help you?

That’s how a lot of DSPs feel at work…

Let’s be real: training new DSPs is exhausting. You spend all this time onboarding, only to have them ghost you before the 90-day mark. And at some point, you start to wonder… Is it even worth it to go above and beyond when they might leave anyway?

Vocational Training Center (VTC) in Fargo, ND, proves the answer is YES.

They don’t just “orient” new hires…

If you’re managing a struggling team, I bet you know what they don’t want.

More data tracking.

Your staff already track a million things—medications, timecards, progress notes, health data, incident reports, and probably how many times the copier jams in one day. (Spoiler: It’s always too many.)

So the idea of adding more tracking? …

If you want to know how healthy your organization is, don’t just look at compliance reports or satisfaction surveys—listen to what is being said to your DSPs (or, sometimes, not said). Because while mission statements are nice and strategic plans look great on paper, actual workplace culture…

What if I told you it’s possible to cut your staff turnover rate by 40% or more in one year?

That’s exactly what happened with an IDD organization I worked with. In 2023, their annual turnover rate was 36%—costing them six figures in replacement costs and keeping them in a constant cycle of hiring and training new staff. But by 2024, their turnover had dropped to just 20%—and it wasn’t because they suddenly became hiring geniuses…

In the small town of Latrobe, PA, a provider called Artemis Supports is doing something most IDD organizations don’t.

They’re putting direct support professionals (DSPs) at the center of their business model—not just in mission statements, but in real, structural ways.

How?…