IDD Leader

Staff retention can feel incredibly frustrating.

You try retention bonuses. Recognition programs. Hiring harder. Posting more jobs. Improving onboarding. And yet… the vacancies keep coming.

For many leaders in human services, improving retention feels like trying to carry water in your hands—no matter how much effort you put in, it keeps slipping through your fingers.

But the organizations that achieve consistently low turnover aren’t just getting lucky.

They’re doing a few key things differently.

In this solo episode, Nate breaks down five practical shifts that great leaders use to improve staff retention, drawn from years of conversations with providers across the field. These ideas move beyond surface-level tactics and focus on how to design a work environment where people actually want to stay.

If staff retention has felt overwhelming or stuck at your organization, this episode will help you see the problem differently—and start making progress.

Timestamps
00:55 – Why Retention Feels Like Carrying Water in Your Hands
04:51 – Isolate the Real “Stuck Spots” in Retention
09:51 – Design an Employee Experience That Sets People Up for Success
14:47 – Why Action + Tracking Beats Strategy
18:28 – Turn Frontline Supervisors into Retention Ambassadors
23:05 – Why Getting Outside Help Unlocks Progress
28:35 – Action Move: Pick One Lever and Get Started

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Do your frontline supervisors sometimes unintentionally contribute to staff turnover? It happens so easily because... Most supervisors were never trained to lead.  Get The 7 Quiet Danger Signs Your Supervisors Are Burning Out Their Teams and learn how high-retention agencies spot — and fix — these issues fast. https://iddleader.com/burnout

If your team is struggling with retention, the answer probably isn’t another pizza party.

In Part 2 of this conversation, Nate sits down again with workforce strategist Holli Beth Clauser, founder of ABA C.A.R.E.S. Staffing and host of The People Contingency Podcast, to talk about the deeper systems that actually influence whether staff stay or leave.

Together they unpack practical ways leaders can spot early warning signs of turnover, break down silos between departments, and use simple data to strengthen both recruitment and retention.

Along the way, Holli shares why some well-intentioned morale boosters miss the mark, how culture really forms through everyday leadership behaviors, and why organizations that build strong systems eventually start attracting talent instead of chasing it.

If you lead in the IDD field—or any human services organization facing constant staffing pressure—this episode offers practical insights you can start applying immediately.

TIMESTAMPS
00:00 – There are levers you can pull: why leaders have more control than they think
01:01 – Introduction to Part 2 of the conversation with Holli Beth Clauser
02:11 – What recruiting data can reveal about where candidates are falling off
04:49 – Doing a “post-hire autopsy” to learn from hires that didn’t work out
05:58 – The behavioral mindset: you can’t change what you don’t measure
07:29 – Why pizza parties and team outings don’t fix deeper team conflict
08:40 – What culture actually looks like in day-to-day leadership behavior
10:20 – Breaking down silos between HR, recruiting, and scheduling
14:02 – A real example: how collaboration helped fill 1,500 open hours
15:55 – When a strong culture starts attracting talent instead of chasing it
23:24 – Early indicators that a new hire may not work out
25:06 – One of the clearest warning signs someone may be on their way out
28:11 – Final advice for exhausted leaders: start small and build momentum


Learn more about Holli Beth Clauser and her work:

ABA C.A.R.E.S. Staffing
https://abacaresstaffing.com/

Connect with Holli on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/hollibeth/

Listen to The People Contingency Podcast
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-people-contingency-avoid-staff-turnover-in-aba/id1828985499

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Quick Question:

Do your frontline supervisors sometimes unintentionally contribute to staff turnover? It happens so easily because... Most supervisors were never trained to lead.  Get The 7 Quiet Danger Signs Your Supervisors Are Burning Out Their Teams and learn how high-retention agencies spot — and fix — these issues fast. https://iddleader.com/burnout

When you're short-staffed, under pressure, and drowning in overtime… speed feels like the only thing that matters.

But what if hiring fast is actually making your turnover worse?

In this episode, Nate sits down with Holli Beth Clauser, founder of ABA C.A.R.E.S. and host of The People Contingency Podcast, to unpack what most human services leaders get wrong about recruitment.

Holli has lived the high-pressure scenario—delivering nearly 90 net hires in four months with just two recruiters. But here’s what makes that story remarkable: 83 of those hires were still there after 90 days.

This conversation isn’t just about recruiting. It’s about retention, leadership, and building hiring systems that actually work in emotionally demanding, entry-level roles like DSPs and RBTs.

You’ll hear:
--Why speed-of-hire can be a misleading metric
--How vague job requirements quietly sabotage retention
--The difference between intentional slowness and accidental friction
--What most interviewers miss when they “check the box”
--Why recruitment is a lot like dating (and how agencies accidentally catfish candidates)

If you lead an IDD organization—or any human services team struggling with vacancies—this episode will challenge how you think about urgency, quality, and what it really means to “fix” turnover.

Timestamps

00:00 – 96 hires in four months… and 83 stayed
01:14 – Why retention and recruitment are two sides of the same coin
02:44 – “You have 60 days to hire 15 staff…” Where Holli starts
03:01 – Getting crystal clear before you recruit
06:17 – Why speed alone is the wrong metric
08:53 – What passive sourcing actually means (and how to do it well)
11:52 – How to spot red flags in frontline interviews
15:38 – The biggest hiring myth hurting agencies
17:29 – The bathtub metaphor: why your hiring feels fast but still fails
22:18 – Removing friction without lowering your standards
25:23 – The power of follow-up questions in interviews
29:33 – “Don’t catfish” your candidates
31:00 – Action steps: auditing your hiring process

Learn More
Learn more about Holli Beth Clauser and her work at:
https://abacaresstaffing.com/

Send us Fan Mail

Quick Question:

Do your frontline supervisors sometimes unintentionally contribute to staff turnover? It happens so easily because... Most supervisors were never trained to lead.  Get The 7 Quiet Danger Signs Your Supervisors Are Burning Out Their Teams and learn how high-retention agencies spot — and fix — these issues fast. https://iddleader.com/burnout

In this episode, Paige Raetz from Proof Positive explains why turnover is a lagging indicator — and what leaders should measure before staff ever think about leaving.

You’ll learn how organizations are tracking wellbeing, spotting early warning signs of burnout, and improving culture through small daily practices instead of one-time events.

This episode moves from philosophy to operations: what to measure, how to measure it, and how leaders can intervene earlier.

Timestamps:
00:00 Why pizza parties don’t fix burnout
02:27 How to track wellbeing over time
03:02 Wellbeing as a leading indicator
07:55 Common mistakes leaders make with morale initiatives
10:25 Why small consistent actions matter more than big events
17:34 Using positive emotion before stressful situations
20:55 How positive emotions change thinking & problem solving
22:03 A future where staff thrive, not just survive
24:07 How to get started with Proof Positive resources
28:41 A practical next step leaders can implement this week

Learn More:
https://proofpositive.org/

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Quick Question:

Do your frontline supervisors sometimes unintentionally contribute to staff turnover? It happens so easily because... Most supervisors were never trained to lead.  Get The 7 Quiet Danger Signs Your Supervisors Are Burning Out Their Teams and learn how high-retention agencies spot — and fix — these issues fast. https://iddleader.com/burnout

Turnover is often blamed on wages — but what if that’s not the first lever leaders should pull?

In Part 1 of this conversation, Paige Raetz from Proof Positive explains why staff wellbeing isn’t just a morale issue — it directly impacts safety, engagement, errors, and retention. More importantly, she shares practical, low-effort practices organizations are already using to improve workforce stability without adding cost.

You’ll hear how positive psychology and behavior science intersect in real service settings — and how leaders can start applying it immediately.

TIMESTAMPS
00:00 - Why wellbeing impacts safety and errors
01:50 - The first step when you can’t raise wages
03:38 - What Proof Positive does and the science of happiness
06:08 - Why wellbeing isn’t “soft” — it affects outcomes
07:47 - The research behind positive emotions & performance
09:53 -  The PERMA framework explained
12:38 - Using wellbeing measures with people supported
15:22 - Practical steps leaders can implement with staff
19:35 - Real examples: strengths spotting improving teams
22:36 - “We don’t have time for this” — response to leaders
25:51 - The power of “What Went Well” practices
28:43 - Small wins, accomplishment, and job satisfaction

Learn More:
Proof Positive → https://proofpositive.org/

Send us Fan Mail

Quick Question:

Do your frontline supervisors sometimes unintentionally contribute to staff turnover? It happens so easily because... Most supervisors were never trained to lead.  Get The 7 Quiet Danger Signs Your Supervisors Are Burning Out Their Teams and learn how high-retention agencies spot — and fix — these issues fast. https://iddleader.com/burnout

Advocacy often feels intimidating for provider leaders — time-consuming, political, or like something only professional lobbyists can do.

In this episode, Nate continues his conversation with Libby Vinson, CEO of the New Jersey Association of Community Providers (NJACP), to break that myth apart.

Libby shares what actually gets lawmakers to listen, why provider voices matter more than they realize, and how advocacy can be far simpler — and more relational — than most leaders expect. This conversation reframes advocacy not as politics, but as leadership: telling your story, inviting people in, and making the ask.

If you’ve ever thought, “I wouldn’t even know where to start,” this episode will change how you think about influence, policy, and your role as a provider leader.

TIMESTAMPS

(00:00) “If you’re not telling your story, someone else is” — why provider voices matter
(01:01) Part 2 framing: why workforce challenges are also a policy issue
(02:55) Why disability services struggle to get attention in a crowded media landscape
(07:09) How social media and headlines can distort the provider reality
(08:59) Why DSPs telling their own stories is the most powerful advocacy
(11:16) The impact of lawmakers seeing programs up close
(15:07) “Make the ask” — why providers underestimate their influence
(20:14) How relationships shape policy more than reports or position papers
(25:42) Advocacy without burnout: engaging without adding another full-time job

LEARN MORE
New Jersey Association of Community Providers (NJACP):
https://njacp.org/

Send us Fan Mail

Quick Question:

Do your frontline supervisors sometimes unintentionally contribute to staff turnover? It happens so easily because... Most supervisors were never trained to lead.  Get The 7 Quiet Danger Signs Your Supervisors Are Burning Out Their Teams and learn how high-retention agencies spot — and fix — these issues fast. https://iddleader.com/burnout

Workforce instability in disability services isn’t a mystery — but it is often misunderstood.

In this episode, Nate sits down with Libby Vinson, CEO of the New Jersey Association of Community Providers (NJACP), to unpack why workforce stability doesn’t come from one-time fixes, short-term incentives, or chasing the next solution — and why leadership plays a bigger role than most people realize.

Drawing from her background in advocacy and her first months leading a statewide provider association, Libby shares what she’s seeing across organizations: what separates providers who are barely surviving from those creating real stability, why prevention matters more than reaction, and how leadership presence, culture, and systems thinking shape workforce outcomes.

This conversation is especially relevant for executive directors, HR leaders, and program managers who are tired of silver bullets — and ready to think differently about what actually helps staff stay, grow, and succeed.

TIMESTAMPS
01:09 - Why workforce challenges are no longer theoretical — they’re shaping daily leadership decisions
04:47 -Leadership vs. “fixes”: why quick solutions keep falling short
08:33 - How Libby’s advocacy background shapes how she sees workforce challenges
12:50 - What changes when leaders spend real time in programs with staff and individuals
17:17 - What meaningful workforce investment actually looks like (beyond wages alone)
22:06 - Why data, prevention, and consistency matter more than reaction
27:57 - Early patterns Libby is seeing between struggling organizations and more stable ones
32:25 - The quiet cost of burnout, churn, and constant crisis management
35:30 - Why workforce stability is a leadership responsibility, not just a policy issue

LEARN MORE
New Jersey Association of Community Providers (NJACP):
https://njacp.org/

Send us Fan Mail

Quick Question:

Do your frontline supervisors sometimes unintentionally contribute to staff turnover? It happens so easily because... Most supervisors were never trained to lead.  Get The 7 Quiet Danger Signs Your Supervisors Are Burning Out Their Teams and learn how high-retention agencies spot — and fix — these issues fast. https://iddleader.com/burnout

What does your culture actually feel like to the people doing the work?

In this follow-up conversation with John Dickerson of Quillo, we dig into the uncomfortable truth most leaders don’t see: DSPs often move through their day wondering whether a supervisor message or a quick “call me” means they’re in trouble.

And that fear—small as it may seem—is one of the clearest signals that your culture isn’t creating psychological safety.

In this episode, John shares real stories from the field that reveal how leaders unintentionally send the wrong messages… and how tiny, daily actions can completely change how supported (or exposed) DSPs feel at work.

We get into:

• Why you cannot train your way out of a culture problem
• What DSPs hear beneath your words (“Am I in trouble?”)
• Why memos don’t fix relationships
• A simple leadership practice that re-humanizes supervision
• What meaningful recognition actually sounds like
• The difference between “talking about people” and “talking to people”
• Why trust is built in the smallest, quickest, easiest moments

If you care about staff retention, employee experience, or building a culture where people feel safe and valued—this conversation will hit home.

00:00 — John opens with the “culture is everywhere” idea
02:18 — The deeper problem behind modern compliance-heavy leadership
05:08 — How DSPs interpret supervisor messages (“Am I in trouble?”)
06:50 — Why you can’t fix relationships through policies or emails
08:41 — The small habits that instantly build trust
10:39 — What leaders misunderstand about “open-door culture”
12:57 — Real talk: how staff actually feel when leaders only call for problems
15:53 — Why culture shifts don’t happen through annual plans
17:12 — The unreachable-staff myth (and what’s actually going on)
34:12 — John’s reminder: culture changes one human moment at a time
36:38 — A simple leadership practice that transforms how DSPs feel at work

Explore Quillo and their work on connection-driven culture: https://myquillo.com/

Join Nate for a free, live session on staff retention (Leadership Lens Series): https://iddleader.com

Send us Fan Mail

Quick Question:

Do your frontline supervisors sometimes unintentionally contribute to staff turnover? It happens so easily because... Most supervisors were never trained to lead.  Get The 7 Quiet Danger Signs Your Supervisors Are Burning Out Their Teams and learn how high-retention agencies spot — and fix — these issues fast. https://iddleader.com/burnout

Most IDD leaders don’t intend for their culture to drift into compliance mode… but it happens. High turnover, stretched-thin supervisors, endless documentation, and increasing regulation all push agencies toward control instead of connection.

In this conversation, John Dickerson—founder of MyQuillo, longtime ARC leader, and master storyteller—joins Nate to unpack why compliance-heavy culture takes root… and how leaders can turn things around.

This episode is packed with stories that will make you rethink orientation, DSP relationships, behavior plans, “independence,” and what culture actually looks like day to day.

If you’ve ever wondered why parts of your organization feel flat, reactive, or disconnected—and what leaders can DO about it—this episode will feel like a breath of fresh air.

Part 1 of 2.

Episode Timestamps

00:00 — “Every minute of every day you’re building culture…”
01:49 — Why organizations slip into compliance mode
04:04 — John’s journey: ARC leadership → “failed retirement” → MyQuillo
07:25 — The real orientation problem: training without relationships
10:36 — “What’s your good life?” — the moment a DSP was asked the right question
15:41 — When rigid plans override common sense (the Steelers story)
23:13 — “What brings you joy?” — the church choir story
26:12 — Eddie’s yellow folder: seeing only failures instead of strengths
31:46 — The pizza story: when behavior plans miss the point
40:00 — Rethinking supervision and the future of person-centered services
46:30 — Action Move: Ask “What brings you joy?” + burnout assessment link

Learn More
Explore MyQuillo:
➡️ https://myquillo.com/

Register for an upcoming free, live session in collaboration with the Institute on Community Integration from UMN:
➡️ https://iddleader.com/

Send us Fan Mail

Quick Question:

Do your frontline supervisors sometimes unintentionally contribute to staff turnover? It happens so easily because... Most supervisors were never trained to lead.  Get The 7 Quiet Danger Signs Your Supervisors Are Burning Out Their Teams and learn how high-retention agencies spot — and fix — these issues fast. https://iddleader.com/burnout

How does Melmark achieve only 11% annual turnover in a field where many providers face 40–60%?

In this episode, host Nate Beers continues his conversation with Helena Maguire, digging into Melmark’s extended, behaviorally grounded onboarding model—one that prioritizes confidence before coverage.
This is practical, field-tested onboarding that actually works: slower, more deliberate, and transformative for retention.

If you want a real-world example of an onboarding system that stabilizes teams rather than spinning them into crisis, this episode is a masterclass.

TIMESTAMPS
00:00 – Rethinking Orientation: How Melmark Launches New Staff
09:26 – Training for Real People: Tailoring Learning to Every DSP
12:28 – Phase Two: On-the-Job Practice That Builds Real Competence
16:55 – The Reality of Residential Scheduling (and What Actually Works)
20:24 – Reinforcement That Matters: How Melmark Motivates Performance
27:49 – Designing a High-Performance Culture Without Burnout
33:05 – Can Other Providers Replicate This Model? What It Really Takes
42:57 – The Payoff: Cutting Turnover with a Smarter Onboarding System

Learn More About Melmark
Explore Melmark’s programs, mission, and leadership:
https://www.melmark.org/


Free Upcoming Sessions for IDD Leaders
This episode is part of a broader conversation about building a stronger, more stable workforce.

Nate is collaborating with the University of Minnesota’s Institute on Community Integration (ICI) on an upcoming free virtual series:

Direct Support Leadership Lens: Strategies for a Stronger Workforce

These sessions are designed for leaders who want practical, behaviorally grounded strategies to reduce turnover and support supervisors more effectively.

Learn more or register at https://iddleader.com

Send us Fan Mail

Quick Question:

Do your frontline supervisors sometimes unintentionally contribute to staff turnover? It happens so easily because... Most supervisors were never trained to lead.  Get The 7 Quiet Danger Signs Your Supervisors Are Burning Out Their Teams and learn how high-retention agencies spot — and fix — these issues fast. https://iddleader.com/burnout