Arthur Bretschneider Of Seniorly: Here Are The Things That Happened in My Childhood That Impact How I Lead Today

An Interview With Cynthia Corsetti

Be a magnet for your staff; someone that people can rally around / believe in. While our employees are located across three continents and come from different cultures, I genuinely connect with each and every one of them.

In this introspective and reflective series, we would like to explore the intricate web of experiences that form the leaders of today. Childhood, being the foundational stage of our lives, undeniably has a profound impact on our development and the leadership styles we adopt as adults. Be it a lesson learned from a parent, a childhood hobby that cultivated discipline, an early failure that fostered resilience, or even a book that opened their minds to vast possibilities; leaders often have deep-seated childhood experiences that echo in their leadership narratives today. For this interview series, we are talking to seasoned leaders across various industries who share personal anecdotes and lessons from their childhood that have sculpted their leadership philosophies today. As part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Arthur Bretschneider.

Arthur Bretschneider is CEO and Co-Founder of Seniorly. As a third-generation leader in the senior living industry, Arthur brings both deep compassion and a wealth of practical experience to his work at Seniorly. Arthur holds an MBA from Haas School of Business and has been featured in the New York Times and Forbes Magazine as a thought leader in the senior living space. Arthur is a passionate and vocal advocate for improving the lives of older adults through community and believes strongly that structured senior living environments can positively impact the aging experience.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series. Before we dive into our discussion about leadership, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you share with us the backstory about what brought you to your specific career path?

It all truly started back in 1962 when my grandfather, Hans Bretschneider, opened the first “purpose built” senior living facility in Mill Valley, California. Rooted in the revolutionary belief that the right environment could extend years of productivity, engagement, and happiness for older adults, he opened ten senior living communities in Northern California. Almost fifty years later, I followed in his footsteps; from dishwasher to care aide to marketing specialist, I wore many hats in the family business and developed a deep empathy for families in the search for quality assisted living. Eventually, I began to take note of the outdated model for finding the “right” community and set out to build the first “purpose-built” online marketplace for families looking for senior living solutions. In 2008, I founded Seniorly with my business school classmate Sushanth Ramakrishna and friend Kunal Shah, both experts in technology and engineering, with the purpose to address the confusing process of discovery for families, unify a fragmented marketplace of providers, and remove gates to the most important information and resources that families need to make important decisions.

What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?

The heart and soul of Seniory begins and ends with our founder team. There are three of us who worked together to build Seniorly, and we each bring very different and complementary strengths to the table. I suspect many companies have this dynamic, but I think that our chemistry has helped us propel faster and further than we ever could have imagined. We truly respect each other, we challenge each other, we make each other laugh, and we motivate each other. While we are colleagues, we are also friends — and this dynamic sets the stage for how our staff show up for work and work together. Our business is serious and important work, yes — but equally important, it’s fun.

You are a successful business leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?

• Curiosity: I’m a naturally curious person — I always have been. I’m always eager to dig deeper into the “why” behind everything. My interests are far ranging (I just finished Michio Kaku’s “Future of Humanity” — not a light read!). At times I can get myself sidetracked, but more often than not, my curiosity uncovers new insights and opportunities.
• Resilience: Like Angela Duckworth, I think that most of our success comes from our ability to be flexible and resilient. During the pandemic, we saw business drop 90%, we faced layoffs, we struggled with staff morale, but I think that our resilience allowed us to adapt quickly.
• Empathy: As someone who’s undergone several traumatic experiences, I have an interesting perspective on work. I am deeply committed to our business, but I also recognize that work is one part of our lives. I think this allows me to connect with my staff on a deeper level and Leadership often entails making difficult decisions or hard choices between two apparently good paths. Can you share a story with us about a hard decision or choice you had to make as a leader? I’m curious to understand how these challenges have shaped your leadership.

Leadership often entails making difficult decisions or hard choices between two apparently good paths. Can you share a story with us about a hard decision or choice you had to make as a leader? I’m curious to understand how these challenges have shaped your leadership.

I’ll answer this question in a slightly different way. The hardest choice we face is how we allocate our time. I love building my business, but I also love my family and being a dad. The time I have with my children as they grow up is irreplaceable. So, for me, the hardest decisions are about how I prioritize my time. This brings me back to my learnings around there is more in our lives than just work. I want my team to prioritize things that are important to them and be present. That creates a happier work environment, and I believe ultimately creates more productivity.

Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview. Let’s start with a simple definition. How do you personally define “leadership?”

There are so many different styles of leadership, but for me, it’s about hiring great people and getting the most out of them. For some that’s being a sounding board, for others it’s challenging them. As an empath, one of my greatest strengths is my ability to manage and motivate each person individually, and to build high-performing teams that have fun.

Can you recall an experience from your childhood where you felt truly empowered? How does that moment inform your leadership style today?

My parents were wonderful people, and each of them encouraged agency in their own way. In high school I was a member of the San Francisco Youth Commission, and our mandate was to advocate for the needs of youth in San Francisco. Every week, we went head-to-head with the mayor and board of supervisors on issues, which was scary, intimidating, nerve-wracking, but also weirdly fun! I realized then that I had a voice and that I could connect with others, but also could use that voice to achieve a specific outcome for myself or others.

Were there any role models in your early years who left a lasting impression on you? How has their influence manifested in your approach to leadership?

Absolutely! In my early career, I had a job in the financial sector. My brother-in-law had brain cancer, and one day I found out he had had a seizure. I rushed to the hospital to be with my family and didn’t even think to report to anyone that I was leaving early for the day. This was against the company policy, as stated in our handbook. The next day I returned to the office, and instead of having my manager check in with me, they had left an open handbook on the page detailing the policy about leaving the office early. This was such a formative lesson for me, and I knew I would never want to work anywhere where policy was more important than people.

Many of us had a favorite book or story as a child. Is there a narrative that you were drawn to, and do you see its themes reflecting in your leadership journey?

I have three kids of my own now, and it’s so fun to revisit the books that I loved as a child with them. As a parent, you connect with the stories on a different level. I loved Winnie the Pooh when I was little, as now when I read the books to my kids, I see so many admirable qualities in Pooh bear: he’s a great listener, he understands how to motivate and inspire others, he’s empathetic and understanding, and he’s kind of the glue that holds all the characters of the book together, which is often how I feel as CEO.

Many leaders find that their greatest strengths arise from overcoming adversity. Can you share an experience from your early life that was difficult at the time, but you find still lingers in your thoughts and informs your actions today?

Oh boy — so many it’s hard to choose just one! While I love to read, I’ve never been someone who reads aloud well. On top of that, I’ve always had a certain amount of anxiety around public speaking. In grade school, reading aloud was always so stressful for me, and my anxiety would always make it worse. I learned early on that preparation is crucial for me — my dad always used to quote this line from Benjamin Franklin that was something like “by failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” That’s always stuck with me.

Looking back at your childhood, are there particular ‘first-time’ experiences — like your first triumph, your initial setback, or your inaugural leadership responsibility — that you believe were pivotal in molding your leadership ethos?

So much of my approach to leadership comes from my experience playing team sports. There’s a lot to be learned from having to work with people who are different from you, to finding resolve and strength when you think you have none, and to learning how to let setbacks or losses motivate you.

From your personal experiences and reflections, what are the ‘5 Pillars of Effective Leadership’ you believe in?

Be a magnet for your staff; someone that people can rally around / believe in. While our employees are located across three continents and come from different cultures, I genuinely connect with each and every one of them.

Set the tone for what hard work looks like; be willing to roll up your sleeves with your team. I am the CEO, but I also jump in to help with QA, I brainstorm solutions to challenges, I routinely do analyses. I know every function of this business intimately, and I think that makes people feel that their work is important and matters.

Be focused: as someone who generates a lot of ideas, I’ve had to learn the importance of being laser focused. We use the OKR model, which really helps us maintain focus and discipline. In 2022, we had an amazing new idea for a disruptive product in the senior living B2B space. Ultimately, our OKRs helped us to “fail fast” and refocus on our core business.

Embrace discord: My co-founders and I don’t always see things the same way, and I actively encourage that dialogue and model it for the rest of the company. I want people to bring divergent ideas and perspectives, and I want people to feel comfortable expressing their viewpoints in a respectful way.

Hire well: this one may sound obvious, but I am personally involved in hiring key positions across the company. I look for best-in-class talent, but I also look for people who bring chemistry and fire to our team. Yes, we need to enjoy the work to do well, but we also need to enjoy working with each other too.

In your role as a leader, what thoughts or concerns keep you awake at night? How do these reflections guide your decisions and leadership?

I’m sure I am not alone in this one, but the things that are outside of our control tend to be the most worrying. Technology changes, SEO, the economy — all these things are well beyond our immediate grasp. In many ways, understanding what’s out of my control helps me narrow my focus on what is in my control. So, when those late-night thoughts start, I usually just switch over to thinking about our roadmap; are we focused on the right thing? Are we making progress? All these concerns are actionable, which guides my decisions.

You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

Oh, I just love this question! I noticed that last week, the Google doodle celebrated Mihály Csíkszentmihályi, a psychologist who studied happiness and creativity. If I had to choose a movement, it would be centered around building our individual and collective happiness. We live in an overly engineered and fast-paced world, one in which there is so much pressure that is self-imposed. All of these influences limit our ability to experience happiness and joy at all stages in our life. Of course, it’s so interesting to be from the perspective of older adults, but it’s a mindset that needs to be instilled in us as children.

How can our readers further follow your work online?

Follow us at Seniorly.com.

Thank you for the time you spent sharing these fantastic insights. It’s been an honor to delve into the roots of your leadership journey, and we are grateful for the wisdom you’ve shared.

About the Interviewer: Cynthia Corsetti is an esteemed executive coach with over two decades in corporate leadership and 11 years in executive coaching. Author of the upcoming book, “Dark Drivers,” she guides high-performing professionals and Fortune 500 firms to recognize and manage underlying influences affecting their leadership. Beyond individual coaching, Cynthia offers a 6-month executive transition program and partners with organizations to nurture the next wave of leadership excellence.