Deborah A. Proctor leads with a mission that originated in 17th century France. It came from a priest named Jean-Pierre Medaille, who told the Sisters of St. Joseph to go out into the neighborhood, divide it into sectors, identify the needs of the people and bring others together to help meet those needs.
Now, across the globe and about 360 years later, Proctor tries to keep that calling relevant at St. Joseph Health System, the network of hospitals and other community care services the sisters planted in Orange.
A lot has changed since then. So the meaning behind the organization’s mission to be “continually improving the health and quality of life of people in the communities we serve” needs to keep up so employees can maintain a clear picture of their purpose.
About four years ago, Proctor led St. Joseph through strategic planning to define what the mission means today for the 22,000 employees across the system, which now has 14 locations.
“We grounded ourselves first in our heritage,” says the president and CEO. “We went all the way back to that point in time and looked at the call that was given to the sisters [and asked,] ‘So what would that mean to us?’”
The company invested time and involvement in the mission re-evaluation, and Proctor still strives to make its purpose resonate with relevance that her employees can understand.
“You can’t just publicize something and then expect it to become embedded in the organization,” Proctor says. “Everybody will tell you that it’s not about the creation of your strategy; it’s about the execution or implementation of your strategy that makes all the difference.”
