Breaking Boundaries: Honoring the Visionaries Driving Change

1. 

   What is the most rewarding part of your role at St. Joseph’s? 

The days that give me the most energy are the ones where I have the opportunity to bring together different perspectives, agencies and roles to work collectively and make change that addresses complex issues for those we serve. Having the opportunity to lead through challenging work and focus on solutions that benefit the health of many is always the very best part of my role and I feel very fortunate to work in an organization like St. Joseph’s that values this kind of leadership in health care.

2. Why did you choose a career in health care? 

Growing up, when asked, I would tell people that I wanted to work with individuals with special needs. This put me on a path to study psychology and education. I began my career working in the education sector and am registered with the College of Psychologists as a Psychological Associate with practice in education and rehabilitation psychology. Early in my career I had the opportunity to use my educational background at what was then Hamilton Psychiatric Hospital to help them redevelop programs for their dual diagnosis population (individuals who experience developmental delay and mental health issues). This role began my passion for health care, in particular mental health care.

3. Why do you choose to work at St. Joseph’s? 

One of the reasons I joined St. Joseph’s was because of its mission of supporting those who are not well served. The values of the organization and its leadership team of respect, excellence and compassion align with my own values and priorities as a health leader. One of my foundational beliefs as a leader follows the principles in Simon Sinek’s book, “Start with Why” and this approach is very much part of the evidence-based leadership practices at St. Joseph’s. One experience I had before an interview for my role at St. Joseph’s really cemented for me the culture of the organization. I saw an elderly woman who clearly looked lost wandering around the parking garage. I couldn’t ignore it, so I stopped to ask if she needed help. She experienced dementia and had been separated from her husband who had gone into the building for an appointment. I helped her find her husband, and was 10 minutes late for my interview. When I shared the story of why I was late, the team totally understood. If you know St. Joseph’s, you know it is a culture that stops, helps and supports each other as the first priority.

4. How can we promote inclusivity for women in the workplace?  

I had the opportunity to be mentored by an incredible female innovator who was truly on the pointy edge of ground-breaking work. When going on a leave, she put my name forward to the hospital administrator as her interim replacement. He asked her, “I know Jodi is nice, but is she good?” Her response, “Jodi is nice and great at what she does, otherwise why would I be bringing her name forward?” The fact that I had led a lot of the change work and co-authored publications on our work didn’t seem to sit ahead of the observation that I was a nice person in his awareness of me. This experience taught me to embrace all the qualities that help you lead successful teams, but make sure you are not complacent in demonstrating your achievements and your strengths. Lean in hard on that.  

I very much enjoy mentoring students and young professionals, both through my university alumni programs and also the Canadian College of Health Leaders. Most people are happy to give of their time to support the growth of others. As an organization we need to consider how we create welcoming opportunities for women, as well as other equity deserving populations who may not be represented in our workforce or at our leadership tables. One very easy starting point is to put ourselves out there as leaders who are open to support, guide and mentor. That is a small investment for massive impact both for our young women, and others, who would benefit from being seen and valued by what they bring to the workforce. 

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