Michael Borisko
‘We’re not a cookie-cutter kind of place.’
— Brenda Blum, winner of the Southlake Regional Health Centre’s Staff Award of Excellence
Health
June 23, 2008 02:34 PM
beingwell magazine Summer 2008
By: Patrick Mangion
The oversized letters, prominently displayed in a well-travelled foyer at Southlake are difficult to miss.
During the course of another hectic day at the York Region hospital, hundreds of people will pass by them without ever considering its message, or their meaning.
Tradition Is Cherished. Change Is Welcomed, it reads.
Its inspiration, formed by candid core values, such as “Give a Damn!” and “Push the Envelope” not usually found at a leading-edge hospital. But for Brenda Blum, those values have provided the road map for a career where no two days are ever the same.
“We’re not a cookie-cutter kind of place. We stand out,” says Mrs. Blum, manager of the organization development department. “We challenge each other to live our values. They’re not just nice words stuck on a wall,” says last year’s recipient of the Staff Award of Excellence.
During her eight years at the hospital, Mrs. Blum is known as a facilitator and leader, but she has also been the poster girl for a charity golf tournament and ran marathons in support of cancer research. The married mother of one projects passion and energy that rubs off on her colleagues.
Her job description includes leadership and team development, facilitating change, coaching and education, all of it falling under the umbrella of helping individuals and teams to grow, nurturing their success and ensuring they are ready for the future. Put simply, her peers think of her as the glue that keeps people aligned with Southlake’s vision, values and strategic goals.
Recently, she oversaw an orientation of more than 100 new staff. Before that, it was an off-site retreat with the hospital’s management team, sandwiched between one-on-one coaching sessions, delivering frontline leader education, facilitating a strategic planning event and attending committee meetings related to advancing the hospital’s Our People strategies.
“That’s what I love about the role. It’s very broad and challenges me to use many skills in supporting staff, volunteers and physicians,” she says. She interviewed at Southlake while eight months pregnant. “My first experience at Southlake was as a patient,” she jokes.
Clearly, Southlake’s brass recognized her qualities, as did several of her peers by nominating the Newmarket resident for the award. “Brenda walks the talk,” Patrick Clifford said in his recommendation letter. As manager, professional practice and research ethics, he has worked alongside her for six years.
“With a personal style combining a caring attitude and genuine curiosity, Mrs. Blum never wilts from a challenge nor backs away from a risk,” he wrote.
Sharing an office with a co-worker reveals any and all idiosyncrasies and tests the mettle of even the most measured personalities. With their desks separated by just a few feet, Janice Baynham says Mrs. Blum’s positive outlook has made co-habitation during the workday smooth sailing. “She puts her heart and soul into the work she does. She’s pretty outstanding,” Mrs. Baynham says.
Away from the hospital, Mrs. Blum’s catharsis comes from the solitude of long-distance running and the introspection of meditation and reading. “It recharges me,” she says.
She brings the same attitude to her work at Southlake that she brings to the staging area before the starter’s pistol signals the start of a road race. “It’s all about the journey. It’s about commitment, discipline and preparation,” she says.
“We are successful at Southlake because people are passionate and committed to the work they do and we value each other’s contributions. I’m fortunate to be part of a winning team and excited about the future of this organization.”