Medavie CEO Bernard Lord recently sat down with Marty Parker, President and CEO of Waterstone, on the company’s weekly podcast series to share how Medavie is supporting employees and enhancing its culture through values-based leadership. Medavie is in the Hall of Fame of Waterstone’s Most Admired Cultures, a national program which annually recognizes best-in-class Canadian organizations for having cultures that enhance performance and sustain a competitive advantage.

Our sense of purpose

Medavie has a team of over 7,200 professionals who are dedicated to fulfilling our mission to improving the wellbeing of Canadians.

“People work with us because they believe in what we do and want to be part of working toward a healthier Canada,” Bernard said in his interview with Marty, referring to the strong sense of purpose within our organization.

Our DNA

He shared how our core values of being Caring, Accountable, Responsive, Innovative and Community-Minded drive the mission of Medavie and how in the face considerable change and uncertainty, our entire team stayed true to our mission — never losing sight of our vision to be leading health solutions partner to those we serve. “Ambitious transformation can only happen with a capable and energized workforce. In order to be the best we can be, we need to make sure our people are the best they can be. “

Bernard explained that our values are foundational and integrated in all our talent development solutions such as onboarding, leadership development, performance management and recognition.

The events over the past year have reminded Bernard of the incredible strength and talent of our employees. “Every day, across our organization and in our communities, there are inspiring examples of our employees rising to support their communities, creating change and making a meaningful difference.”

Our pandemic response

Those employees included our Medavie Health Services teams who united quickly to protect the health and safety of Canadians during the pandemic, from virus screening measures and testing to now being engaged in the vaccine roll out. On the Medavie Blue Cross (MBC) side of the business, teams worked to provide greater flexibility and offer more options to our clients and members.

Bernard emphasized how a learning culture has become essential in our current environment; how it is helping to adapt to constant change and adjust to emerging needs. “We see it as a growth mindset, the possibility to learn from our mistakes and grow from them.” This type of culture also relies on trust and collaboration to ensure there is a psychologically safe environment that fosters inclusion, innovation and creativity, he added.

He also spoke of the importance of succession planning; how it is core to our ongoing discussions around talent and development. “It ensures we have the right skills and talent to deliver against our objectives, while supporting our mission.”

Our commitment to diversity

Among the trends he foresees in building high-performance cultures are Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), whereby we foster an environment for employees to bring their authentic selves and generate innovation.

To gain more insights from Bernard’s conversation with Marty, listen to their Waterstone Human Capital’s podcast below.