▍Background

CHRISTUS Health is an international Catholic, faith-based, not-for-profit health system comprised of almost 350 services and facilities. Employing roughly 45,000 Associates, CHRISTUS Health has grown to a health care system including more than $6 billion in assets under management that acts as a leader, partner, and advocate in the creation of innovative and effective health solutions that improve the lives and well-being of individuals and communities.

CHRISTUS executives felt that the organization had fallen into a trap that many organizations face; they had developed a culture of being “nice”. Associates of all levels were mistaking CHRISTUS’ value of compassion with avoiding difficult conversations and constructive feedback.

▍Solutions

CHRlSTUS defines integrity as maintaining honesty, justice, and consistency in all relationships. Avoiding difficult conversations had made it difficult to fulfill this value. Fierce stands by the belief that the conversation is the relationship and those relationships live and die by the effectiveness of conversations. Through this lens, CHRlSTUS wanted to reinvigorate interactions between colleagues through honest, meaningful conversation.

Conversation and confrontation were critical in addressing the issues with avoiding difficult conversations. Coaching was an area of value because the CHRISTUS team felt that if their leaders could understand and adopt the Fierce practices effectively, they could then teach those who reported to them this new skill set and eventually lead to an overall shift in culture.

▍Results

''People leave class excited and having enjoyed the session. But that's not the only place Fierce lives and breathes; it is integrated into all other training," said Hopkins. “l think Fierce concepts have positively influenced the people who live out our culture for the rest of their lives.”