Eastern Ontario’s largest not-for-profit home care and community support organization, was undergoing a significant organizational change. The goal was to better serve clients, staff, and communities by unifying three independently operated regional entities into one cohesive unit. With a newly defined corporate structure and senior leadership, Carefor needed alignment and clarity to grow the business, recognizing that leveraging their full leadership team was key.
Before this amalgamation, Carefor’s services were delivered through three separate business units across Eastern Ontario. Although they provided similar services, each operated uniquely, making the prospect of unifying under one leadership team daunting.
Amy Boudreau, VP of people, strategy, performance, and partnership at Carefor, saw an opportunity to engage to help navigate the shift from geographically governed silos to a centralized organization. The aim was to establish a clear leadership structure that ensured operational clarity and fostered growth while maintaining the strong community ties Carefor had built over the years.
Realizing that internal efforts wouldn’t be enough, Carefor sought Stratford’s expertise. Dean Fulford, practice lead of leadership development at Stratford, was engaged to provide the right approach, balancing both “what” Carefor needed to accomplish and “how” they needed to work together as a united team to get there.
Amy recalls, “It wasn’t long, in those first few calls with Dean, before I felt at ease and realized that we were talking the same language. Dean understood our challenge and quickly started to think about the opportunities, sharing best practices that would address this type of challenge. He shared a particular methodology that was highly appropriate in our circumstance and quickly became the foundation of our work. With Stratford, Carefor’s leadership team is getting a tailor-made solution rooted in evidence, while being authentic to who we are, and relevant to where we want to go.”
Creating a sense of ownership
For Dean, the focus was on enhancing how Carefor’s team could function together. The emphasis was on setting clear accountability, establishing collective expectations, and fostering an environment where every leader, regardless of their level, felt ownership in shaping the organization’s future. This approach ensured that the leadership team was not just executing a strategy but co-creating a vision they were all committed to realizing.
Dean explains, “Often, we find that leaders and managers spend a lot of time looking backwards. What has to be the starting point is putting the focus on what value the leadership team can provide to the rest of the organization.” With Stratford’s help, Carefor adopted a team effectiveness approach focused on driving future success under a unified leadership team, rather than relying on past practices. The tools and resources developed with Stratford empowered the leadership team to work together, create value, and steer the organization toward new opportunities.
A commitment to retaining talent
This commitment to elevating team performance and fostering a cohesive dynamic extended beyond examining departmental expectations. It also explored how leaders at all levels could embody high performance and accountability. For Amy, the collaboration with Stratford was more than an investment in leadership capabilities—it reinforced Carefor’s commitment to retaining top talent, building a consistent framework for people leadership, and enhancing team-based skills across all levels.
Dean emphasizes that improving team effectiveness requires shared commitment and adaptability. He notes, “We [Stratford] may think one way, and someone may have a different idea but we’re working together to put a program in place that works. And so, I feel like these are great things to be involved in because it’s not like I’m forcing a Stratford methodology on a client we’re working on a solution together in a way that makes it true and honest to the organization. We’re all trying to achieve the same goal.”
Building a partnership that extends beyond the formal engagement is at the core of Stratford’s approach, ensuring that Carefor has a trusted ally in Stratford as they continue to evolve and grow. Amy reflects, “I truly believe that the work that we have done together, has really helped us better understand where we need to go. At some point, we will need to let Dean go and do it ourselves, despite his knowledge, skill, and expertise being such a reliable comfort in this process. However, with the support he as provided us thus far I feel confident in our ability to build upon this work and follow through with a road-map that will ultimately position ourselves for future success.”
