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Leadership by service: How the Coordinating Center builds culture, purpose and voice in a remote workplace

This content is sponsored by Kaiser Permanente.

At the Coordinating Center,there are no employees.

Instead, at the Maryland non-profit devoted to helping children and adults with complicated medical needs, everyone is considered a co-worker.

“I often say with new employees and to all our co-workers,” said CEO Teresa Titus-Howard, “that my job is to come to work to serve them, and not the other way around.”

Her non-profit serves the entire state of Maryland through 200 case workers, helping 10,000 individuals daily.

“At the Coordinating Center, we are very mission driven,” Titus-Howard said, “and every day we come to work with a purpose, and that is to serve those that have these medically complex needs.”

That mission – to provide an opportunity to have a meaningful community life – is what keeps her team going, she told Ƶapp’s Leadership in Action series.

Since the Coordinating Center has implemented a work-for-home policy, that means lots of Zoom calls and team meetings online.

Titus-Howard keeps her team spirit high through barbecues and team cheers. She also lets her staffers share what’s on the minds during special sessions called Cup of Joe with the CEO. “All questions are on the table,” she said. “Nothing can’t be asked.”

Titus-Howardalsoencourages her co-workers to find their voicesin the organization.

“So when you’re on a zoom call and you’re among many other people, we really encourage people to speak up and so they have their voice and can express what’s going on, what work they’re working on, what their successes are, what their challenges are,” she said. “So I think that’s been probably the biggest challenge, and we’re very dedicated to that and making sure that we promote the importance of them having their voice.

The work-from-home policy also keeps Erica Bostwick busy. As vice president of Human Resources, she’s online hour after hour, meeting with the organization’s 300 staffers.

“You are a part of this team,” said Bostwick, vice president of Human Resources, “and every part plays a role in order to help this whole success of this organization.”

“You get to be felt, heard and seen within the organization,” she said. “So you’re not just a number. You’re not just a person. You are a part of this team, and every part plays a role in order to help this whole success of this organization.”

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