Transcription:

Host: Hi. This is Julie Carter, Vice President for Mission Services at St. Mary's. Thanks for listening into this installment of Word Indeed, where we visit with colleagues from around St. Mary's Healthcare System to hear their experience working within our ministry.

Today, you're going to hear our own Tom Kruer, as he looks back on 19 years of service at St. Mary's. As you listen, I really encourage you to think about his story in light of our mission statement. We at St. Mary's serve together in the spirit of the gospel as a compassionate and transforming healing presence within our communities.

It's this notion of serving together that stands out for me in Tom's remarks. And notice the type of community he creates with those he serves and with those with whom he serves. How does this director of engineering see his work as compassionate? And listen especially to the kind of unique leadership he's able to provide in light of our mission and core values. Enjoy.

Tom Kruer: Hi. My name's Tom Kruer. I'm the Director of Engineering for St. Mary's Healthcare System. And I've been here 19 years. And of course, my trip started with an interview. And I like to think that the interview was the eye-opening for me to St. Mary's, to the heart of St. Mary's. Because when I first got here and I was being interviewed, it was evident to me the faith of the people that were here and those who have been here before me that they live by faith. And that was a core value for me. It was very important to me, is my faith.

And so that was my first warming up. And then it went into just the people and how open and how warm and inviting they were as I was interviewing. And then we went on a walk around the facility and they showed me the facility and how well it had been taken care of by the sisters. all of that led me to why I chose St. Mary's.

Today, at St. Mary's, it still meets those core values for me. And I try to live those same values each day, uh that people have become part of my life and part of my memories. My team continues to inspire me with their commitment each day to show up and to do their work in a way with compassion and care for the patients. Even though we don't provide patient care, we try to make sure that the facility is what we would want our loved ones to experience. Their heart for that work and their faithfulness to that work just inspires me each day and the love they have for each other.

So as I look back after 19 years, and I look at what St. Mary's has been in my life, I wouldn't want to imagine what it would have been like without St. Mary's. I hope that as I leave St. Mary's someday, that I leave her better than she was when I found her. And I know I'm better for what she's done in my life. So we've both grown to be part of a community who trusts us and believes in us and cares about us.

Host: you talk about the love and commitment of your team to each other and to St. Mary's. But my observation is, is that as a leader, you've cultivated that. You've given them the space to develop that relationship. And I wish you could speak a little bit about that, about how you lead your team.

Tom Kruer: Well, my team, of course, they're special. You know, each person's hand chosen. I mean, we interview them and bring them into our family. We care about their personal needs just as we care about our own. I try to treat everybody as if they were one of my kids or best friend. And so it allows us to have an openness because we have that relationship with each other.

You know, I was always told, you know, you need to have an open door policy, and you need to care about your people if you want to be a success. And I've always had that open door. It doesn't matter if it's a work relationship issue or if it's a personal issue. I've always had the door open for folks to be able to come in, share their heart, share their needs. Sometimes it's very personal. Sometimes we leave both of us in tears or both of us, you know, praying about their situation. And I just try to treat them as I'd want to be treated. And I think that's what really has made the difference in that team. We have a daily devotion. We have prayer together every morning and it's just made a closeness.

Host: Well, it's apparent. And I think that that closeness, that sense of support, that validation of them and their contributions, to me, that's what translates into the work that they do, because I have never once put in a request for help that hasn't been met with like an immediate "Sure. What'd you got? We can help you."

Tom Kruer: Well, you know, when you think about a hospital, you think about patients. But there's a whole lot more customers out there for us. and we just treat everybody the same. It doesn't matter who you are, doesn't matter what your request is. We realize it's important to you, so that's why it's important to us. That's what we strive for.

Host: I appreciate you.

Tom Kruer: Well, thank you.