EPISODE #10: RAY BROCATO, CEO, THE NEXT DOOR- HOW MISSION GUIDES DECISION MAKING AND CULTURE

In today's episode, Christie sat down with Ray Brocato, the CEO of The Next Door. The Next Door is a non-profit organization dedicated to serving women in crisis, equipping them for lives of wholeness and hope. The Next Door provides services to women who are impacted by addiction, mental illness, trauma and/or incarceration. In recognition of the common need among residents for mental health and addiction counseling, The Next Door provides an integrated model to address the co-occurring disorders. A professional team of counselors, case managers, nurse practitioners – both medical and psychiatric, medical doctors, masters level social work interns, mentors, and job coaches complete the staff to provide comprehensive coverage to residents’ needs.

Connect with Ray Brocato on Linkedin.

LEADING FORWARD with Christie Berger

Highlights: "How Mission Guides Decision Making and Culture"

• Addiction is a ripple effect that impacts everyone around them.
• Recovery never ends, it is a lifelong process.
• Reminding team members to take time off and to take care of themselves is crucial to fight burnout.
• Addiction treatment is hard and a pandemic has led to an additional layer of stress.
• Knowing what to look for and normalizing “it’s okay to be burned out” is important.
• Changing an organization’s culture takes consistent work and a leader must be patient.
• Non-profits do not work for shareholders, they work for the people they serve.
• The pandemic has forced non-profits to get creative and to find new ways to fundraise, to continue serving their cause.
• A mission is what benchmarks tough decision making and it should guide every decision that needs to be made.
• Leaders must rely on the organization’s purpose to guide team members and inspire them, especially during a pandemic.
• Adjusting as you go is a natural part of leadership and these three questions can help in navigating decision making, “What is best for our clients? What is best for our staff? What is best for our facility?”