Nothing exists in Rulon Stacey's life to differentiate temporal affairs from spiritual matters.
For Brother Stacey, gospel principles shape not only the landscape of his home life and the manner in which he serves as a counselor in the Colorado Denver North Mission presidency, but even extend to significantly influence the work he performs as president and CEO of the Poudre Valley Health System (PVHS) in Fort Collins, Colorado.
"I've got a master's degree and I've got a PhD," he said. "But to be honest, I learned leadership and how to run a quality organization as a deacon and a priest and going to my priesthood meetings and listening to my father. That's where you learn it; the 121st section [of the Doctrine and Covenants] is the best leadership manual ever."
Brother Stacey traveled to the White House on Dec. 2 to meet Vice President Joe Biden and receive the 2008 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, arguably the highest award for organizational quality in the world, on behalf of PVHS.
Baldrige Award
On the Web site for the federal government's National Institute of Standards and Technology, the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award is described thusly: "Congress established the award program in 1987 to recognize U.S. organizations for their achievements in quality and performance."
The President of the United States gives the award annually; historically, between two and seven organizations are recognized each year. On Nov. 25, 2008, President George W. Bush announced PVHS as one of three recipients for 2008 — and the only health care organization to be so recognized. The yearlong delay between the announcement and actual presentation of the award occurred because of scheduling difficulties with the White House.
"I feel like for me it's a verification that the principles of the gospel are true," Brother Stacey said. "They're true in the Church and they're true in your secular life. They are true teachings no matter where you go, and it's led this organization to receive the highest quality award that the world has to offer."
Thirteen years ago when Brother Stacey took the helm, PVHS was on the brink of organizational chaos. The annual employee turnover rate was almost 30 percent, and the company had endured five CEOs in four years. It took consistent, concerted effort to achieve not only preeminent national recognition for outstanding quality, but industry-leading stability in the form of an annual employee turnover rate down around 5 percent.
One of Brother Stacey's preferred tools for improving the experience of patient and professional caregiver alike is the baseline expectation that all his employees feel like working for PVHS is the best job they've ever had.
"I tell every employee that works here, 'If this is not the best job you've ever had in your life, you've got to tell me,' " he said. "I give them my home telephone number, because I expect that they're going to provide the best patient care our patients have ever received, and it's not fair to expect that if I don't first provide them the best place to work."
Vision and priorities
The same qualities that make Brother Stacey so successful professionally also helped him effectively serve as a bishop for six and a half years in the Fort Collins Colorado Stake, where Russ McClure is stake president.
"Rulon has great vision," President McClure said. "He just has that ability to see things, to see how to change things and improve things. He had that ability as a bishop, he has it now as a counselor in the mission presidency, and it spills over into his family and his work.
"He's very gentle with people, too. What's really neat is he doesn't crack the whip so to speak [on] those who serve with him, but he has a kind of loving gentle way of getting people to want to improve and to do better. I think that shows in this incredible achievement at the hospital. I think that was true also in his Church service."
Brother Stacey has also found the time to raise four daughters with his wife, Linda. The couple first met in ninth grade when they served on the seminary council at Orem Junior High School in Utah.
"It requires focus and dedication and fortunately a couple who's hopelessly in love," he mused.
George F. Rhodes Jr., formerly president of the Colorado Fort Collins Stake and currently presiding over the Canada Edmonton Mission, gave counsel to Brother Stacey about the art of setting priorities at the time of Brother Stacey's call to be a bishop. To this day, he still leans heavily on that advice to find enough time for his myriad responsibilities at work, Church and home.
"Based on [President Rhodes'] advice, which I thought was very wise, priorities are about deciding which get done at which time, not saying that I will always focus all of my time on one of these things or the other," Brother Stacey said. "Setting priorities is the art of knowing when each one of those needs to be the top priority. You get better at it as time goes on. …
"The things that you have to draw back on are some of the personal things. What I've had to sacrifice to make that happen is my turnaround jump shot and my short game in golf. What I can't sacrifice is studying the scriptures. What I can't sacrifice is family prayer. What I can't sacrifice is temple. I can sacrifice some time at the driving range. That's where I make that up."
