Why we’re good at it
Along with all the kinds of adversity any organization can face—like stagnated growth, unaligned operations, financial fog and brand blurring —as Planned Parenthood executives, we have faced existential peril including terrorist threats to ourselves, our staff, and our clinics; infiltrators posing as patients; and our very right to exist being challenged by politicians and courts. We could not have succeeded without sisu, Finnish for determination and resilience. For us, it means not just surviving, but thriving. Not grim endurance, but joyful triumph.
We've got sisu
We think BIG
In leading a five-state health system under constant attack, we had to innovate and think big. Bigger than our obstacles. When faced with an unreliable supply of birth control pills, we helped start up a pharmaceutical and group purchasing company to secure our own contraceptives and other supplies. When faced with untenable tech costs and data protection concerns, we started an IT company. Both companies are operating to this day, as well as telehealth and real estate holding companies, all essential elements to a vertical integration strategy.
We are energized by challenges. And we love to put our expansive mindset to work for others. Tasked with leading a struggling Planned Parenthood business to solvency, we aimed much higher and transformed it from a healthcare option of last resort to a competitive provider for all patients—in the process making us much better equipped to hit that original goal of serving the most vulnerable. The harder your problems are, the more interesting they are for us.
As Minneapolis’ hometown hero Prince said when asked about rain before his Superbowl performance, “Can you make it rain harder?”
We love hard problems
"Organizationally, if you aren’t clear on who you are, you will never achieve who you want to be. Sarah & Cindy get it.”
-Dodie Subler, Founder, Tait-Subler (retired)
ON BRAND:
"I worked with Sarah and Cindy through numerous challenges and initiatives over many years. They consistently demonstrated a rare ability to anticipate and mitigate business risks, and turn those risks into strategic assets. It’s a talent of enormous value."
- Tom Sanders, Retired Attorney, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Planned Parenthood Minnesota North Dakota South Dakota Foundation