Formed Leaders Form Culture Series
By Mandy Cox
Last month, a Catholic diocesan HR leader emailed us with a question that might sound familiar to you:
“A school employee’s doctor just wrote an IUD prescription for a medical condition, and now the employee is asking why our plan won’t cover it. The principal is not sure what to say — and they don’t want to say the wrong thing. How can I help them?”
If you’ve never heard that question before, you will — and when you do, how you answer it matters more than you might think.
This scenario is happening more often for Catholic employers, especially around prescriptions like IUDs and other contraceptive methods. Even when your health plan correctly excludes contraceptives in line with Church teaching, employees don’t always know the Church’s reasons. Are your leaders prepared to answer these questions?
Why This Moment Is a Leadership Test
On the surface it sounds like a benefits question. But when leaders respond without clarity on mission, moral teaching, and pastoral care, the result can be:
-
Unintended confusion about what your organization stands for
-
Perceived inconsistency in how benefits decisions are explained
-
Undermined trust, both in leadership and in mission
-
Employees hearing a reaction, not a reason
And once that happens, culture shifts away from the shared mission and toward distrust or defensiveness.
This is not merely a policy question — it’s a mission moment.
A Real-Life Example of What Can Go Wrong
Imagine this response from a well-intentioned leader:
“I agree, it seems unfair that this isn’t covered. Most plans do it. I’ll see if we can get it added.”
Even if offered out of compassion, that reply ignores the moral rationale for the exclusion and signals that mission concerns are negotiable.
That’s how confusion spreads — one casual answer becomes the culture cue for everyone.
Formed leaders don’t just avoid saying the wrong thing, they are prepared to provide clarity that reinforces the Catholic mission.
So What Should a Leader Say?
Let’s break down a response that both serves and protects:
- Acknowledge the question with compassion
“Thank you for bringing that up — I understand this can be confusing.” - Repeat what your plan is designed to do
“Our health plan is structured to align with our Catholic mission and provide the best care for our employees and their families.” - Explain why that matters
“Some prescriptions may be written for medical conditions but also have mechanisms that conflict with Church teaching on the dignity of human life.” - Offer support
“I can guide you to the health plan benefits that can help you.”
That kind of response doesn’t just answer a question, it shapes culture.
Why This Matters for Every Leader
Every time a leader sidesteps the mission rationale, it chips away at the work culture of your organizations. When leaders are not prepared, they may:
-
soften mission boundaries unintentionally
-
give employees the impression that the organization doesn’t really stand for what it says it does
-
and make benefits decisions seem arbitrary rather than grounded in deeply-held Catholic beliefs
Most leaders facing these questions weren’t trained for this moment. That’s why we’re developing a professional formation pathway to equip leaders at Catholic organizations with the language, clarity, and confidence they need when these conversations happen.
Formation Is Not Optional
You’ve likely seen these questions in other forms:
-
“Why don’t we cover X when everyone else does?”
-
“Isn’t it discriminatory to exclude Y?”
-
“I had no idea this could even be an issue.”
Those are not just benefits questions; they are cultural inflection points.
And how your leaders respond to them? That’s how culture gets formed.
Formed leaders form culture.
Over the next quarter, we’ll be sharing more scenarios like this to help you see where formation matters most. When your leaders are prepared, questions like these become opportunities to clarify mission instead of moments of confusion.