Rob Brinkerhoff Brings a Detective’s Eye to HR

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

People find their way to HR from all walks of life, but you’ve never heard this one. Rob Brinkerhoff, VP and chief people officer at Mercyhealth Wisconsin and Illinois, spent five years in law enforcement before going back to get his master’s degree. Brinkerhoff started out patrolling the streets of Daytona Beach at the height of spring break—and other special events Dayona is known for—before becoming a homicide detective in his hometown.

“I wouldn’t trade those years for anything,” Brinkerhoff says. “I grew up in a socioeconomically disadvantaged neighborhood, and I got the opportunity to come back and help my community and its people during their most vulnerable moments. You learn a lot about people and the human spirit in those moments, and I consider those experiences a blessing.”

After returning to school, Brinkerhoff steadily ascended to more prominent roles at Winter Haven Hospital and Orlando Health before becoming the CHRO at Palmetto Health and Prisma Health. Wanting to support other healthcare organizations across the country, he accepted the opportunity to lead Gallagher’s healthcare services division as its national managing director. But after four years at Gallagher, he felt something was missing.

“I felt a strong desire to return to a health system committed to quality across all aspects of its clinical and operational platforms while developing an aligned workforce,” the CHRO explains. “Coming to Mercyhealth afforded me the opportunity to evolve the people function in a way that aligns with our commitment to quality, service, people, and cost.”

Brinkerhoff joined Mercyhealth in part because of its rich history and strong community brand. Among other accolades, Mercyhealth was a past winner of the Malcolm Baldrige National Award, the high-water mark in quality and organizational performance excellence.

But the organization had also had challenges, especially in the post-COVID environment, that Brinkerhoff knew he could help address.

“I wanted to take a deep dive into how we’re developing and delivering total rewards to drive the EVP and distinguish Mercyhealth as a healthcare provider and employer,” Brinkerhoff explains. “How are we delivering around that, and is it as competitive as we want it to be? Through that process, I’m working with a fantastic team to develop a scalable multiyear strategy to drive how this will look now and into an exciting future.”

The CHRO respects and supports Mercyhealth’s commitment to its workforce. Whatever transformation he would be driving, he knew he would be working in the best interests of Mercyhealth staff. But crafting and driving that transformation requires providing the context and education for those outside HR to understand what his team is trying to do.

“You need to educate and help bring folks to a better understanding of how we can innovate and be more progressive with workforce solutions and driving performance without sacrificing what makes Mercyhealth so special,” the CHRO says. “And at our core, that came down to developing a comprehensive total rewards strategy and building a strategic workforce plan that serves as our true north and drives the success of everything we’re working to grow.”

Brinkerhoff is also a passionate advocate for employee development. Brinkerhoff believes that tailoring approaches to individual employees can create an environment where people want to stay and grow their careers instead of simply moving on.

“That means developing an IDP [individualized development plan] for each person that comes through those doors,” Brinkerhoff says. “And that means rethinking what a review and goal-setting process means.”

A manager and employee meeting once a year for an annual review is doing neither side any favors, Brinkerhoff argues. If the goal is to ultimately improve performance moving forward, meeting once a year to reflect on the past 364 days is almost the perfect vehicle to accomplish the antithesis of that goal.

“Coming to Mercyhealth afforded me the opportunity to evolve the people function in a way that aligns with our commitment to quality, service, people, and cost.”

Rob Brinkerhoff

Instead, the CHRO supports flipping that concept on its head and moving into an area where “it’s 90% windshield and 10% rearview,” Brinkerhoff explains. “We need to develop and equip our leaders to be more focused on developing their people. Employees need to be able to connect to purpose, develop paths to success, achieve their goals, and find ways to put their own plans into motion. This can’t happen in a vacuum. We have to be intentional about building those relationship through a shared commitment to excellence and success.

“As a leader, I support you in your growth and will do everything I can to position you for success, but you have to show up and take accountability for your part in that process. If that’s our game plan, nobody can stop us,” Brinkerhoff says. “This is about growing and achieving goals every day, not just a retrospective look back and a ranking.”

Brinkerhoff’s unique career path from detective to CHRO demonstrates his resilience, gratitude, and belief in the human spirit, which stays strong despite spending the early years of his career meeting people on their worst days. There’s a hopefulness about Brinkerhoff that makes you believe in him and his ability to drive meaningful change at Mercyhealth.

---