Tag Archives: career

It’s transition time again

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“Until every child is well” is the tag line used by Boston Children’s Hospital, the number one pediatric hospital in the nation as ranked by U.S. News and World Report. I am thrilled to share the news that I started as their interim SVP and Chief Information Officer two weeks ago. What an incredible organization to be able to serve. I am excited to be part of a healthcare provider organization again – even though it is temporary.

Boston Children’s treats more children with rare diseases and complex conditions than any other hospital. In addition to caring for the sickest children in the Boston area as well as nationally and internationally, Boston Children’s is a leading research institution. It is home to the world’s largest pediatric research enterprise, and it is the leading recipient of pediatric research funding from the National Institutes of Health.

Boston Children’s is investing $24M in digital health initiatives (D2.0) over a three-year period with solutions for patients, their families, clinicians and administrative staff. Under the leadership of Chief Innovation Officer, John Brownstein, they have an Innovation Digital Health Accelerator (IDHA) which is partnering with many technology start-ups to provide solutions both internally and broadly to others in the healthcare community.

And let us not forget about the importance of an organization’s culture. The public statement on their website says a lot about the kind of organization they are and strive to be:

“Boston Children’s is dedicated to creating a culture where all patients, families, clinicians, researchers, staff, and communities feel empowered and supported. We are committed to working together to support health equity and promote anti-racist practices. This is not merely an aspirational goal, and in August 2020, we shared our formal Declaration on Equity, Diversity and Inclusivity that will be our guiding compass in making this goal a reality. We will continue to evolve to ensure we provide a welcoming, inclusive environment for all staff and families. Our diversity makes us stronger.”

As the search for the permanent CIO continues, I will be focused on moving the current IT strategic plan forward, gaining alignment on the EHR strategy, and assisting the search firm, AMN Healthcare, to find the best candidate for the future. Continue reading →

Developing next generation leaders 2021 style  

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In 2021, I have said yes to one more way I can help develop next generation leaders. I am excited to be one of the rotating co-hosts on This Week In Health IT Monday Newsday series. Bill Russell has done an amazing job the past three years growing and evolving This Week In Health IT into several different podcast series and channels. Bill shares my commitment to developing next generation leaders through his many different offerings, so I quickly said yes when asked to be one of the co-hosts in the new format of the Newsday series.  Our first episode together will be available January 11, so I hope you will check it out.

Bill’s commitment and goal is clear: develop the next generation of health leaders by amplifying the best thinking. This Week In Health IT has proven to be a valuable contribution to our industry. My health IT advisory firm, StarBridge Advisors, is proud to continue as a channel sponsor in 2021.

After a very successful 2020 with 230,000 downloads and 177 new episodes including the daily COVID Field Report series from March to July, Bill has changed things up yet again for 2021. There are several options to pick and choose from for yourself and to share with your teams. These offerings provide a no-cost, easy, accessible way for staying current and continuing to learn from others.

Monday Newsday – replacing the Tuesday Newsday show, every Monday Bill will have a co-host to discuss key stories in the news.

Wednesday Solutions Showcase – 2020 episodes highlighted AI, Robotic Process Automation, Machine Learning, End Point Security, Social Determinants of Health partnerships, Mental Health integration with primary care and more.

Friday Influencers – Interviews with industry leaders. Guests include IT leaders, health executives and experts who can shed light on the challenges that healthcare faces and the potential solutions. Continue reading →

Say yes to students – they are our future

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There are just so many hours in the day. We can choose what we say yes to and what we say no to. As part of my commitment to developing next generation leaders, I always say yes to individual requests from students and invitations to be a guest speaker at a school. And I never know what other potential connections might come from it.

One of those requests came in October. I got a LinkedIn message asking to be on a panel at the annual Boston Young Healthcare Professionals (BYHP) conference. The young woman who reached out had been an intern in our program at Michigan Medicine when I was CIO. I quickly said yes.

The conference was on “Expanding Our View and Zooming In: What We Can Learn About Healthcare in Our Backyard and Around the World”. My panel was “Healthcare in a Technological Era: Making Boston’s Backyard Even Bigger”. Robert Schultz, managing director at Massnex, was the moderator. On the panelist prep call, I got to know Robert and the other panelists. Robert and I quickly realized that there might be opportunities to work together in the future, so we scheduled a separate call. That call led to another invitation.

Robert teaches the course “Entrepreneurship in Healthcare Organizations” in the Wagner Graduate School of Public Service MPA program at NYU. He asked if I would be a judge for the final class when the students make their business plan pitches – he said think “Shark Tank” but nicer. Of course, I said yes. Continue reading →

Women need male allies

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One of the last glass ceilings has been shattered. Senator Kamala Harris is now Vice President Elect Kamala Harris. She will be the first woman to hold this office. In her speech on November 7, she paid homage to the women who worked to secure and protect the right to vote and the women still fighting to be heard as she said, “Tonight I reflect on their struggle, their determination and the strength of their vision to see what can be unburdened by what has been. And I stand on their shoulders.”

And to future generations, she said: “But while I may be the first woman in this office, I won’t be the last. Because every little girl watching tonight sees that this is a country of possibilities. And to the children of our country, regardless of your gender, our country has sent you a clear message: Dream with ambition, lead with conviction, and see yourself in a way that others might not see you, simply because they’ve never seen it before. And we will applaud you every step of the way.”

The fight for women’s rights and equity is not one that women can wage alone. We need male allies. The good news is that we have many and probably many more that just need some encouragement.

I am seeing an increasing number of resources available on how men can be better allies and support women. Here are two recent articles worth sharing: Continue reading →

Career advice in a competitive market

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I seem to be getting an increasing number of requests for career advice calls these days. Of course, I make time to talk to people I know and try to be as helpful as I can. No question that there are a lot of good and talented people looking for a new opportunity these days for various reasons.

Here is my current baseline advice when I have these calls:

Criteria: You need to establish your criteria such as type of organization, type of role, title/level, culture, salary, and location. This may sound too basic, but it is critical. Not all criteria are equal so apply a relative weight to each. Once you have this framework, you can evaluate each option against your criteria and stay true to them. You don’t want to compromise and then regret your decision in 6 months.

Market trends: Do your research. What are the new and emerging roles/titles? How does your experience align with them? Do you need to reinvent yourself or develop new skills/knowledge to get a new role?

Search firms: Develop and maintain relationships with a few search firms and recruiters. They need to know who you are, what you are looking for, and what you offer compared to other candidates. They can also be helpful and honest about the market and how you compare to others in search. But remember, you own your career and your next move. Continue reading →

5 job search challenges in 2020

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One thing that hasn’t seemed to change during this pandemic is the number of health IT leaders making moves. Since we provide interim management services at StarBridge Advisors, I track these moves closely. I’m currently helping a number of colleagues find new opportunities and having conversations about what it takes to make their job search successful.

I have written many posts focused on career management over the years. Much of that advice remains the same. But in this new environment there are also new challenges:

Updating your resume and telling your story – It is always wise to consider professional resume writing help or at a minimum ask a trusted colleague to review and give you feedback. Ensure your most recent work experience is updated and focuses on outcomes and results. And regardless of why you are looking, be ready to tell your story succinctly and consistently. It is your story and you need to tell it. This is even more important if you are in between jobs for whatever reason.

Competition – It appears to be a “buyer’s” market with many talented people looking for new opportunities. Whether you have decided it is just time for a change or you were let go due to a merger or layoff, you are in a very competitive market. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. It’s best to pursue several opportunities at a time. But be ready for disappointment. Only one person gets the job in the end. Don’t get discouraged. Learn from each situation and prepare for the next. My post, “So you didn’t get the job”, has some advice you might want to check out. Now is a good time to work your network, let colleagues know what you are looking for and nurture your relationship with search firms. And if you learn about a position that’s not right for you, let others you know in search who might be better suited for it.

Preparing for virtual interviews – It’s very possible that all interview rounds will be virtual, and you will never meet people in person until you start the new position if not well after you start. Continue reading →

Inspiring and developing new leaders – learning from the best

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If you work in health IT, you probably know who John Glaser is. After a very accomplished career, John retired at the end of 2019 but is still very involved in boards, teaching, and writing. He is still making a difference in our industry and for that we all should be grateful. And as many retired grandparents are doing during this pandemic, John is sharing childcare duties with his wife for their 18-month-old grandchild.

I was fortunate to work with John for 10 years when I was CIO at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and he was CIO at Partners Healthcare (now known as Mass General Brigham). I can honestly say that John was the best boss I ever had. Many health IT leaders have been mentored by John over the years, been in a class he taught, heard him speak, or read his writing. I feel fortunate to have worked closely with him for those 10 years of my career.

What prompted a post about John Glaser? With the regular podcast listening I do on my daily walks, the Digital Health Leaders Podcast from CHIME is in my rotation. John was recently interviewed on that series by Russ Branzell, CEO of CHIME. There is so much wisdom packed into the 37-minute conversation, it is worthy of CEU credits in my humble opinion.

The most inspiring part of the conversation was when John talked about his life values and leadership models. As he says, we are all going to die someday. So, what do you want to be able to say about your life in your last 30 seconds? For John, it’s the love he and his wife have for each other, providing a blessed life for his three daughters, that he inspired and taught the people he led, and that he left the organizations and industry he was part of better for what he contributed. I can certainly attest to the last two and knowing his family, the first two as well. Continue reading →

This Week in Health IT – Keeping current

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I have highlighted Bill Russell’s podcast series, This Week in Health IT, in several previous blogs and shared many of the episodes on social media. If you work in health IT and are not yet listening to them and subscribing, what are you waiting for? This podcast represents some of the best content available in our industry.

Bill launched the podcast in early 2018. Starting this past March, he pivoted from twice a week to a daily podcast with a COVID-19 Field Report series made possible by the generous sponsorship of Sirius Healthcare. In the first six months of 2020, there were 100,000 downloads compared to 120,000 in all of 2019. With the Field Report series still available for listening, Bill has gone to a three day a week schedule – Tuesday NewsDay and Influence interviews on Wednesdays and Fridays.

There will only be one episode this week – Tuesday Newsday with guest host Drex DeFord as Bill is taking a week off. Drex is a frequent guest on the show and he offers yet another way to receive relevant content with 3xDrex – what he describes as “3 Must-Reads, 3 Days/Week curated by a real healthcare exec” delivered via text.

I highly recommend that you listen to three recent This Week in Health IT episodes:

Atmosphere: State of Healthcare – Bill was the guest speaker at the recent Aruba Atmosphere Digital Conference. His talk provides great insight on the major changes in healthcare and IT the past several months as well as projections for the future. It is truly a unique episode with lots to learn from one of the best! Continue reading →

New year, new job?

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No, this is not an announcement about me. This is a question for you – are you considering making a job change this year? If so, be sure to approach it with an objective and analytical view. Don’t just react to something and make a leap. Be sure you know why you’re leaving where you are and what you want next that you can’t get by staying.

In my blog post “Time for a job change?” I posed a series of questions to ask yourself when considering a job change and provided some pointers on starting the process. I closed that post with the reminder that you own your own career and to always be open to the possibilities. But remember, those possibilities might be in the organization that you are in.

In terms of managing your career, “Taking control of your life” is another post worth checking out. Don’t get caught in the “grass is greener” trap. If you do decide to make a move, make sure it’s an organization that you can commit to, that you are doing work you are passionate about, and that you have shared values with your colleagues.

If you are frustrated and restless at work, making a move is not always the answer. Talk with your boss about what the dissatisfiers are and propose changes to improve the situation. Make sure your boss knows both your short and long term professional career goals.

And if you manage people, consider the concept of a “stay interview”. An informal stay interview can help leaders find out what’s important to each of their staff. You can ask questions such as:

  • What makes you feel valued at work?
  • What would make your job more satisfying?
  • What can I do more of or less of as your manager?
  • What might tempt you to leave your current position?

Stay interviews are a good way to regularly check in and stay connected to your staff throughout the year. What you learn may give you an opportunity to make some adjustments. After all, hiring the right people is one of the most important jobs of management and retaining and growing them comes next.

Related Posts:

Time for a job change?

Taking control of your life

 

Value of podcasts for professional development

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The start of a new year is often a time to establish or renew professional and personal goals. There are common myths that it takes 21 days to form a new habit though researchers who have studied this say it could take from 2 to 8 months to build a new behavior into your life. The end of January marks the first 30 days of the new year. I’m not going to ask how you are doing with your gym goals and whether you are on the road to changing your behaviors about regular workouts. Rather, I’ll ask you if you have a professional development goal for this year.

With tight budgets and busy schedules, finding time to fulfill professional development goals can be challenging. You may or may not be able to get to a training program or conference. And finding time to read publications or electronic newsletters may be wishful thinking given how much work email and reading you already have to do.

I highly recommend the practice of listening to podcasts as part of your ongoing professional development and learning. You can even mix it in with your workout goal. Listening to a 20-30 minute podcast while working out, walking the dog, or on your daily commute is easy and it’s free!

I have subscribed to many different podcasts but my “go to” in order to learn from health IT industry influencers and keep up on industry news and analysis is “This Week in Health IT”, launched by Bill Russell two years ago. Bill has served on executive teams in healthcare, higher education and Fortune 500 consulting practices including serving as Chief Information Officer for St. Joseph Health, a 16 hospital $5 billion system, for nearly five years.

With his podcast series, Bill uses his extensive experience to help leaders, innovators and organizations share their stories in a conversational style to capture the wisdom of the industry and share it with his listeners.

After a successful year one of his weekly podcast, Bill listened to his audience and greatly expanded his offerings. Continue reading →