Yearly Archives: 2019

Negotiation is an everyday skill

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When we think of needing good negotiation skills, we often think in terms of salary and promotions. For sales people and buyers, it’s negotiating terms and price. But if you really think about it, you are probably canstockphoto16049179 (1) negotiatenegotiating with someone about something every day.

Let’s look at some different situations.

Negotiating as an employee – This is certainly not an everyday event. You may be negotiating salary as part of a new job offer or a promotion with your current boss. Keep in mind that you can negotiate more than just the salary and any potential bonus. Most companies have a standard set of non-negotiable benefits that the HR representative explains. But there are other components you can negotiate before accepting an offer. One example may be a remote work option or relocation benefits. Consider the “value” of other benefits beyond the base salary as you negotiate. The key to success is to do your research on what might be possible, be ready with your ask, and be clear on what you’re willing to compromise on.

Negotiating as a buyer – This is not an everyday event either. You may be negotiating with a vendor for a product or service. Or you may be buying a new house or car. There may be some situations where there is no room for negotiation but it’s more likely that you be able to. Again, it’s not just the core price but other terms as well. The key to success will sound familiar – do your research, be ready with the ask, and be willing to compromise.

Negotiating as a team member – This could involve a new assignment you have been asked to take on or a due date you have been asked to meet. Neither are set in stone. Continue reading →

Spring can’t come soon enough

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As my daughter says, “You didn’t really think that through, did you?” She wasn’t referring to getting a new puppy which we’d talked about for months. She was referring to getting a “winter puppy” in the North.IMG_0295 (002) puppy

We trained new puppies in the summers of 2006 (Pepe) and 2008 (Coco). We had to let go of Pepe in 2017 due to a tumor on her liver; since then, we focused all our love on Coco. Then, we decided Coco needed an “intern”. Coco would have a friend that she could help train. What a concept!

We got our new puppy, Rosie, in late January. She was about 10 weeks old then.  We bought her a little dog sweater and puffy dog coat. We got her a collar and a leash. We hadn’t really thought that through.

Because, when we picked her up, the breeder said she was like an infant. She couldn’t go outside until probably end of March or she might catch a cold or pneumonia. Plus, she needed her three puppy shots – second was due mid-February and the last one mid-March – before she could be outside around where other dogs have been. Coco is up to date on shots, so they can share space in the backyard. That is, after the snow and cold is gone.

I haven’t even gotten to the two dogs getting to know each other part yet.

We set up Rosie in the shower stall of our guest bathroom. We made a little bed for her, put her food and water dishes nearby and put down papers for her to do her business on at the other end of the shower stall. We leaned a baby gate across the entrance to the shower. We let her out and played with her on the bathroom floor several times a day. We brought her down to the living room at night to sit on our laps while we watched TV. Mostly this worked and she was content. Continue reading →

International Women’s Day all year long

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#Balanceforbetter – what a great hashtag! That’s the theme for International Women’s Day 2019. While it’s celebrated on March 8 each year, the global campaign continues all year long as it should.canstockphoto48269311 (1) IWD

I remember celebrating International Women’s Day back in the 70’s during the height of the women’s movement. With the increased focus on gender equity it has become much more mainstream.

International Women’s Day is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity. According to the website, International Women’s Day (IWD) has occurred for over a century, with the first​ ​IWD gathering in 1911 supported by over a million people in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland. Prior to this the​ Socialist Party of America, United Kingdom’s Suffragists and Suffragettes, and further groups campaigned for women’s equality.

And March is Women’s History Month. According to the Women’s History Month website this month had its origins as a national celebration in 1981 when Congress passed a bill authorizing and requesting the President to proclaim the week beginning March 7, 1982 as “Women’s History Week.” In 1987 after being petitioned by the National Women’s History Project, Congress passed a bill which designated the month of March 1987 as “Women’s History Month.”

I’ve been seeing a lot of women’s events and webinars promoted on social media channels. Webinars and live webcasts I’ve registered for this week include:

  • The State of Women at Work
  • Women in Technology Role Models: A Global Perspective
  • Tech She Can: Together we can change the ratio

It took me a minute to realize that live webcasts at 5 AM weren’t a mistake. With international events online, that’s the middle of the day somewhere in the world. The good news is that they are all available on-demand afterwards at BrightTALK. Continue reading →

Outsourcing in health IT – is it time to reconsider?

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We probably all know at least one negative story on IT outsourcing in healthcare from years past. But the outsourcing pendulum is swinging back. As core IT services become more of a commodity and CIOs need canstockphoto20590634 outsourcingto focus on strategic initiatives, selective outsourcing is worth consideration.

The recent announcement that Trinity Health is outsourcing application management and rebadging approximately 450 staff is getting attention from other provider organizations. There are other examples – many in infrastructure.

More and more I hear from CIOs who are considering selective outsourcing for various reasons – reduce costs, modernize the infrastructure, provide scalability and flexibility as health systems grow, deal with recruiting and retention challenges, or focus on strategic initiatives instead of commodity services. Many CIOs are finding themselves part of overall cost reduction efforts at their health systems. While some CIOs start from a defensive posture and say they can’t possibly reduce costs any further, one of the most progressive IT leaders I know said she is looking at it as an opportunity to transform IT.

I was part of an organization wide cost reduction initiative when I served at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Michigan Medicine and University Hospitals. As the CIO, I was asked to identify opportunities to reduce costs while other departments’ opportunities needed additional IT help to achieve their reductions. But saying no to cost reduction is usually not an option. CIOs must partner with their peers and engage their staff to identify opportunities. Continue reading →

It’s all about relationships

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I’m back in New England in the cold and snow with lots of follow-up tasks after the hyperstimulation of HIMSS19 and a much quieter visit with a friend and colleague on the Florida coast. Yes, that meant a canstockphoto15501323 (1) handshake croppeddaily walk along the beach. As I prioritize and re-prioritize my to do’s, I am reminded that this business is all about relationships.

To show how important the relationships are that I’ve built in my 30 plus years in health IT, here’s some of my scheduled and add-on meetings/calls this week:

  • A discussion with someone who worked on my IT team at Brigham and Women’s Hospital many years ago. She is now a sales director for a security vendor and needed a CIO perspective – she reached out on LinkedIn and I agreed to do a call.
  • Conversations with a few CIOs who are interested in working with StarBridge Advisors as potential advisors. Mutual connections introduced us.
  • A search firm I’d been in touch with years ago contacted me and now I am interviewing for a board position with a vendor.
  • A business partner of a colleague invited me to discuss with an investor the potential to join their advisory board.
  • Talking through an opportunity to host monthly podcasts with a colleague I’ve known for 3 years.

Yes, it’s all about relationships. But it’s not just about who you know. It’s about who you are and how you show up with people. You need to be capable and competent with the right knowledge and experience, but also honest and authentic with high integrity. That’s what it takes to be successful in a business that is all about relationships.

One of the best pieces of sales advice I got from a colleague last year was the “know-like-trust-need” model. People need to know who you are and what you can do, they need to like you, and they need to trust you. If you have all that, when they need you, they’ll call you. Simple. That’s why I focus on relationships. Continue reading →

IT matters – why I work in healthcare

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42,000 steps later and HIMSS19 is behind me. Heard insightful and moving speakers at the CHIME CIO Forum. Co-presented with Pam Arora on the relationship between IT and HTM. Sponsored the networking breakfast at the career fair. Facilitated a roundtable at the mentor meetup. Interviewed by Bill Russell for his This Week in Health IT podcast HIMSS series. Walked the exhibit hall. Had many great conversations with new and old colleagues. And promoted our new StarBridge Advisors service, C-change, receiving lot of positive feedback and enthusiasm.

Did I meet my HIMSS19 goals? Yes. Now it’s time for all the follow-up.

In the first two days I was reminded numerous times why I work in healthcare. The CIO Forum planning committee made some bold speaker decisions this year and I applaud them for it. The day included some very personal and touching stories. Continue reading →

Develop women leaders, transform leadership

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I am passionate about developing the next generation of leaders, in particular helping to develop women leaders in health IT. I have joined with Gale Thompson, a renowned leadership coach, to offer a new c change key image li REVISIONservice through StarBridge Advisors called C-change. Our goal is to equip female leaders in health IT with the perspectives, knowledge, skills and support to be an effective leader – her way.

Why are we doing this? We see a world in which female IT professionals hold up half the world in healthcare at all levels.  They are seen, supported, and expected to be leaders.  They are equally as successful and effective as their male colleagues and enabled to be leaders each in their own unique way, drawing on their strengths, values, and personal qualities.  They can effectively bring to leadership both their head and heart.

We want to support the development of female leaders at all stages of their career such that they enter, evolve, and attain leadership positions at a rate equal to their male peers and in a way that fully utilizes their strengths.

To start with, C-change will offer two unique online courses beginning in March:

Preparing Emerging Leaders for Success

This course is aimed at women early in their health IT career who are looking to develop their leadership skills. I will conduct a 6-month online series of participative group webinars for aspiring women leaders. Each series will be limited to 20 participants and include 6 one-hour monthly sessions, each with a presentation and small group breakouts for discussion on the following topics:

Building Confidence – Developing Your Inner Strength and Voice

Finding Your Passion – How to Know When to Make a Move

Negotiating for Success – Negotiation Skills and Crucial Conversations

Building Your Network and Personal Brand – Leveraging Social Media

Making the Right Choices for You – Life/Work Balance

Through this custom-tailored series, you will gain valuable insight and make lasting connections with other aspiring women leaders. Continue reading →

Polar vortex – yet hospitals remain open

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10 states in the Midwest cancelled postal service. Schools were closed for days. Transportation was slowed due to the bitter cold. The frigid cold was blamed for at least 9 deaths. If you live in one of theopen states that had temperatures as cold as -25 or -35 with windchills lower than -50 and you could stay inside or work from home, you probably did. But hospital employees in all those states did what they do every day. They somehow made it into work and cared for others. Because hospitals never close. People need them even more at times of extreme weather conditions.

I grew up in Minnesota and except for a few years in the 1990’s, I have always lived in the north. Growing up, we had many bitter cold days and many feet of snow every winter. I remember back then trying to get my head around the concept of windchill when I first heard a number like -60. Growing up in Minnesota you learned to deal with cold and snow. But this is different. With global warming (yes, I believe it is real and we must address) we now see very extreme temperatures in both summer and winter and more frequent, more dangerous and disastrous storms.

I’ve written about every day heroes in previous posts. Hospital employees are certainly on that list! In appreciation of all they do every day, even on the coldest of winter days, I share again a post I wrote a few years ago while serving as a CIO in Michigan after a major blizzard.

Snow days and everyday heroes

If you live in the north, you know about snow days. Your kids feel cheated if there aren’t a few each winter. Parents juggle to find backup plans when school closings are announced. If your employer is quick to close when there is a major storm or tells you to work from home you may breathe a sigh of relief.  You’re just glad that you don’t have to get up at the crack of dawn to shovel out your driveway and try to get down your unplowed street.

But hospitals never close, nor can they or should they. The everyday heroes I want to recognize are everywhere at the University of Michigan Health System. The nurses who pulled a double shift because their colleagues couldn’t make it in to relieve them. The support staff throughout the hospital who ensure patients are cared for, in a safe, clean environment. The diligent teams who ensure there are meals for patients and staff.  There are too many to mention but just think about all the hospital staff you see on a normal day – they all keep the hospital operating like nothing happened.
Continue reading →

#HIMSS19 – are you ready?

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If you work in health IT, you know that the annual HIMSS conference is the biggest annual industry event whether you are headed to Orlando in two weeks or not. The number of emails, blog posts, social media image001 (003) HIMSS19posts, and articles providing guidance and recommendations on HIMSS19 grows with each passing day. And to this year’s theme – yes, we are all champions transforming healthcare through technology!

With so much info out there and so many scheduling choices to make, here are a few more resources and recommendations that might help in your final preparation.

Whether you are attending in person or following the happenings from a distance, the Official HIMSS19 Hashtag Guide will help you focus in on your areas of interest. And of course, you’ll want to follow all the social media ambassadors.

Check out the StarBridge Advisors blog post from principal, David Muntz – “Prepare to visit HIMSS2019 – Health IT’s Magic Kingdom”. David gives his advice for optimal prep and shares our principals’ top picks for this year – mine are #WomenInHIT, #HITventure and #Engage4Health.

At the Career Development Seminar on February 11, David will be presenting “Opportunities in the Rapidly Changing HIT Environment” at Session #4 from 1:00PM-2:00PM and hosting a mentor roundtable on “Future of the Industry” at 3:15PM.

The career fair on Wednesday from 8:30AM-3:30PM is something to consider checking out if you are early in your HIT career, looking for a change, or just want to get some tips from the experts. There is no fee, but separate registration is required.

I’m looking forward to hearing the panel at the #WomeninHIT Meetup – Changing the Scales to #BalanceforBetter on February 12 from 3:00PM-3:45PM at the HIMSS Spot. StarBridge Advisors will be launching a new initiative focused on developing women leaders prior to HIMSS19 – more on this in an upcoming blog. Continue reading →

Just how dependent are we?

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You’ve probably been there. That feeling when you have to relinquish your smart phone for repair; you suddenly feel cut off from everyone and everything. You’re not on vacation, intentionally going off the grid. canstockphoto14698935 (1) smart phoneIt’s a work day. You need to stay connected. You have work to get done.

Tuesday was that day for me. The battery on my iPhone 6 Plus had been draining way too quickly. The battery setting said it needed service and I should bring it in. I made my appointment with the Genius Bar at the Apple Store about 15 minutes from my house. I blocked a two-hour window door to door. Seemed reasonable. I took some work with me to do while they were replacing the battery, but I didn’t think to bring my laptop.

I had a 12:30PM appointment. It was around 1:15 when they took the phone; they said it would be an hour before I would get it back. So much for my two-hour window. I headed to the food court for a quick lunch and did my other work – paper I’d brought with that I needed to review. I suddenly felt incredibly out of touch without my iPhone.

It took only about 15 minutes to review the papers with me. Now what? Well there was one purchase I needed so I headed to a store. I got back to the Apple Store at 2:15 and they weren’t done. The greeter told me it would be another 20 minutes. I thought of one other item I needed and headed to another nearby store.

I returned after 20 minutes. iPhone still not ready. I somewhat jokingly (though I was getting increasingly frustrated) told them this was costing me money since I hadn’t planned to shop that day. More importantly, I had a conference call at 3PM that I needed to do from home on my laptop. So much for thinking a two-hour window door-to-door was enough.

I got my iPhone back at 2:50PM. As it turns out, when they replaced the battery, the display wouldn’t work, and they couldn’t resolve it. So, I ended up with a brand-new iPhone 6 Plus for the price they were going to charge me for the battery. A good but unexpected ending in many respects.

As I ran out of time, they got me set up for phone and text. I quickly called one of the two people for the 3PM scheduled call and said I hadn’t been able to review the prep document that had been sent during this offline window and wouldn’t be able to do the call until 3:30PM.

I headed home with a phone with bare bones phone functionality. Not until I could take time later that day to do the iCloud restore would I be back to normal functioning. Continue reading →