Tag Archives: mentor

The art of mentoring: insights for leaders

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Being a mentor is a fundamental role of leaders. A mentoring relationship may be a formal or informal arrangement. I’m currently participating in two formal mentor programs through the NEHIMSS chapter and the Emerging Leaders Program of RIBBA (Rhode Island Black Business Association). Informally I serve as a mentor for many people.

I’ve written many blogs referencing the importance of being a mentor and having a mentor. Bill Russell and I share a commitment to developing next generation leaders. He outlined his concise framework for mentoring on a recent This Week Health Newsroom podcast – “A Framework for Mentoring”. As Bill explains, it’s all about helping your mentee to expand – their network, experience, knowledge and thinking.

As a leader, you have a broad network, and you can help expose your mentee to it. I truly believe that one of the most important introductions I ever received was as the new CIO at Brigham and Women’s Hospital when I attended my first CHIME conference in early 2000. My boss, John Glaser, CIO at Partners HealthCare, (now called Mass General Brigham) introduced me to his CIO colleagues at other large health systems and academic medical centers.  Those connections helped greatly in my early CIO years and laid the foundation for getting more involved in CHIME. When I mentor people, making introductions to others who can be helpful to them is high on the list early in our conversations.

Expanding a mentee’s experience can happen most effectively when you work together in the same organization. Being able to have your mentee participate in certain meetings or initiatives on your behalf or with you is a powerful show of support and encouragement to them.

And of course, expanding their knowledge and thinking comes from your ongoing discussions and the resources you recommend to them. This Week Health is one of the resources I regularly recommend to mentees and others I talk with who are looking to stay current and relevant. Between the various podcasts, interviews with health IT leaders, and daily news headlines, it is worth checking out and sharing with others. As Bill describes it, “This Week Health is a set of channels and events dedicated to transform healthcare one connection at a time”.

Think back over your career to the people who have mentored you in some way. Guessing you would agree that what mentors do is truly priceless.

Related Posts:

Developing tomorrow’s leaders through mentorship and coaching

Mentoring, role models and sometimes a little nudge

Leaders as mentors

7 Ways to develop the next of generation leaders

Generational differences at work

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A recent Becker’s article got me thinking about generational differences at work. Scott Becker wrote the article, “Working with younger generations – 7 thoughts”, focusing on millennials and Gen-Z. He acknowledged that if you label entire generations with broad cliches you may not understand any real differences or similarities between generations. He noted that the state of the economy when you graduate can influence your view on work and career the rest of your life. He goes on to comment on work-life balance, social consciousness, job hopping, tech savviness, and mental health. I encourage you to check out the article.

I am passionate about developing next generation leaders and spend a lot of time informally mentoring and advising people as well as providing both leadership and career coaching services. As a baby boomer, the “next generation” for me includes Gen X (born 1965-1980), Millennials (born 1981-1996), and Gen Z (born 1997-2012). And then there is that micro-generation called Xennials born in the late 1970s or early 1980s. That is where my two daughters and their husbands fall – I can see how they aren’t quite Gen X or Millennials when I think about the general labels. Xennials are described as having an analog childhood and a digital young adulthood.

I have decades of experience to draw on in leading and teaching others, but I also consider myself a continual learner and learn every day from the generations coming behind me. The book “Wisdom @ Work, The Making of a Modern Elder” by Chip Conley is an excellent resource. As the description says, “The secret to thriving as a midlife worker: learning to marry wisdom and experience with curiosity, a beginner’s mind, and a willingness to evolve, all hallmarks of the “Modern Elder.” Continue reading →

Considering a coach in 2022?

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It’s a new year. Time to reflect. Time to set new goals for yourself. If you have ever used a coach or considered doing so, you know the value of investing in yourself. I have provided leadership coaching and career coaching for many health IT leaders in recent years – all at different stages of their professional development and career. Over the years, I’ve written on the value of coaching and professional development. Here is a short list of posts worth revisiting:

When to use a career coach

Investing in you, the value of a coach

Confidence matters as much as competence

Being valued, doing meaningful work

Welcoming feedback

Note – I am taking a short break from writing new posts in January. With all the blog posts I’ve written over the past 7 plus years, I’m using this break to share some of my “classics”. Thank you for being a subscriber – I hope you will encourage your colleagues to subscribe in the coming year.

Developing next generation leaders (literally)

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Over the course of my 35+ year career in health IT management, I have led, coached, and mentored many IT professionals. And situationally I’ve mentored my adult daughters – meaning when they ask for advice. In doing so, I have found analogies with some of my mentees and coachees who are similar ages and at a similar stage in their career.

I am always happy and proud when I see any of them grow and develop, take on new opportunities, and progress in their career. And it’s nice to hear feedback on how I’ve helped on their journey as I continue to work with others.

Now we’re at the “literal” part in this blog post’s title – next generation leaders in my own family.  Both my daughters received awards this year from their employers recognizing their contributions and leadership. My oldest daughter, Katie Killinger, MSN, BSN, NP-C, is the Chief NP of Orthopedic/Spine Surgery at Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital. She received the second annual APP in Excellence Award which recognizes the important contributions Advanced Practice Providers (APPs) make to the hospital. My youngest daughter, Ann Ochiltree, works in the seafood industry and is the Sr. Manager, Executive Communications & Administration at Thai Union North America. She was recognized with the Big 6 Value Award – Innovation. I am very proud of both my daughters and love seeing the examples they are setting for their own young children.

To even mention my daughters here may be considered “parental bragging” as my husband calls it. But I mention them in a broader context of how leaders lead and influence in many different circumstances. 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 →

Leaders as mentors

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Since late May, I’ve had the chance to work with a new group of talented and committed IT professionals at the University of Vermont Health Network. Everyone is working hard towards a common goal with our canstockphoto13471338 (1) mentorupcoming Epic go live. I am impressed every day with the depth of knowledge, flexibility, resilience, and dedication of so many.

I’ve learned much from all of them and would like to think they have learned from me as well. I try to be a good role model in all my words and actions. But no one is perfect! With the pace we are all working these days, it’s a very dynamic environment. We’re heads down addressing issues and getting final tasks done.

If we really believe as leaders that our people are our greatest asset, then in spite of being in crunch time, we need to ensure we are modeling the right behaviors and fostering the kind of culture that people can thrive in. Hard as that may be on our busiest of days, we owe it to our teams.

In a few weeks, we’ll be working long shifts together in the 24/7 command center. There will be many issues to address and problems to fix. The stress will be high. But we will also be sharing the joy of having crossed the finish line together. I have been with this team on their Epic journey for only a few months. Most of them have been on this journey together for a few years. Continue reading →

7 Ways to develop the next generation of leaders

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One of the primary responsibilities we have as leaders is to develop our people. As leaders we can’t lose sight of the fact that our people are our greatest asset. And we can’t say we’re too busy. It must be a canstockphoto21415598 (1) development compassfoundational part of how we work and lead.

Succession planning may be a formal program at your organization. Or it may be something informal that you just know you needs your attention.  After all, you won’t be there forever. You owe it to your organization and your team to have some form of a succession plan.

As leaders, we didn’t get to where we are without the support and investment of others who came before us. It’s up to us to develop the next generation of leaders. Here are 7 actionable ways to support your commitment to the next generation of leaders.

Find out what their goals are – This is especially important if you have come from outside the organization and one of your direct reports applied for your position. Don’t pretend this didn’t happen or you don’t know about it. Be proactive and discuss it with the individual(s). Find out their long-term goals, figure out their gaps so they will be ready next time an opportunity comes up, and agree on a specific development plan.

Provide them exposure at executive and senior leader meetings – Technology is pervasive in most organizations. CIOs are routinely being asked to join one more committee or leadership group so IT is involved and represented. Be selective about what you need to attend. For everything else, identify leaders on your team who can add value but also gain experience by being the IT leader involved. Be explicit about what you are doing with the committee or group leader and make sure you have their support.

Assign a department wide initiative – There are always initiatives that cut across the entire IT organization. They may involve new processes with a heavy dose of culture change.  Identify a leader who can lead the initiative and develop new skills by leading it. It beats the usual “voluntold” approach. Continue reading →