2 years later

With this post, I’ve reached a key milestone – 100 published posts in 2 years of blogging. I have maintained my discipline of writing a weekly post except for one or two vacation breaks and a short gap canstockphoto13207113as I migrated to a new hosting service earlier this year.

With over 650 regular subscribers and more than 52,000 views to date, my writing is reaching a wide audience. In addition, many of my blogs are re-published on various health IT online sites for an even greater reach. And I’ve been named to various social media influencer lists. Knowing that I’m having a positive impact is what keeps me finding the time to write each week.

The most read blog was “New year, next chapter“.  Many people were interested in the professional and personal transition I was making in leaving the University of Michigan Health System. I decided to go on my own offering consulting, coaching and interim management so I could live near my daughters and grandchildren. I also wanted more flexibility in my life at this stage in my career. Many colleagues have said they are watching me and hope to learn from me as they reach a similar stage in their career.

As the interim CIO at University Hospitals in Cleveland, I have had plenty of new topics to cover, similar yet different from my previous experience. In my first four months, I’ve written about IT governance, lean, innovation, customer service and project ownership. Continue reading

A year of blogging. . .

People often ask me, “How do you find time to write”? I have been writing this blog every week for over a year. A very senior leader in our organization who always compliments my writing told me recently, “If you can find time to write it, then I can find time to read it”. I appreciate all the comments on the posts where people share their own perspective and stories.

It is a weekly discipline. But knowing that the content is appreciated and has an impact keeps me going. Writing has also been a great method of reflection for me – Hansei as the Japanese call it.

I guess with over 450 subscribers and more than 27,000 views to date, it’s more than just my family and closest friends who are reading it – that’s all most bloggers ask for.

Regular subscribers get an email notification for each new post. Beyond that, how do I reach readers? I promote each post through the usual social media channels – Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter — each of which has its own particular audience. I also promote my posts through Next Wave Connect, a social media platform focused on health care.  I’m grateful to Anthony Guerra and Kate Gamble at HealthSystemCIO.com for re-posting most of my blog entries; my CIO colleagues who aren’t connected on social media will see them there. And now I publish some posts directly on LinkedIn at the request of one of my connections. He said it would make it easier to share with all of his connections. Continue reading