Key Concepts: Ability to Change Business Focus Vs. Technology Focus, SMART Goal-setting, Healthcare Continuum, Customer Service, Leadership

 During a recent think-tank session with a group of CIOs and MIS Directors, I had the good fortune to talk to some dynamic individuals about issues and changes in healthcare. We discussed a slew of issues ranging from the role of selective outsourcing in IT/healthcare to what a typical IT leader does with his or her time, and given the large number of issues they must confront, what the most productive approach is to being a ‘strategic’ CIO.

It was very interesting to engage with the group of CIOs because just a couple of months earlier, Chris Baldwin, the President of MUSE, led a similar session at MUSE 2001 where some excellent discussion took place (it does pay to attend MUSE). At this meeting, CIOs were able to not only voice their opinions freely, but also to drive the agenda, and now MUSE is in the midst of setting up a CIO Executive Institute, which is something every one of you should participate in. It is my belief that MUSE is one of the few places where CIOs can freely speak their minds about common critical matters, and exchange some great ideas.

Anyway, as I reflected on all of this brainstorming, I realized that I also personally see many of the same organizational issues during my work with many hospitals around the country. These issues can be summarized under the following areas:

• CIO’s challenge for broad consensus building across the organization Vs the need for speed and the ability to make fast changes while delivering outcome
• Long budget preparation cycles Vs occasional entrepreneurial proposals
• Top-down Vs bottom-up leadership

Given these challenges, I would like to recommend the following five fundamentals that will hold you well over your career.

ADAPT AND THRIVE

A CIO is the one person who should not be content to preserve status quo, but should be an “agent of change” for better quality and a healthier bottom-line. Proactive CIOs recognize that “Average performers are just driven; peak performers are mission driven.” They value “change” and challenge people to grow and adapt. They know that change is not something to fear or resist. It is a blessing. It is the essence of life itself. By embracing and promoting positive change, we grow, we gain confidence, and we enrich our world around us. With change, we are given the opportunity to turn today’s pain into tomorrow’s gain.