Sue Schade

Sue Schade explains why she will approach the next four years with an open mind. 

Transitions of leadership are going on all the time in our organizations: a new CEO, a new VP, or new management at another level; it is change. As I’ve written about, I just completed such a transition. I have served as an interim CIO for eigh plus months. The agreement for the engagement was that I’d stay through the successful transition to the new CIO. We envisioned a 30 day overlap. As the start date for the new CIO approached, 30 days seemed very long. Wouldn’t the new CIO want to get in and get started without me around? But as she and I started planning that time, 30 days seemed reasonable for all that we needed to do. When it came time to start the transition, there was so much else going on each day we found it hard to find the time to focus on the transition work. In the end, we both agreed 30 days was the right amount of time and extremely helpful to her.  [Also: Best Hospital IT 2016: CIOs share secrets of managing a happy IT team] But a 30-day overlap and transition period can be a luxury. Organizations often go through leadership transitions with far less time or even no time for the old and new leaders to work together. When I took the interim engagement, I had an hour conversation with the previous CIO on his second to last day; that was it. I’ve observed another successful leadership transition this year at AAMI. The Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation is a nonprofit organization founded nearly 50 years ago. It is a diverse community of nearly 7,000 professionals focused on advancing safety in healthcare technology. I serve on the AAMI board and executive committee and was on the search committee this year for our new president. Our current president, Mary Logan, announced in November of 2015 that she would retire at the end of 2016. Over the past year, she diligently prepared for a leadership transition to her successor while the search committee found a new leader, Rob Jensen. He started this week. At our most recent board meeting, Mary shared what she called the “bus book”. It’s all the information and background a new president could possibly need to effectively step in if something happened to her. Mary had been developing it with her senior leadership team over the past few years. Knowing she would be turning things over to a new president, she went much deeper in putting it together. Having just completed the CIO transition at University Hospitals, what I saw Mary do was beyond anything I could have imagined doing. But it’s something I’d now consider a best practice. Of course, in a retirement situation with plenty of lead time, this is doable and maybe even expected compared to a resignation with just several weeks’ notice. A challenge for the outgoing person is to provide all the needed information without biasing the new person. You need to let them know the “gotchas” and the potential problem areas. You need to let them know who’s who and the most important relationships to nurture internally and externally. I’ve been advising an internal interim CIO the past few months, helping him be successful in his role while the organization conducted the search process. The new CIO starts next month and the interim is now trying to figure out his transition plan for her. Bottom line I told him his task is to support her through onboarding and help her be successful. And that certainly includes letting her know the “gotchas” and problem areas she’ll need to deal with. Leadership transition assessment and planning is one of the services that my new firm, StarBridge Advisors, will be providing. When there is a leadership change at the CIO level, we can work with executives to assess the current state and the existing IT leadership team for development opportunities, and make recommendations for the next CIO position specification. We can provide interim leadership and assist with the search. And we can serve as a trusted and seasoned senior advisor to the new CIO if needed in their early months. The core values and mission of an organization don’t usually change when a new leader takes over. Finding the right person to build on the best of what is already there, to change what needs to be changed, and to successfully take the organization into the future is the key. Smooth leadership transitions are an important part of this process – for the success of the organization and everyone involved. This post was first published on Sue Schade's Health IT Connect blog.

My first professional event since moving back to New England is tonight, November 7. Boston Health 2.0 is a chapter of the national Health 2.0 organization. They hold monthly meetings to promote and catalyze new technologies in healthcare. The November event is a panel titled “The Power Women of Health IT: Path to Success”. All powerful women have advice to give others and stories about obstacles they’ve overcome. This group of women panelists is no different and I’m excited to be part of it. Helen Figge, senior vice president, Global Strategies and Development at LumiraDx, USA; Cara Babachicos, corporate director/CIO, Community Hospitals, Partners Healthcare. The panel will cover advice on entrepreneurship for women, how women can influence the health IT industry, differing perceptions of competency in men and women, importance of mentorship, how men can be more supportive of professional women, and obstacles we’ve overcome in our own paths to success. But which obstacle should I comment on? Looking back to my early days in management, unfortunately there are many stories to share. There was the male colleague who had it out for me during a five-year period when I was the only woman on the IT leadership team (it was the 80’s). One of the things he did early on was to spread a rumor that I was only in management because I was related to a board member with the same last name. It was so not true; I didn’t even know the board member. As he continued to be combative and uncooperative in our work together, he told me he’d deny anything I said that he said just to intimidate me. He even came into my office one day, shut my office door, held the doorknob and threatened me. Yes, I survived all his bullying behavior and eventually let our boss know what was going on. But it was our next boss who eventually showed him out the door. In a different situation, I had to report a male colleague from another department for sexual harassment and face all the questions and doubts about what happened. And for years, I balanced the responsibilities of two young children while moving up the management ranks and attending an MBA program in the evenings. Were these obstacles? Yes. But they all made me stronger. The takeaway is you must speak up and not tolerate bad behavior from others. And be sure to create a strong support system at work and at home. On the eve of an historical election day when the first woman from a major party is the presidential nominee and stands a very good chance of being elected the first female president of the United States, why not talk about “power women” in health IT and their path to success? This post was first published on Sue Schade's Health IT Connect blog.  

“You need to own your own career and to be open to the possibilities. It applies whether you are early, mid or late career.” That was my opening statement in my early January blog, “New year, next chapter”, when I announced that I was leaving a permanent CIO position to pursue a new path. And it is advice I have often given others. It’s now my time for that next possibility and I’m excited about it. I’ve decided to launch a new health care IT advisory firm, StarBridge Advisors, with two colleagues. I’m teaming up with David Muntz and Russ Rudish. David is a nationally recognized CIO who has served some of the largest and most complex healthcare provider organizations in the country including Baylor Health Care System and Texas Health Resources. Prior to that he served as CIO and was promoted to CEO of Wadley Institutes of Molecular Medicine. David also served as White House-appointed first Principal Deputy National Coordinator, Chief of Staff, and CIO at the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Together David and I have a combined 60-plus years of experience in health IT management. Russ was the Global & US Health Care Leader for Deloitte through 2014. Prior to joining Deloitte, he was Executive Vice President of Eclipsys Corporation, overseeing all client facing activities — sales, marketing, product management, customer support, outsourcing and professional services. Upon leaving Deloitte, Russ formed Rudish Health Solutions, which focuses on strategy and M&A consulting, interim management and executive search. He also became a principal in Health Care IT Leaders, which provides staff augmentation services. StarBridge Advisors will provide world class IT leadership advisory and interim management services to healthcare organizations. We want to be a trusted advisor on leadership matters in the HIT marketplace and to help clients innovate, transform, lead, and make a positive impact on healthcare in the U.S. Our services will include: interim management; executive advisor; leadership coaching; leadership transition assessment and planning; executive search assistance; operational effectiveness; vendor evaluation and selection; and assistance with IT governance, cybersecurity, public policy, interoperability, and patient and family engagement. That means providing today’s solutions and tomorrow’s leaders. We will partner with other firms offering HIT services and bring in individual experts depending on the specific engagement and client needs. I’ve never quite seen myself as an entrepreneur. I have been comfortable finding my place on the executive leadership team of large health care organizations. But I decided to launch a new firm partnering with these two colleagues whom I greatly respect and share common goals. I’m confident we can be successful together and have a positive impact on our industry. I’m excited about this new venture. I continue to be committed to improving health care and to developing the next generation of IT leaders. And I’m certainly not planning to compromise my master plan goals I have already made. As I have said before: “I have considered for some time what I want my next chapter to be, in both my professional and personal life. I want to live close to my daughters and grandchildren in New England and spend more time with them. I want more flexibility and to work less than full-time over the course of a year, and I want to do work I really enjoy.” Remaining true to my master plan. Stay tuned! This post was first published on Sue Schade's Health IT Connect blog.

For starters, be  a sponge and ask a lot of questions.

I was running late in wrapping up a meeting before my next one. I was meeting with a young IT staff member whose manager had encouraged him to get time on my calendar for career advice. We had a hour chat about his future goals. I introduced him to the next person patiently waiting to meet with me – the manager for telehealth – a young man who was relatively new to his position. I figured they should know each other. The telehealth manager walked into my office after the intro and said: “So you’re shaping young minds”. “Absolutely!” I replied. I have adult children and so I realize how valuable this type of access and advice can be. I saw some of the challenges my daughters faced when they graduated from college and started to navigate and grow their careers. I asked myself, “why not be available to their generation?” After all, each of us can probably remember someone who helped us early in our careers. So I concluded it was time for me to give back; I made a commitment to help develop the next generation of leaders. Even though I have had a full schedule as a CIO, I have been willing to take short calls and meetings with anyone who wants to talk about their career and get advice from me. They may be staff members in my IT department or in other departments. They may be students who work in my organization and need to interview the CIO for a class assignment. Or they may be someone to whom a colleague has suggested that I’d be a good person to meet. Many such referrals are for young women who want to learn from me as a female executive in IT. There aren’t that many of us yet in health IT, but the numbers are definitely going in the right direction.  When we meet, I listen a lot. What is their work experience and education?  What are their goals? What motivates them? What choices are they struggling with? Are they considering getting an advanced degree? Are they trying to balance family and work? I usually share a few stories of my own experience that relate to what I’ve heard. If they are in their twenties or still in college, I remind them that they don’t have to decide the rest of their career at this point. Who knows what kind of opportunities there will be 10 years from now. Just look back 10 years; many of today’s jobs didn’t exist then. Especially in technology! If they are in their thirties, I emphasize patience and being open to possibilities. They may not be at the level they want to be, but if they are making steady progress and demonstrating value to their organization, the next step will come in time. I encourage them to find role models and someone who could be a mentor for them. I encourage them to develop inner self-confidence and to network like crazy – and, most importantly, to follow their passion. You need to love the work you do if you’re going to be happy. As my next chapter unfolds, I hope to do a lot more coaching work with leaders to help them build their capability to achieve their goals and maximum potential. And I’ve got some ideas on how to provide a viable and affordable option for young people early in their careers. Stay tuned! This post was first published on Sue Schade's Health IT Connect blog.

After stepping back from her post, Sue Schade has been fortunate to watch University Hospitals new CIO Joy Grosser take charge. Schade shares insights she learned during the transition. 

How can I not comment on the most watched Presidential debate ever? There were 84 million people watching the debate. It was up against Monday night football and in my temporary town, the Cleveland Indians were clinching the American Central championship. For women who have dealt with blatant and subtle sexism throughout their lives and careers, it was the ultimate show.   As my twitter feed and Facebook filled with commentary Monday night and all day Tuesday, the gender politics came into focus.  “Sexism is a man screaming he has a better temperament than a woman who has been patiently waiting to speak after being interrupted 10 times.” A tweet from @nickpraynerr shared by Hostile Politics “Finally the whole country will watch as a woman stands politely listening to a loud man’s bad ideas about the field she spent her life in.” A tweet from Alexandra Petri (@petridishes) | Twitter shared by Being Liberal “And now, a completely unprepared man will interrupt a highly prepared woman, 51 times, only to prove he actually has very little to say!” Ezra Klein sharing a video clip from Vox to prove it. “To the men amazed Clinton hasn’t snapped: Every woman you know has learned to do this. This is our life in society.” A tweet from E. Van Every shared by New York Times The headline that really grabbed me was this one – “Tonite’s US presidential debate will be shown in gender studies classes for years to come.”  (From qz.com)  Yes, it will be quite a case study to dissect for future generations. This one goes beyond commentary and gives some good advice – “Next time you think about interrupting a woman in a business meeting, think about how Trump looked tonight.” A tweet from Rob Bailey @RMB I have written about women and work, the challenges of balancing career and family, and encouraging girls to pursue STEM careers. My unfaltering support for women’s issues should be no surprise. For all the men who “get it” and routinely show support and respect for the women in their lives and their female colleagues at work, I am most grateful. It is way past the time for men and women to stand together and fight sexism in all its forms in whatever situation we find ourselves. We are better than this. And we owe it to ourselves, our children and our grandchildren. Resource: Harvard Business Review – Why Hillary Clinton Gets Interrupted More than Donald Trump, by Francesca Gino This blog was first published at: sueschade | Health IT Connect          

It's not all about work; she's passing on some fun tips to the new CIO.

In the next few weeks, she will try to share  as much knowledge and insight as she can.