Sue Schade

I was fortunate to work with an excellent executive coach several years ago. He helped me gain new insight into who I am and how I lead. I am a much better leader as a result of our year-long work together. And I periodically reconnect with him now to bounce around ideas when going through major transitions. Deciding to work with a coach can be unsettling. I told myself, “sure there are things on my performance evaluation I could work on but mostly I’m fine and don’t need any help; after all no one is perfect”. And I also told myself, “ok, I admit I could use some help but how much do I really have to expose and what will people think if they know I’m using a coach”. So yes, I had those kinds of thoughts when I started and expect you might as well. But my coach put me at ease. He got to know me and started helping me look critically at my leadership style and areas I needed to improve. He was not there to judge me or make me feel inadequate. He took me where I was at. A good coach doesn’t have all the answers but knows how to ask the right questions. A good coach helps you look critically at yourself, your relationships and how you come across to others. A good coach walks the fine balance of challenging you and encouraging you. I have provided professional coaching services to a number of people in the past year and plan to do more in the future. While I have been both a formal and informal mentor to many people over the years and will continue to do that, coaching is different. “Mentoring involves a developmental relationship between a more experienced mentor and a less experienced partner, and typically involves sharing of advice. Coaching is assisting leaders to perform, learn, stay healthy and balanced, and effectively guide their teams to successfully reach desired goals and exceed individual and organizational expectations. Coaching leaders enables them to close the gap between who they are and who they want to be.” — from Linkage on Coaching Leaders I encourage people to find a mentor – look for someone who you consider a role model in your field or in your organization. Ask them if they would be willing to spend some time periodically talking with you and providing guidance and encouragement. Working with a professional coach needs to be considered as an investment in you. Some large organizations develop an internal cohort of coaches to work with others in their organization. They train the cohort and then make assignments or provide them as resources when employees request a coach. These coaching services may be tied into overall leadership development programs. If you have such a program at your organization, consider talking to your boss about whether you can use it. If you don’t have this option at your organization but you are ready and willing to engage in a deeper, focused coaching relationship then consider finding a coach to work with. Depending on your level in an organization and if your management is willing to invest in you, they may cover the cost. Or you might consider sharing the cost – this could send a strong signal to your boss that you are serious about your professional development and willing to invest not just your time but some of your own money. Or you may decide it’s something you can and will pay for on your own as part of your long term investment in you. Just like your gym membership and the time you spend working out is an investment in you, so too is your professional development. Working with a coach is an investment in you. Blog originally posted on www.sueschade.com.

People often ask me how I find time to write a weekly blog with a big, busy CIO job. I tell them all the same thing – it’s a discipline. I try to start early in the week with an idea, draft it one night, come back to it the next night to finalize and then post it on Thursday or Friday morning. Topics are often timely; something strikes me and I tell myself “that will blog”. I add the idea to my running list. This week it included tips on doing presentations for executive groups, personal organization challenges and tips, and what’s possible to accomplish as an interim leader in just 6 months. But this week I had as many as five new ideas but no time to start writing any of them. By Thursday night if I haven’t settled on a topic and started, I’m in trouble. Taking time to write may compete with critical work I need to finish up by the end of the week. This week was one of those weeks. This week started out with a bang.  By 9AM Monday, I was juggling 4 different issues. A system issue after a scheduled weekend service pack upgrade caused problems in our revenue cycle systems. There was an escalated physician report of an access problem over the weekend. Working with my team we could move all but one to closure by the end of the day. It was a week full of meetings and follow-ups squeezed in between. And managing the endless stream of emails. But it was an atypical week with late afternoon/evening meetings and dinners with colleagues every night. This kind of evening schedule impacts one of my other disciplines – nightly exercise. I just have to find the time when I can. We dealt with dissatisfied and frustrated physicians over EMR issues – some that we thought were behind us. We finished prep for our monthly executive IT Steering Committee which included some critical infrastructure presentations on a significant data center investment and disaster recovery planning. This is what a week looks like for CIOs and their leadership team. So the most recent blog topics I have added to my running list will have to wait for future weeks. My blog writing discipline continues. I probably need to go back to my original approach when I started blogging over 2 years ago – decide the topic on the weekend and start the draft on Sunday night before the week kicks into high gear. But this week was one of “those weeks.” Blog originally posted on www.sueschade.com.  

“You need to go beyond puppies and rainbows.” That’s the advice this week from a search firm expert. I’m part of the search committee for the new president of a non-profit organization where I am a board member. The search expert was telling us to go deeper in our questioning. Get past the fluff and canned responses. He said it’s ok to make candidates uncomfortable. I’ve done a lot of hiring in my management career for direct reports. And I’ve been on search committees for executive positions. I’ve also been on the other side of the search process being interviewed for CIO positions. You review resumes, you listen to the search firm’s summary comments on each candidate, and then you finally meet the candidates in the first round of interviews. It’s a process. And you only have an hour or so to get to know each person. What you see on paper are the qualifications. In the interview you get to know the person. I said in one of my first blog posts, hiring the right people is one of the most important decisions managers make. For executive positions, the process is more rigorous with more people involved. After all there is much more at stake when you are choosing one of the top executives. You are all working off the same position description and the organization’s mission and strategy. Yet search committee members come to the process with different perspectives. As a result, they may be looking for different attributes in the candidates. They need to be open to executives taking the organization in new directions and not just finding someone like the outgoing leader. John Glaser, the Partners HealthCare CIO told me when I was interviewing for the Brigham and Women’s Hospital CIO position,”It’s not just what you say but how you say it.” John made it clear that personality was critical. No pressure. Another way of saying it — “Is there the right chemistry?” If the candidate gets to the interview stage, it’s assumed they have the knowledge, experience and skills to do the job. So then it’s about fit. Is this someone people can work with? I met over 20 people during the Brigham and Women’s search process, so there were plenty of people to weigh in on whether I was the right candidate. And as the candidate I was also able to assess if they were an organization and group of people that I wanted to work with. I did. I was there for almost 13 years and loved the leadership team I worked with. When I advise my colleagues in the search process, I remind them that it’s a two-way street. The organization is evaluating them and they are evaluating the organization and the people they’d be working with. I encourage them to be sure they know what they are looking for. If it’s not the right organization or opportunity, say so and withdraw; don’t waste anyone’s time. If there are concerns but you want to know more, keep going until all your questions and concerns are answered. A job change is a big decision, especially at executive levels and when it means relocating your family. It’s fair to say that both sides need to go deep, go beyond puppies and rainbows. Blog originally posted on www.sueschade.com.

It’s been 3 months since the IT leadership team here launched a visual management board and started a thrice-weekly huddle. Since then, we have made numerous adjustments to improve our process.

Many organizations have a Project or Program Management Office (PMO). If not at an organization wide level, at least within the IT department. There are different models. Some PMOs provide standards, tools, methodology and overall tracking. Others provide this foundation as well as a team of project managers (PMs) who can be assigned as needed to major projects. Our PMO at University Hospitals is the latter model. Our PMO has evolved under our new manager, Joe Stuczynski. He and his team are making significant improvements with the support of IT leadership. They have developed a roadmap for further changes and improvements for the next year. It is refreshing to be in an organization where we are not debating about the tools and whether they are good enough. We are not debating about what projects need to run through the PMO and if everyone needs to follow the standards. Instead, we are embracing and leveraging the tools and the PMO is able to focus on what it should be – tracking projects and providing PMs to manage projects. Our 90 minute weekly PMO meeting is attended by department leadership and PMs. It has a standing agenda that includes: Action Items from previous weeks – represents a level of accountability and tracking Process Updates – keeping everyone informed on changes New Project Requests – these are later vetted through the IT governance process Project Successes – acknowledging what was completed the previous week Architectural Review Overview Dashboard – shows total number of projects with Green, Yellow, Red project health by major area and change from previous week Detailed review of each project in Red Program review – each major area (i.e. business, clinical, ambulatory, infrastructure, security) is on a rotation for deeper dive Scope Reviews for new major projects – provides chance to “connect the dots”, discuss any interdependencies and ask questions Outputs from this weekly review that get posted on our IT visual management board are: Project successes Dashboard of all projects by health status For each project in “Red,” we cover the issues, impacts and the action plan to resolve, as well as risks and mitigation plans. The green/yellow/red is noted for the project overall, as well as scope, schedule and cost. With this information at a glance, it is easy to identify where help is needed and what it will take to move the project from Red to Yellow or Green. Scope reviews for new projects include summary, scope, business objectives, budget, timeline, and team members. Having a chance to discuss interdependencies and raise any questions or concerns is critical for a new project. The PMO has a number of goals. Two are particularly pertinent here: Improve Project, Program, Portfolio Management maturity – “get everyone on the same page” Incorporate a continual self-evaluation process Looking at the last few months, these two goals are clearly being met. And that’s powerful. Blog originally posted on www.sueschade.com.

My fourth grandbaby was born this week. I helped out by taking care of his 19 month old big sister while his parents were at the hospital. Being able to be present to give this support to my daughters is one of the reasons I started my next chapter back in January. Why is it so important for me to spend time with my family as my four grandchildren grow up?  My father died when I was just 4 years old. His death left my mother to raise my 3 older siblings and me alone. Her parents lived 3 hours away.  We only saw them a few times a year – a 3 hour drive for a mom and four kids was a big deal back then. My father’s parents had died before my parents were married. And my own daughters grew up without grandparents. By the time my husband and I were in our 30’s, all of our parents were deceased. None of them lived to age 70. As a professional woman, I have worked far more than 40 hours a week since my late 20’s and been in management since 1984. When I had babies, a 6-week maternity leave was the norm. Both my daughters went to infant programs in daycare centers when I went back to work. I learned that babies start to smile at their parents (and it’s not just gas) at around 6 weeks old. I realized that I would miss her first smile being back at work. I treasure the times I have now with my grandkids. My daughters are appreciative of the help I can give but don’t want it to be a burden. I have heard people my age say being a grandparent is great but it’s really nice to be able to hand the kids back to their parents. Yes, kids are demanding and tiring when you are no longer young. And as the grandparent there is so much we don’t know about their specific routines even though we successfully raised our own kids many years ago. My 19 month old charge this week has had a fever and an ear infection. I had to figure out how to get her to take her medicine on top of the normal routines. I’ve quoted various articles and leaders in previous posts, but never a children’s book. As we read the popular and prize winning book “Olivia” by Ian Falconer at bedtime last night, the closing struck home: When they’ve finished reading, Olivia’s mother gives her a kiss and says, “You know, you really wear me out. But I love you anyway”. And Olivia gives her a kiss back and says, “I love you anyway too”. I hope to be a positive role model for my grandkids as they grow up. I look forward to all the fun times we’ll have together. As I watch the debate about gun control in Congress, I hope that our leaders will do the right thing and help move us toward the safe and loving country we want for our children and grandchildren. One of the most powerful health care organizations, the American Medical Association, took a big step last week in calling gun violence a public health crisis. I applaud them for that. Blog originally posted on www.sueschade.com.

This week we all grieve for the families and victims in Orlando.

Picture this. One of your IT leaders tells you they have been pulled into a project by a senior executive; they are trying to figure out who in IT owns it. You tell them that another of your leaders owns it. They are working out the specific issues with yet another leader. The first person says it’s still not clear. So you pull all three of them together for 15 minutes and try to sort it out. With a collaborative team that works well together, that 15 minutes is relatively easy. Your first question is who’s on first? You want to know who owns it and what’s going on. My team has learned that one of my questions about problems is “who wakes up in the morning worried about it?”  Not that I want people worrying and losing sleep. But, it’s a way to identify who owns something and is accountable for it. “Who’s on first?” is another one of those questions. It may be a messy, complex project. It may be off to the side or on the fringe but it still needs a clear owner. After just 15 minutes, my three leaders and I confirmed the right roles for each of them, and next steps. And of course we talked about lessons learned. So what did we learn again in this situation? Role clarification – this is critical for all projects, small or large, high priority or not. Clarifying and communicating sponsor, business owner, project manager, and decision makers is key. Communication – proactive communication throughout the life of a project to all members of the core team and the stakeholders is another key. Setting and managing expectations – this is especially true when dealing with many concurrent efforts with the same set of users and stakeholders. It’s also important when a project that seems simple actually has a lot of complex issues:  technical, operational, legal or something else. I’ll bet you can think of a messy project in your experience that swirled or stalled. You might have some bad memories. Most likely, what went wrong ties back to one of these basics. So clarify roles, communicate, and manage expectations, but make sure you know who’s on first. Blog originally posted on www.sueschade.com.

The first three months of my interim CIO engagement at University Hospitals has flown by. I’m fortunate to be working with a very talented IT team and we recognize there is always room for improvement. We have already made some very positive changes and improvements. We are tightening up how we manage and monitor the production environment to reduce preventable incidents. We do a root cause analysis on every major incident and review them as a team at our bi-weekly leadership meeting, tracking all subsequent action items. We are making progress on numerous major priority projects and there have been several system upgrades and go lives during this period. We are doing detailed planning for our new hospital integration efforts. We are launching our visual management board and leadership huddle next week as part of our lean efforts. And we have re-established an executive level IT steering committee addressing the critical need for IT governance. Our third IT steering committee will be Monday evening. Our CEO and other senior executives are engaged – exactly what we needed. They are developing a deeper understanding of our current work and the many new requests we have received since this year’s budget was approved. We have reviewed with them how our work aligns with UH strategic goals and ranked the projects in relative priority order. At the upcoming meeting we will discuss our strategy for new hospital integration. In particular, we will look at the impact of system-wide requests before all hospitals are on the core systems. And we will look closely at the new requests – why are they needed this year and how do they align with UH strategy. There is an insatiable demand for IT at UH — just like at every other organization I’ve worked for.  But the “yes machine” can’t continue unless there are tradeoffs. IT leadership teams appreciate it when executives say “it’s OK to say no” and that “there can’t be back doors and end runs when something is not approved”. And that approving new projects at this stage in the year means making tradeoffs –  something has to come off the list or get pushed down to make time for a new project. The scope of responsibilities for our executive IT steering committee is not unique or earth shaking – it is the basics you would expect to see: –      Primary governing body for IT strategy and operations –      Communication ambassador for IT –      Planning for future initiatives and direction –      Balance conflicting priorities –      Guidance on specific projects as needed –      Approve unplanned projects –      Provide input and oversight on IT policies Basic but needed. One of the 4 questions I asked in every executive meet and greet session was: how can I have the greatest impact as an interim?  IT governance was a common response. Just over three months on the job and we are having our third steering committee. I listened and they were ready. For a CIO, that’s a good place to be. Blog originally posted on www.sueschade.com.

My mother had to go to work to support four children after my father died from cancer. I was active in the women’s movement in my college years. So, I can’t imagine women not having a career outside the home if they so choose or if they have to support themselves and their families.