Take two aspirins and call me in the Morning

December 14, 2013

It isn’t all gloom and doom for my CIO friends in healthcare.  There is hope.  Being proactive and not settling for status quo is a good start.  By adapting this “can do” attitude, you can be the catalyst for change.  Change will not come quickly or easily.  Old habits are hard to break.  Start small on your transformation odyssey, and celebrate small victories.

The first step in your amalgamation is to chart a plan, or direction, a strategy if you must.  Dare I use the word “PLAN”?

Carefully think through what you would do if you were CEO of your company.  Don’t start by listing IT projects, initiate the process by identifying business objectives that you would want to achieve if you were CEO.  For example,

1.  Increase earnings 10 percent in the next 12-18 months.  Note: you can work out the logistics later—just focus on tangible steps you must take to be successful.
2. How can you improve staff productivity noticeably and measurable in the next few quarters?
3. How can you engage the entire work force at all levels?
4. What is your vision for the companies? What does your company look like in 1 year? 3 years? 5 years?  Hint: more products/ more services? New locations? Partnerships? Alliances?
5. How can you engage your customers earlier in the sales cycle/process?  Focus groups? Internet? Web in nars?
6.   Continue macro questions like these until you have a legitimate list of at least 10 items.

Now that you have some sort of semblance of a list of high levels you want to do, what do you do with your list?  The answer is multiple choice:

1.  Nothing
2. Share it with colleagues, peers and management
3. What are others doing in your industry?
4. What are your competitors doing?
5. Carefully review your list and start to prioritize your list.

What was tops on your list?  Why is it the top item on your list?  Is it critical for your company s success?  Is it required by regulatory compliance? Safety? Environmental?  Etc.

Now, take your first item-your highest priority item.  Let’s assume you’ve adequately vetted this item. (Authors note: Is that true?).  Does this item provide the most value to the enterprise? What are the critical success factors for this activity to happen?  How do you measure success?  What sort of resources do you need? What time frame does this activity need to be completed in?

Are you starting to get the idea?  Good!

Now start the ball rolling.  Identify individuals either inside the company or outside that have the requisite skills and initiate action/efforts to engage them somehow.  Volunteer? Contractor? Consultant? Reassignement?  Partnership?  All of the above.

It is imperative that you take the ball and start various activities that will yield a positive outcome for your company. 

Don’t wait for approval or someone else to bless your project.  Get the ball rolling.  You can beg for forgiveness later. 

Once progress is begging made and people inside the company and outside see you leading the charge on this very worthwhile effort, you will have others contacting you wanting to participate,

Best wishes for your continued success! Drop me a note and let me know how you did.

Fred Kesinger

FredKesinger@aol.om 

Tags: Chiefs, CIOs, Directors, Healthcare, IT, Leadership