“Is it true?” I asked Tony Ferrante, director of business development with Computer Design & Integration and Co-Chair of Events with New Jersey’s HIMSS Chapter. “Are you really retiring?”
Ferrante was the fourth employee of the organization and reported for his first day of work 20 years ago to the owner’s garage, (“Honey, are you sure you know what you’re doing?” he wife asked.) He is one of the warmest, most engaging and hospitable people I’ve ever met (a la Chuck Christian). He’s someone that, when you meet him, no matter how junior or clueless you are, has a hearty handshake and a genuine, “How can I help?” at the ready.
As either an organizer or co-organizer — and certainly always the “Grand Poobah” of NJ HIMSS — Ferrante has been instrumental in putting together what I (and many others) consider to be one of the most robust HIMSS chapters in the country. As such, I always attend the annual meeting because of the folks who attend and the reunion-like atmosphere Ferrante has such a role in creating.
At last week’s event, I got the questions I get so many times at shows. “What are you covering? What brings you to the show? What do you hope to get out of it?”
“Well,” I said, “I’m not really here covering anything in particular, and I don’t have a story to do or deadline to meet. I’m here to just hang around.” But, truth be told, there is a lot I hope to achieve by my “hanging around” at conferences — I hope to reinvigorate and strengthen the existing bonds I have with key folks and form bonds with others. I hope to reinforce my role as part of a very special community, one I rely on to be professionally successful.
As a perfect example, I was talking with Tom Gordon, SVP/CIO at Virtua whom I ran into leaving a session. We spoke for at least an hour about the industry, our kids, everything, before noticing Shafiq Rab, MD, VP/CIO at Hackensack University Medical Center across the way, standing with his Director of Enterprise Architecture Jeremy Marut. We walked over and the joking and chatting began. Before long, we were joined by Thomas Pacek, VP/CIO at Inspira Health Network and two or three others.
Murat, who had slipped away to do some work when there were two or three standing around, came back to find five or six. “I knew it,” he said, laughing. “Dr. Rab always draws a crowd.” And as anyone who knows Dr. Rab will attest, this is true. The man is not only passionate and driven but hilarious.
And in that half hour or 45 minutes when I was chatting with all those folks, I had accomplished the goal set for my 2.5 hour drive each way to Atlantic City, and my two nights in Harrah’s. It was the same goal that I usually have for conferences and it is the lifeblood of anyone’s success — it is confirming relationships and strengthening friendships.
I had lunch with Ferrante about a year ago and took the opportunity to ask him: “What’s the key to your success been, Tony? What tips can you give me?”
He replied, “Be honest, be fair and always try to help, whether it’s a customer or anyone else. You are your reputation. Keep a good one, and life will be good.”
As I questioned Ferrante further yesterday about his retirement, it turns out, as it so often does, that rumors of his riding off into the sunset are a bit premature. He’s retiring from CDI, but will be doing some independent consulting stuff, “maybe 20-25 hours a week.”
And I’m not surprised, for when you work the right way and focus on making things right — making folks happy and satisfied — you draw great satisfaction from your work, you draw great joy from the professional (not just personal) relationships you’ve developed. And why would anyone be eager to walk away from that?
As far as NJ HIMSS goes, Ferrante says he’s still going to be involved, still helping to put on the event he’s made so successful. And I’m surely going to keep going — not only to strengthen my relationships with others, but to continue shaking the hand, and learning from, the Grand Poobah.
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