Although Veteran’s Day has already passed, many believe that a single day simply isn’t enough time to honor those who have served our country. Over the years, healthsystemCIO has spoken with numerous healthcare IT leaders about how they’ve benefited from their time in the military, and the lessons they still carry with them today.
In commemoration of Veteran’s Day, we’ve assembled a few excerpts that capture the value of being part of the Armed Forces.
Thank you for your service!
“Serving as a naval officer imbues you with a sense of responsibility at a very young age, as well as an understanding of the value of both leadership and communication. I’ve taken both of those messages to heart in that clear leadership and clear communication are necessary to achieve any goal, no matter what industry you’re in.”
Daniel Barchi, CIO, NewYork-Presbyterian
“It was leadership 101 through and through… The Marine Corps is very big on making sure that everyone, from the top of the hierarchy down is empowered to be a leader, because that’s important in accomplishing the mission. I realized that I’m doing the same thing here. Everyone I work with on my team is entrusted as a leader. They’re allowed to make decisions. We talk about what types of decisions they can make, when they need to go up and seek more authority, and when they can do it on their own. It’s great because it makes things run much smoother, and it makes people happier when they have some feeling of responsibility and some feeling of freedom to make changes and make choices.”
Scott Vachon, Director of IT, Littleton Regional Hospital
“The Army teaches us how to be leaders. That’s absolutely the best aspect – learning how to be a leader; learning how to influence, motivate, and bring an organization to change. The military has provided me with opportunities that some people don’t ever get to experience – just being able to work with the greatest nation on earth, and ensure that the healthcare needs of our service members are taken care of. There’s no bigger honor than that.”
Chani Cordero, Chief Operating Officer, Presidio of Monterey Health Services
“The values that I got from a military career, and were able to bring into my current role, are loyalty, commitment and courage. I learned to be loyal to the organization, to make sure that you’re protecting them in every way that you should, and be committed to delivering what you need and the courage to do what you need to do.”
Shane Pilcher, Administrative Director & CIO, Siskin Hospital
“The beauty of the Navy is we’re an expeditionary force. Right now people who are the age and rank I was at retirement have nuclear weapon keys out in the middle of the ocean. That same authority and scope of responsibility is pushed down to levels like I once had of being the entire network administrator for a system. Having that ‘been there, done that’ mentality is a huge part of servant leadership.”
William Walders, CIO and SVP of Operations Support, Health First
“When I was high school, I wanted to get an education, and I saw the Army as a way to do that. But I quickly learned that it’s so much more than that. It’s about serving our country and being part of something bigger. It was so much more than I expected.
It was a great experience. Being in the military teaches you respect. It teaches you discipline. It teaches you some of those basic skills you need in life. It teaches you work ethic. And while I may not have another opportunity to use the exact skills gained during my training in the Army, the skills I gained by being part of a team are certainly transferrable.”
Kate Pierce, Executive Director of IT & Clinical Informatics, North Country Hospital
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