Leadership Viewpoints from the 2007 CHIME/HIMSS CIO Forum

CHIME’s first major networking and educational event of the year, the 2007 CHIME/HIMSS CIO Forum, was a resounding success! Over 400 attendees gathered at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, LA to take advantage of a day of unparalleled CIO networking. For those of you unable to attend, a summary of highlights follows:

On Saturday morning, 75 representatives of CHIME and the CHIME Foundation participated in CHIME’s very first organized volunteer opportunity – a morning assisting the New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity with Hurricane Katrina recovery. On Saturday afternoon, golfers had the opportunity to relax, network, and play the course at the TPC of Louisiana. Networking continued on Saturday evening at a welcoming reception for all attendees at the Hilton New Orleans Riverside Napoleon Ballroom.

Sunday began with an opening address by Jamie Orlikoff, President of Orlikoff & Associates, Inc. In his presentation, “Effective Leadership for IT,” Orlikoff discussed what CIOs need to do to make IT relevant to the board, address organizational and national challenges, and facilitate cultural change within their organizations. He stated that to make technological changes, CIOs must first change the culture of the organization, and that cultural changes must start at the level of the board. He explained how to begin the process, what the traditional barriers are to effective IT governance, and the need to assess organizational readiness.

Kelly Perdew, Winner of The Apprentice 2 and Managing Director of Angel-Leveraged Capital followed with a discussion on how the ten leadership principles he learned in the military can be successfully applied to the business world. He discussed the six business icons he tapped for their perspectives on being successful and what it takes to be a leader. He gave examples of how he applied his leadership principles to some of the tasks he had to complete on the The Apprentice 2, the television show on which he prevailed over 17 other candidates and one million applicants. Kelly then gave a detailed description of how to apply the first five of his ten principles: duty, impeccability, passion, selfless service, and planning.

Following a networking luncheon, Michigan CIO Teresa Takai outlined how healthcare CIOs can use what she’s learned during her tenure in state government. She shared that collaboration is the only way that interoperable healthcare IT is going to be successful, and that government is going to be a key player in that collaborative effort. She discussed the critical considerations that CIOs should know about their organizations and what expectations they can have of their state governments.

The final speaker of the day was John Edward Hasse, Curator of American Music at the Smithsonian Institution. In a unique session that combined both speaking and musical performance at the piano, Hasse conveyed what the masters of jazz can teach us about leadership. He said that true leadership dwells in the rich medium of creativity and innovation, and that jazz instructs us to listen closely, find our own sounds, take risks/improvise, remain innovative, brainstorm, collaborate, find and nurture talent, and affirm diversity. His energetic and unusual presentation style inspired the audience to give him a standing ovation – the first standing ovation at a Spring Forum event!

Thanks to all who attended for making this Forum another outstanding CHIME event. We look forward to seeing you at the Fall CIO Forum in October!

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