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 Profiles of Today's IT Leaders
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Email article
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Tom Becchetti
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Sr. Unix and Storage Engineer > 29 Years Experience > Minneapolis, MN
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With all of your years in IT, what are a few things you do outside of your day job to help give back to the community?
I am the chairman for a local user group, CMG (Computer Measurement Group – www.cmg.org), on a local college's technology board to help steer future curriculum, and on the advisory board for two different start-up companies.
From a technology perspective, do you have any advice for entrepreneurs out there looking to start their own business?
Make sure your product or service really stands out. It has to show a quick return on investment. Be confidant and a great networker!
What are few technology-related things IT executives could do to enhance their contribution to the community?
Get involved. There are many opportunities within your community. IT leadership and knowledge are needed everywhere.
Aside from virtualization, what emerging technologies do you see making headway from a storage perspective?
Deduplication and cloud are the two big buzz technologies now, which I feel are becoming "old hat" and overused. Looking into the future, what I see as a true problem is the relative immaturity of the Unix and Windows file systems. One of the oldest file systems in use today is on the mainframe. However, this system has capabilities no one in open systems is even talking about … capabilities like having the classification, data protection requirements, and performance needs as part of the file so the operating system can deal with data automatically.
Twenty-nine years in the industry requires a commitment to continuously learning. What do you do to self-educate?
I read every industry magazine I can get my hands on, receive many e-mail feeds from TechTarget, and lately have found Twitter to be great. I like Twitter because I can follow other tweeters with similar interests. You can follow me at tbecchetti.
What advice would you have for the young technology graduate entering the workforce?
I have two fantastic children who, in my eyes, are very successful. From what I've observed, a great work ethic, great attitude, and treating everyone how you would like to be treated will carry you on to a successful career. Always remember to keep yourself marketable through training and education.
What's on your recommended reading list for other senior level managers and storage directors?
My latest favorite book for the infrastructure junkie is The Green and Virtual Data Center by Greg Schulz.
The healthcare reform and stimulus fund is getting a massive amount of media attention. What resources (Websites, blogs, publications, etc.) do you monitor to try to stay current?
I have a very large social network that does a great job at pointing me toward the most interesting articles regarding healthcare reform and other stimulus funds. Regardless of the political party, any time the government provides a service that has competition in the private sector, I am concerned.
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Paul Fabbi
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Manager Client Services
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Provena Health > Mokena, IL
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What job prior to your position with Provena has best prepared you for your leadership role as it is today?
My first career was as an emergency room nurse. Working in a busy ER is great preparation for working in IT. I'm accustomed to a lot of kicking and screaming.
My years in the ER provided me with my mental model for leadership – one of teamwork, prioritization, meaningful work, and having fun.
In a busy ER, it's necessary that everyone work together as a team. Each member, physician, nurse, CNA, lab, radiology, etc., knows their job as it performs as part of a team, all working toward the same goal, with the confidence and respect for each other's role.
This is exactly what's needed in organizations and IT projects, as well. We need to be able to trust each other, understand roles, and develop vendors as partners.
Developing long-term relationships with our vendors is a core competency. Continually hunting for price dilutes the value that a vendor may bring to an organization. Some vendors offer many benefits including price. It's all about relationships.
How would you describe the culture within the Provena IT organization?
We have a project management culture at Provena Health IT. There's a focus on organizational goal setting and resource allocation.
Also, working with organization leadership to determine direction and priorities and then executing to these targets.
What value beyond the day-to-day trench warfare is the IT department at Provena bringing to the business at Provena.
- Our IT Department provided a model for organizational centralization.
- We facilitate the selection of technology and lead the organization toward the EMR.
- Strategic integration of IT systems.
What's one of the biggest challenges your department faces today?
The changes in reimbursement, combined with the implementation of EMR, are our biggest challenges.
These require IT to participate much more closely and effectively within the organization … to understand and participate in quality and performance excellence initiatives, and understand how to effectively apply change management and process design/redesign principles.
As an IT guy, how are you "getting out of IT" and into your industry?
This is easy for me since my background is in the clinical area of healthcare. I feel most comfortable working with our clinical, financial, and ancillary departments helping in the selection, integration, and implementation of information systems.
I think "getting out of IT" is one of the core competencies of the effective IT leader. More than ever, healthcare IT needs to be integral to how business is being done in the organization. Specifically, there are three areas IT leaders need to focus on:
- Quality: This is where healthcare lives. It's clear that knowledge and information drive healthcare and healthcare quality. IT's role in providing access to this information when, where, and how it's needed is integral.
- Performance Excellence: In our current state of reimbursement and focus on cost reduction, IT leaders need to understand their role in improving operational performance. The management tools and data needs driving such initiatives as LEAN processing and ISO 2000 certification are becoming much more mature and sophisticated. IT needs to participate to a much greater degree.
- Technology: This is the traditional IT role, however, technology needs to move parallel with organizational goals and lead in areas such as EMR.
How is the leadership team approaching the healthcare reform initiative coming from Washington?
Our approach to healthcare reform is to participate fully in these initiatives. To actively work with our representatives to help formulate the reform package, and to work cooperatively with other healthcare providers – even our competitors – working toward establishing an effective exchange of information.
How do you self-educate?
I have a passion for continually learning. I've taken a number of courses toward a Ph.D. in Management Development. This has led me to such things as the MIT Open Courseware initiative. This is a Web-based publication of virtually all MIT course content. What a great learning tool!
What early career advice would you have for anyone getting into IT today?
Become knowledgeable regarding process improvement techniques, change management, and adult learning concepts. Knowing what to do is one thing. Actually making it happen through and with other people is another. Then, whatever industry you choose to work in, become immersed in the business. Understand it, know how it works so the systems you design work in conjunction with and enhance the business.
If you could immediately impact the world to be a better place, where would you start?
I would start at home with my wife, my daughter, and myself. This is my most effective circle of influence.
What's your preference when it comes to personal technology?
The Internet. I'm addicted to the instant access of knowledge. Of course, there's much of the Internet that lacks credibility. Probably my biggest gain from my Ph.D. work is learning how to use the Internet effectively for scholarly research, how to locate and identify credible research.
What was your first job?
An ice cream truck driver. To this day, I still have trouble listening to "As the Band Played On."
Your life is your life because...
Only I have lived it. This specific set of genes, circumstances, experiences, and perceptions is uniquely mine, and I wonder where it's going.
Where's your home-away-from home?
I love outdoor activities. Kayaking, biking, cross-country skiing, and having a latte at an outdoor Italian cafe.
I have a necessity for adventure. I've recently completed solo kayaking trips in Voyageurs National Park (International Falls, Minnesota) and just this past August in the Quetico in Ontario, Canada. These are wilderness trips and provide a number of benefits including physical, mental, and spiritual energy. This type of travel is physically demanding, but the mental preparations are demanding, as well. I think the rigors of these types of trips result in greater personal confidence and the mental ability to handle the underlying fears that may keep us from taking risks. It's a good thing to go through.
Favorite movie?
The Princess Bride. Adventure, pirates, true love, ROUSs … what else do you need?
Hobbies?
I read a lot. My new passion is what I call reading "in situ," i.e., reading a novel, or portion thereof, in the original or natural place or site.
I first did this purely by accident while on a trip to Rome a couple years ago.
I brought along Dan Brown's book Angels & Demons. The book is set in Rome, and I found myself reading the book in the actual locations that the action was taking place: the Pantheon, St. Peter's Square, the Piazza Navona. It was fascinating.
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