At last Friday’s #HITsm Chat, we had a lively discussion hosted by Juliana Ruiz from Bryte Box Consulting (@BryteBox) where we talked about Healthcare IT Influencers and Thought Leaders. If you missed the chat, you can read the whole transcript here.
I thought the first question summarized the chat really well as it talked about the key attributes of a thought leader.
T1: What are key attributes you look for in a thought leader – whether an individual or an organization? #HITsm @BryteBox pic.twitter.com/qdYDEIA9H7
— Healthcare Scene (@HealthcareScene) January 20, 2017
Greg Meyer started the chat off nicely with this observation:
T1: Not a minion, not afraid to forge forward, and not afraid to make mistakes. #HITsm
— Greg Meyer (@Greg_Meyer93) January 20, 2017
Greg was spot on with his comparison to a minion. We want to listen to someone who says something interesting and thoughtful and not just someone who spits out content like a robot.
His comment about thought leaders not being afraid to make mistakes drew some interesting discussion with some agreeing that mistakes are part of thought leadership, but others saying that social media and other things hold it against many leaders who make mistakes. Although, most agreed that mistakes were ok because it was part of growth.
@Greg_Meyer93 Also true. Mistakes equal growth when people apologize and figure out what went wrong. #HITsm
— WHAM Global (@WHAMGlobal) January 20, 2017
I did argue that it really depends how the thought leader treats mistakes. Humility matters a lot when you make mistakes:
I think it also depends on how the leader accepts mistakes. Some humility in mistakes is important. #HITsm https://t.co/ZihknjBGT6
— John Lynn (@techguy) January 20, 2017
The concept of humility seemed to be an important concept for thought leaders as was illustrated by these tweets from Greg and @hospitalEHR:
It’s amazing the impact of ego on our feelings towards someone. #HITsm https://t.co/wGLtm7LxhA
— Hospital EMR and EHR (@HospitalEHR) January 20, 2017
wise man say “It’s amazing what you can accomplish if you don’t care who gets the credit.” #HITsm https://t.co/WnthA0DHub
— Greg Meyer (@Greg_Meyer93) January 20, 2017
Steve Sisko and @WHAMGlobal also chimed in on the importance of thought leaders to be consistent and have a clear voice and style.
@ShimCode So true. Leadership needs a clear voice. #HITsm
— WHAM Global (@WHAMGlobal) January 20, 2017
Our host wrapped up the discussion of what makes a great thought leader with this insight:
T1: Thought leaders use their expertise to push boundaries and embrace change. #HITsm
— Juliana Ruiz (@JulianaRuizCobo) January 20, 2017
I love these principles, because they apply to individuals and organizations. They apply online and offline. They apply in your work life and your personal life. There are so many opportunities for us to be thought leaders. By doing so we can impact a lot of people for good and help a lot of people. There’s nothing better in life than doing something that helps someone else.
Be sure to join us at next week’s #HITsm chat hosted by Bill Esslinger (@billesslinger) from @FogoDataCenters on the topic of “Key Components of Health IT Strategy and Disaster Recovery“.
