CHIME Q&A – Most Helpful Resources

What resources (books-please name, mentors, podcasts, etc) have you found most helpful in your professional journey?

I believe my professional journey has been shaped in ways big and small by the collective wisdom of a massive community; none of my milestones have been achieved on my own by my lonesome. I’ve been undeservingly fortunate to have had the most amazing guides at every org I’ve been with. If I started listing all those who I consider my mentors, this would become a list of names many pages long (you all know who you are). 

Books, there have been many as well, but I’ll list my three absolute favorites, just because they’ve had an impact on me in ways I can’t even fully fathom; from how I choose to approach complex situations to how I plan for the future. Seneca’s “De Brevitate Vitae” (Essay in Philosophy), Herbert’s “Dune” (Science Fiction Novel), and Sagan’s “Pale Blue Dot” (Philosophy). The fact that I list these at the top of my list instead of some of the others that I also consider cornerstones in leadership (“Difficult Conversations” by Stone, Patton, Heen, “Traction” by Wickman, “Outliers” by Gladwell) is just a matter of personal preference; all are amazing and perspective-changing reads. For me, Pale Blue Dot, Dune, and De Brevitate Vitae stand out because I’ve re-read them many times over the years and have found them to be incredibly layered, offering as much insight as I’ve willing to take away from them at the time. I’ve really come to appreciate the amount of introspection they’ve induced in me in my life. And much of this introspection has directly impacted how I approach situations within my career. 

Lastly, I think the important thing to remember is that none of us get where we are on our own; we stand upon the shoulders of giants and are helped in ways large and small throughout our professional journies. Organizations like CHIME play a big role in this because not every CIO is fortunate to have folks that can share relevant leadership experience with them in their org. CHIME brings forward-thinking healthcare technology leaders together as a collective and so when you’re here, you’re in a large community of peers and pioneers in the industry, all willing to offer you guidance by the very act of them being involved with the org. 

–Saad Chaudhry, CIO, Saudi German Hospitals