Talent Rules!
The views and opinions expressed in this blog are mine personally, and are not necessarily representative of Texas Health Resources or its subsidiaries.
Unlike Hillary, we landed at Pristina International Airport in Kosovo under relative calm. The unmarked military aircraft that flew us in resembled a corporate jet more than government transport. Army soldiers were awaiting us on the tarmac, and we had no fear of danger. It was near Christmas 2004, and the Army had asked my CFO and me to join a handful of generals, politicians and business leaders on a morale trip to encourage our activated Guardsmen stationed in Kosovo. I was honored to be selected.
Upon deplaning, we were greeted by a chiseled young soldier. "Welcome to Kosovo, sir!" Army Sergeant Jeff Masters punctuated his greeting with a crisp salute. Something about him impressed me.
Sgt Masters was assigned as our purser, if you will, our guide to make sure we got from point A to point B without getting lost or killed. He went out of his way to see that our party was comfortable; he answered all our questions and pointed us to the mess hall and latrine. Polished and confident, Sgt Masters' passion for service was evident.
The first evening, we sat in on an awards ceremony that confirmed my impressions of him. Sgt Masters was being decorated for superior performance. Generals sang his praises.
I turned to my CFO and said, "We've got to hire this guy."
Sgt Masters was an Army National Guard Combat Medic when on duty and a carpenter's apprentice when off duty. He had zero technical experience. This did not matter to me because I knew that just about anyone, if willing to apply himself, could learn technical skills. Sgt Masters possessed the one thing that was near impossible to learn: service passion and leadership talent. As I observed him that week in Kosovo, my desire to hire him grew. Once he was discharged from duty, I offered him a position.
I've never been big on résumés. I suppose this was in part due to the battle I'd fought to land my first "professional" job. Armed with a Master's degree and modest experience, I knew I could do the job, but I never got the chance. Citing either my lack of experience or my education as reasons not to hire me, recruiters would overlook the one feature that hinted at my aptitude to succeed: talent. My talent -- a healthy work ethic and a passion to move mountains -- had been developed through a huge chore list growing up and having to work my way through college.
When I finally did enter the workforce, I found little correlation between experience, education and actual performance. Undoubtedly, the ideal is to find a high performer with requisite degrees and experience, but by no means is a robust resume a guarantee for success. Time taught me that success rode in with the talented candidate, the one whose natural reoccurring behaviors and thought patterns saturate the air with songs of a winner.
Although I was slow to land my first professional position, I owe much of my career acceleration to leaders who embraced the philosophy of "Talent Rules!" Each had taken what traditional managers might have perceived as great risk in offering me opportunities for which I did not have the requisite experience or education. They accepted me based on my talent. (I am forever grateful to you: Mary, Mike, Jim, Tom and Kevin.)
My personal journey lent wisdom to my future recruiting and hiring decisions.
Jeff Masters joined us after his tour of duty ended in Kosovo. We assigned him to manage a challenging project that was fraught with disorganization and poor leadership. By the end of his first year, he had successfully helped wrap up the project and yield promised benefits. Mr. Masters worked closely with our technical division, developing field engineering skills along the way. He took on a leadership role.
By the second year, he had moved into the clinical application realm and supported our CPOE system. He brought a fresh level of enthusiasm to the team, which was languishing on a legacy application. As well as bringing organization, Mr. Masters also learned to support clinicians using CPOE -- a complicated world in itself. It gave me joy to see him flourish in using his talents. Today, he is a manager, coordinating the innovative application of technology in a new hospital. I have confidence that this apprentice carpenter combat medic will continue growing and achieve great things for those whom he serves.
Side note: The overseas trip came with a bonus. My deputy CIO had been voluntarily activated a few months earlier for a tour of duty in Kosovo. Late one night, he surprised my CFO and me with a don't-ask-for-permission-lights-out flyby terrain Blackhawk excursion. What a rush! I believe my deputy was pushing the allowable flight envelopes, trying to get me sick; surprisingly, the sickness bag stayed in its pocket. My CFO on the other hand...well that was another story.