Q&A with CIO Nicholas Szymanski, Part 3: “Everything We Do Is a Process.”

So much of what IT organizations do – what leaders do to help remove barriers – is about processes. In fact, it’s second nature for IT folks to look at things in a consequential matter. Much of troubleshooting is rooted in knowing what steps to take to remedy a certain situation.

“Everything we do is a process,” says Nicholas Szymanski, who recently took on the CIO role at Richmond University Medical Center. That mindset enables teams to break a problem down, take a step back, and ask why it’s happening.

It’s a philosophy that has served him well, both with his current organization and in past lives. But it can’t happen unless leadership has established a rapport with individuals at all levels, and built trust. In this interview, Szymanski talks about how his team is working toward the ultimate goal of a unified platform, what they do instead of saying ‘no,’ and why he hates the word ‘interface.’ He also discusses what it was like to be RUMC’s first CIO, the importance of transparency, and why he’ll always be a sponge.

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3



* Creating relationships – “It’s probably the most important thing you need to do.”

* Credibility in leadership

* “When you say you’re going to do something, do it.”

* Background in finance and network engineering

* Process improvement & the importance of “fine-tuning each little piece.”

* Answering the most important question: why

* Value of listening: “You start to see why they feel so passionately.”



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Bold Statements

If you don’t have solid relationships with the rest of the team, you’re not going to be able to do much. In this role, the output you’re able to generate is much different than if you were an analyst or a tech specialist. I need buy-in from people.

When you say you’re going to do something, make sure you do it. If you do that, you’ll gain credibility immediately.

I think it comes naturally to most folks in IT, because we look at things in that manner. We look at things as a process: ‘I know if I do A, B is going to happen, and if B happens, C should happen.’ We do that with troubleshooting. Everything we do is a process.

It’s not one big swipe of the magic wand. It’s being able to look at something in a different way. I think it takes a certain type of person and a certain type of training to be able to sit back and dissect something into the core components and then say, ‘Okay, this is where the focus should be.’

There are going to be times where you might just have a difference in opinion, and that’s fine. Sometimes those are the healthiest conversations.

Gamble:  You talked about the CIO’s role in clearing hurdles. That lends into another area, which is establishing relationships with other leaders. How did you approach that when you started the role, and how has it evolved?

Szymanski:  Yes. This is probably my favorite topic to talk about. I would tell anyone new to the role that establishing relationships is probably the most important thing you need to do. The reason I say this is, if you don’t have solid relationships with the rest of the team, you’re not going to be able to do much. In this role, the output you’re able to generate is much different than if you were an analyst or a tech specialist. I need buy-in from people, because we’re ultimately trying to complete some type of strategic initiative or maj...