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The Art of Asking Questions

by Ron Ashkenas, published in HBR Online

How well do you ask questions? From my experience, most managers don't think about this issue. After all, you don't usually find "the ability to ask questions" on any list of managerial competencies; nor is it an explicit part of the curriculum of business schools or executive educationprograms. But asking questions effectively is a major underlying part of a manager's job — which suggests that it might be worth giving this skill a little more focus.

We've all experienced times when we've failed at being good questioners, perhaps without realizing it. For example, not long ago I sat in on a meeting where a project team was reviewing its progress with a senior executive sponsor. During the presentation it was clear from his body language that the executive was uncomfortable with the direction that the team was taking. As a result, without any real questioning of the team, he deferred approval of the next steps until he could have a further discussion with the team leader. When he met with the team leader later, he ripped into him for allowing the team to go off-course. Eventually the team leader was able to explain the thinking behind the plan, convinced the executive that they would indeed achieve their objectives, and was given the go-ahead to proceed. But in the meantime the team had lost its momentum (and a week of productivity), and began to focus more on pleasing the sponsor rather than doing the project in the best way.

This is not an isolated incident. Many managers don't know how to probe the thought process of their subordinates, colleagues, and bosses — and instead make assumptions about the basis of their actions. And when those assumptions are wrong, all sorts of dysfunctional patterns can be created. In a financial services firm, for example, a major product upgrade was delayed by months because the product and IT managers had different assumptions about what was to be delivered by when, and kept blaming each other for delays. When a third party finally helped them to ask the right questions, they were able to come up with a plan that satisfied both, and quickly produced incremental revenue for the product.

There are three areas where improved "questioning" can strengthen managerial effectiveness; and it might be worth considering how you can improve your skills in each one.

First is the ability to ask questions about yourself. All of us fall into unproductive habits, sometimes unconsciously. Good managers therefore are always asking themselves and others about what they could do better or differently. Finding the right time and approach for asking these questions in a way that invites constructive and candid responses is critical.

Second is the ability to ask questions about plans and projects. The examples mentioned above both fall into this category. The challenge with questioning projects is to do so in a way that not only advances the work, but that also builds relationships and helps the people involved to learn and develop. This doesn't mean that your questions can't be tough and direct, but the probing needs to be in the spirit of accelerating progress, illuminating unconscious assumptions and solving problems. This is in contrast to some managers who (perhaps out of their own insecurity) ask review questions either to prove that they are the smartest one in the room, or to make someone squirm. On the other hand, many of the best managers I've seen have an uncanny ability to engage in Socratic dialogue that helps people reach their own conclusions about what can be done to improve a plan or project, which of course leads to much more ownership and learning.

Finally, practice asking questions about the organization. Although usually unspoken, managers have an obligation to always look for ways that the organization as a whole can function more effectively. To do this, they need to ask questions about practices, processes, and structures: Why do we do things this way? Is there a better approach? Asking these questions in a way that does not trigger defensiveness and that is seen as constructive is an important skill for managers.

Most of us never think about how to frame our questions. Giving this process some explicit thought however might not only make you a better manager; it might also help others improve their inquiry skills as well.

15 Google Interview Questions That Will Make You Feel Stupid

written by Nicholas Carlson
How would you tackle questions like these in your next job interview?

1. How many golf balls can fit in a school bus?
2. How much should you charge to wash all the windows in Seattle?
3. In a country in which people only want boys every family continues to have children until they have a boy.  If they have a girl, they have another child.  If they have a boy, they stop.  What is the proportion of boys to girls in the country?
4. How many piano tuners are there in the entire world?
5. Why are manhole covers round?
6. Design an evacuation plan for San Francisco.
7. How many times a day does a clock's hands overlap?
8. Explain the significance of "dead beef."
9. A man pushed his car to a hotel and lost his fortune.  What happened?
10. You need to check that your friend, Bob, has your correct phone number but you cannot ask him directly.  You must write the question on a card and give it to Eve who will take the card to Bob and return the answer to you.  What must you write on the card, besides the question, to ensure Bob can encode the message so that Eve cannot read your phone number?
11. You're the captain of a pirate ship and your crew votes on how the gold is divided up.  If fewer than half of the pirates agree with you, you die.  How do you recommend apportioning the gold in such a way that you get a good share of the booty, but still survive?
12. You have eight balls all of the same size; seven of them weigh the same, and one of them weighs slightly more.  How can you find the ball that is heavier by using a balance and only two weighings?
13. You are given two eggs.  You have access to a 100-story building.  The eggs can be very hard or very fragile; that means one may break if dropped from the first floor or may not even break if dropped from the 100th floor.  Both eggs are identical.  You need to figure out the highest floor of a 100-story building an egg can be dropped without breaking.  The question is how many drops you need to make.  You are allowed to break two eggs in the process.
14. Explain a database in three sentences to your eight-year-old nephew.
15. You are shrunk to the height of a nickel and your mass is proportionally reduced so as to maintain your original density.  You are then thrown into an empty glass blender.  The blades will start moving in 60 seconds.  What do you do?

Weekly Wisdom: 9 Snap Judgments Managers Make in Job Interviews

taken from an article by Jeff Haden published at www.bnet.com
I've interviewed thousands of potential employees and hired hundreds of them.  Over time I developed the ability to quickly size up a candidate, sometimes even within a minute or two, based on one or two actions or comments.  My snap judgments were rarely wrong.  (Although I didn't always avoid making one of the biggest hiring mistakes.)  I know what you're probably thinking: "But that is so unfair.  You owed it to every candidate to wait until the interview is over to draw an overall conclusion.  You can't make a hiring decision based on one or two minutes out of an hour-long interview."

Fair enough. But keep in mind most interviewers do the same thing. In fact, the more experienced the interviewer the more likely they are to make snap judgments. Fair or unfair, we’re heavily influenced by first impressions or by what experience indicates are pivotal moments. If you’re the job candidate you can either complain about the unfairness of it all and blow the interview, or accept that fact and use it to your advantage.

Here are some positive thin-slices:

• The candidate immediately thanks me for the interview and says they’re excited about the opportunity. I want you to be glad you’re here. I want you to be excited about the job. If you’re not thankful and excited now you definitely won’t be thrilled after six months on the job. Plus an overt “let me see if this job is a good fit for me” interview can often be painful for the interviewer; even if over the course of the interview you realize you really want the job, you probably already lost us. Emotion — positive emotion — is good.
• The candidate needs to make “truck payments.” Years ago I was in charge of part-time employees at a manufacturing plant. Full-time employees were required to work heavy overtime but part-time employees were not, making coverage (and my job) difficult. When I asked a part-time candidate about their willingness to work overtime I loved the guys who said, “I’ll work all the overtime I can get. I bought a new truck and the payments are killing me.” Every job has a hot button requirement: Maybe it’s frequent travel, maybe it’s last-minute overtime, maybe it’s a particular skill… a candidate who finds out the position’s hot button and meets it is 90% home.
• The candidate is late — but doesn’t tell me why. Say you’re late for an interview. Don’t tell me about traffic or bad directions or parking problems. Just say, “I’m sorry I’m late. If I’ve thrown off your day I will be glad to reschedule whenever it’s convenient for you.” Take ownership, don’t make excuses, and offer ways to make things better. Nothing ever goes perfectly, and knowing you will take responsibility and work to fix problems is impressive.
• The candidate asks for the job. Salespeople ask for the sale, and candidates should ask for the job. Just say, “Thanks for the interview. I really enjoyed speaking with you. And I would really love to work here.” Why should I offer you something you’re not willing to ask for?

And some negative thin-slices:

• The candidate complains. Most people know not to complain about their present employer, but any complaint is a downer. Say you notice a photo of my family standing front of the Colosseum. You say, “Wow, I’ve always wanted to go to Italy… I’ve just never been able to afford it.” Even gentle whining is a bummer. Don’t complain about anything, no matter how justified. Negatives always stand out.
• The candidate isn’t ready. Don’t you hate when you’re standing in line at the grocery store and the person in front of you waits until all their items have been scanned and bagged before they reach into their wallet for their checkbook? The same is true in an interview: Have your resume and everything else you need all set to go. Hit the ground running and immediately focus on the interviewer. “Work” is a verb. Make “interview” a verb too.
• The candidate tries to take charge. Everyone likes a leader… just not in an interview. Feel free to subtly shape the interview and lead the conversation into areas that showcase your strengths, but don’t try to take over. Employers need people who can lead and follow. Plus, be honest, you trying to take over is really irritating.
• The candidate gets “comfortable.” I want you to be relaxed and at ease during the interview, but I also want you to sit up, sit forward, and show the interview matters to you. Kicking back says you don’t really care.
• The candidate asks throw-away questions. Here’s the golden rule: When asked if you have any questions, don’t make a few up to try to impress me. If you have no questions, say so. Don’t ask about something you could have easily learned on your own. Don’t ask questions designed to make you look good. In short, don’t ask what you think I want to hear. Interviewers can tell, and it ends the interview on a down note.

Sage Practice Management Software Sold At Big Loss

The company originally known as Medical Manager--which has one of the largest installed bases of practice management software in the United States--has gone through many twists and turns in its decades long career.  Now it's poised to start an entirely new phase of its evolution with the sale of Sage Software, which includes Medical Manager, to a private equity firm.

The U.K.-based Sage Group recently announced that it had sold Sage Software to Vista Equity Partners, a San Francisco-based investment firm, for $320 million. In 2006, Sage purchased the assets that would become Sage Software from Emdeon for $565 million.

Sage acknowledges it lost between $95 million and $111 million on this sale at the current exchange rate. Nevertheless, it does not appear that Sage Software is bleeding red ink. For the six months ended March 11 of this year, the Sage Group says, the division earned nearly $16 million before interest, taxes, and amortization on revenue of $114 million. And for the fiscal year ended Sept. 30, 2010, Sage Software netted EBITA of $48 million on a volume of $245 million.

That isn't as impressive as it sounds, however, when you consider that Sage Software's net income shrank for the most recently reported six-month period in a prorated comparison with the fiscal 2010 figure. Moreover, the company's annual revenues were lower in 2010 than they were when Sage purchased Sage Software.

[Which healthcare organizations came out ahead in theInformationWeek 500 competition? See 10 Healthcare IT Innovators: InformationWeek 500.]

"This is one of the great boom markets in the history of the health IT industry," noted Sean Wieland, an analyst with Piper Jaffray, in an interview with InformationWeek Healthcare. "So if your claim to fame is that you made money, that might not be enough. You've got competitors like Athenahealth, which is stealing market share from Sage, and is growing earnings at 40% year over year, with profit margins well into the 20% range."

In Wieland's view, the Sage Group didn't understand what it was buying when it acquired Medical Manager and related assets from Emdeon. "When they bought it, it was a declining asset in terms of losing market share, and I don't think they ever turned it around."

Medical Manager's big mistake, Wieland said, was the development of its Intergy practice management/electronic health record (PM/EHR) system. This client-server software, he noted, required "a lot of care and feeding" and was really aimed at medium-sized to large physician groups. Medical Manager's PM customers, in contrast, were mostly practices of one to 10 physicians. The small practices couldn't cope with Intergy, and the large groups didn't want it because they viewed Medical Manager as a vendor that specialized in small groups.

But Sage Software still has a competitive advantage in its share of the market for practice management software, Wieland said. At its height, Medical Manager claimed to have systems installed in 22,500 sites, and the Sage Software website currently says that the company serves 80,000 physicians.

"They still have a large base of physicians using their billing system," Wieland pointed out. "What they need is to come up with is the upgrade path from that [to a new EHR/PM system]. It has to be cloud-based and subscription-based--not something like Intergy that is using a decade-old technology."

This is probably Vista's strategy, he said. (Vista did not return phone calls seeking comment.) "They probably thought they could drive better execution, better innovation in R&D and come up with that logical upgrade path for the existing base."

If Vista makes the right moves, the software vendor could be successful again, Wieland said. "Medical Manager still has a large customer base, and the market share [for billing systems] doesn't switch that quickly. So it's not too late."

by Ken Terry of InformationWeek

5 Simple Steps for Improving Your LinkedIn Visibility

by Stephanie Sammons published by www.socialmediaexaminer.com

Are you wondering how to get the most from LinkedIn? Over the last few months, the LinkedIn network has made upgrades and undergone changes.

If you already have a profile created on LinkedIn, it’s a great time to revisit and refresh your presence!

Or if you’re just wondering how to get started, these 5 simple steps will help you make the most of your time and effort!

Why LinkedIn?

LinkedIn is the largest professional social network online today, with over 100 million professional users. The average household income of LinkedIn users is over $88,000 per year, which outpaces the average income for the readership of the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and Business Week!

If you are a professional or a business owner, you can’t afford to miss out on the opportunity to build relationships with potential customers, clients, partners and peers on LinkedIn. It’s a powerful audience that you can engage, interact with and influence.

#1: Complete your LinkedIn “profile box.”

When visitors first land on your LinkedIn profile, a box displaying your profile highlights fills the screen. Given the importance of first impressions, the information in your “profile box” should be complete, current and optimized.

This is your best chance to make a good impression. In many cases, someone may read through your entire profile, but most people are going to get the information they need from your profile box.

Upload a professional image. This is your very best opportunity to make a great first impression and is essential to attracting connections. No professional photo? No credibility

Create a compelling headline. You only have 120 characters at the top of your profile to describe who you are, whom you serve and how you help. Use brief, descriptive, compelling keywords so the right professionals on LinkedIn can discover you. Focus on terms that your target markets are more likely to search for. What language do they use? Make your headline text compelling, but use words that resonate with your market. 

List your current position and at least two past positions. If you don’t list at least two past positions, your profile won’t be considered “complete,” which can mean missed opportunities to be discovered by prospective clients and customers. Make sure to describe each of your roles in depth, and again use those keywords that will resonate with your target markets! It is also okay to list two or three positions that describe your current role, as I have done in my own profile. 

Add your education information. List colleges and the high school you attended in this area. Why? One of the primary search tools within LinkedIn is the ability to locate people with whom you attended school. This is a potential connection point that can open doors for you. 

Customize your “website” listings. Under the Websites section of your LinkedIn profile, you can have up to three listed. Choose the “Other” option when setting up each of these links and describe the links to your brand with relevant terms. For example, rather than using the phrase “my website,” I use “Smart Social Pro Blog.” Not only is this more descriptive, it also gives me a better opportunity to rank for those keywords in search. 

Include a link to your Twitter profile. Add your Twitter handle to your LinkedIn profile. Visitors to your profile can now follow you on Twitter directly from within your profile box! LinkedIn and Twitter are tightly integrated. You can share your tweets as LinkedIn status updates (best practice: add #in to the end of specific tweets rather than choosing to send all tweets to LinkedIn), and you can share LinkedIn status updates as tweets! 

Edit your “vanity” LinkedIn URL. An example ishttp://www.linkedin.com/in/stephaniesammons. This will enable your LinkedIn profile link to show up in search results under your name on all the major search engines! It is important to claim those results for your name as they provide a gateway into your personal brand.

Following these seven tips will ensure that you put your best foot forward with a comprehensive snapshot of who you are, what you do and where people can learn more about you. Your LinkedIn profile should serve as one of your most valuable professional digital assets. 

*Check out tips 2-5 here!

"What's your policy on Columbus Day?"

Weekly Wisdom: The 10 Worst Things to Put in Your Cover Letter

by Sindhu Sundar at www.fins.com

It's never too early to make a bad impression.

A cover letter or introductory email is often the first thing a potential employer sees when reviewing a job applicant. It's the first opportunity to impress recruiters and hiring managers and, therefore, the first opportunity to disappoint them. Everything from copy mistakes to inappropriate jokes in a cover letter could derail an application.

Here are the top ten worst things to put on a cover letter:

1. Next to Nothing

2. Criticism of a Prospective Employer

3. Personal Stories

4. Awkward Language

5. Someone Else's Words

6. Irrelevant Experience

7. Arrogance

8. Wrong Company Name/Wrong Cover Letter

9. Cultural Preferences

10. Jokes

See the full article here...

This Week in Healthcare IT

M&A, Financial Reports and Funding

PerkinElmer, a human and environmental health technology company, will acquire Caliper Life Sciences, an imaging and detection company, for about $600 million...Automatic Data Processing, a business process outsourcing and software company, has acquired Asparity Decision Solutions, a vendor of decision support software and consumer behavioral data analytics services, for an undisclosed sum...ImpactRx, a prescription market research and IT company, has acquired TargetRx, a provider of physician market research services, for an undisclosed sum.

Computer Sciences Corp. has acquired AppLabs Technologies, a software testing and quality management services provider, for an undisclosed sum...the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society has acquired so2say, a provider of customized media products and communications services, for an undisclosed sum...MD On-Line, a provider of data exchange tools, has acquired health care communications company Strategic Edge Communications for an undisclosed sum.

Telehealth provider Teladoc has raised $18.6 million in funding led by Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Cardinal Partners, HLM Venture Partners, Trident Capital and New Capital Partners.

Contracts

The Oregon Health Authority, the Oregon Health Insurance Exchange Corporation and the Oregon Department of Human Services have selected L.R. Kimball, the engineering infrastructure subsidiary of CDI Corporation, and subcontractor Science Applications International for cyber-security analyses and planning for the state's health insurance exchange...Royal Caribbean Cruises has selected eSeaCare's EHR system for many of its cruise ships...CMS has chosen 3M's ICD-10 medical coding transition tool...North Clinic in Minnesota will deploy eClinicalWorks' EHR application...Wasatch Pediatrics in Utah has selected Phreesia's automated patient check-in system...MedCenter One in North Dakota has picked Elsevier/CPM Resource Center's clinical decision support and documentation tools for EHRs.

The University of Michigan Health System has chosen Connexall USA's clinical alarm and alert data integration system for medical and communication devices at the C.S. Mott Children's Hospital and Von Voigtlander Women's Hospital...Via Christi Health in Kansas has selected QuadraMed's EHR identity management system...the AmeriHealth Mercy Family of Companies, a Medicaid managed care plan in Pennsylvania, will deploy NaviNet's mobile clinical care alerts and e-prescribing services...New Directions Behavioral Health, a behavioral health care company serving four states, has deployed ActiveDocs Opus' document automation software...MidMichigan Health and California-based Citrus Valley Health Partners will use Allscripts' technology to connect and coordinate patient care and will offer Allscripts' EHR system to affiliated physicians.

Product Development and Marketing

Inland Northwest Health Services' Physicians Services technology division will offer Greenway Medical Technologies' integrated EHR and practice management software to its hospitals and physician practices...PhoneFactor has formed a reseller partnership to provide phone-based authentication services to Imprivata customers.

Personnel

Scott Kantor -- former senior vice president and CFO at BackOffice Associates, a provider of data migration and data governance tools -- has been named senior vice president and CFO at Advanced Health Media, a provider of digital media, sales support and compliance management tools for health care...Lynne Thomas Gordon -- associate vice president for hospital operations and director of the Children's Hospital at Rush University Medical Centerin Chicago -- has been named COO of the American Health Information Management Association...Richard Nevins -- former medical director at National Health Enhancement Systems -- will oversee GlobalMed's expansion of clinical telehealth applications.

Geeta Nayyar -- former principal medical officer at Vangent -- has been named CMO at AT&T...Patricia Mechael -- former director of strategic application of mobile technology for public health and development at the Earth Institute Center for Global Health and Economic Development -- has been named executive director of the United Nations Foundation and mHealth Alliance Partnership Board...Hon Pak -- former CIO at the U.S. Army Medical Department's Office of the Surgeon General -- has been named senior adviser to AirStrip Technologies, a provider of mobile medical monitoring systems.

Leon Rodriguez -- former chief of staff and deputy assistant attorney general at the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division -- has been named director of the HHS Office for Civil Rights...Michael Freeman -- former business development and government contracts official at Taylor International Services -- has been named business development manager for NuPhysicia's medical services brand...Jean-Marc Edier -- former vice president of health and human services systems for MAXIMUS, a provider of consulting and program management services for government health programs -- has been named vice president of federal programs for Cognosante, a provider of health IT to state and federal governments and regional organizations...Charles Fazio -- former CMO and senior vice president at Medica Health Plans in Minnesota -- has been named CMO of Gestalt Health, a health IT services company.

Read more: http://www.ihealthbeat.org/articles/2011/9/16/health-it-business-news-roundup-for-the-week-of-september-16-2011.aspx#ixzz1YWoh8JJR

Hot Jobs Roundup!

Take a peek, tell your friends and don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or would like to be considered.  Don’t miss out on a great opportunity; call Kate today @ 434-817-5300 ext 220! 

 

Sr. Director of National Accounts-RETAIL!  One of our largest clients is looking for a talented business development professional with team management experience and a background in healthcare.  Must have direct experience with, or extensive knowledge of, the retail healthcare space—specific experience with the retail pharmacy market is ideal.

EIGHT Regional Sales Directors Needed!  This company specializes in patient flow solutions designed to efficiently manage the transition to post-acute care.  Hospital software sales experience required.  Available territories include:  Pacific NW | SW | Upper MW | Gulf States | SE | Mid-Atlantic | Tri-State Area | New England

Exciting Growth Opportunity in Boston!  If you are looking for a position that offers great career potential and the chance to help shape the future of an organization, look no further.  Work directly with the CEO.  This client has a product—an online community for medical professionals—and paying customers; what they need is someone who can manage a territory that currently includes the greater Boston area.  The ideal person for this job will have exceptional territory management experience, a strong foundation in business development, knowledge of and experience marketing and demonstrating software solutions to office-based physicians and large medical groups, drive and a dedication to customer service.

When it rains, it pours!  Our favorite clients are inundating TMG with career great opportunities for Healthcare IT Sales professionals.  If you are even thinking of considering a job change, send us your resume or give us a call today!