Hickman comes out singing, draws record crowd

As expected, outgoing CHIME board Chairman George Hickman made an appearance at the opening keynote session of the College of Health Information Management Executives' 2013 Fall CIO Forum Wednesday.

Unexpectedly, he came out singing. Surprisingly, he sang beautifully.

Hickman, the CIO at Albany (N.Y.) Medical Center, belted out a few bars of “Who Am I?” the solo by the character Jean Valjean from musical “Les Miserables.” Hickman did it while standing in the wings, his silhouette projected on a giant screen at center stage.

Hickman said afterward he studied voice as a young man and sings in churches on occasion.

His audience was the largest CHIME crowd in the organization's 21-year history. Registration for the annual meeting this year was a record 750 attendees, according to Russell Branzell, president and CEO of the professional organization for CIOs and other health information technology professionals.

Wednesday's keynote speaker, business consultant Jim Collins, author of management best sellers “Good to Great” and “Built to Last,” said possessing a special sense of humility is a key differentiator between organization executives who are merely effective and those who are at the very top, what Collins called “Level 5” leaders. Steve Jobs at Apple and Andy Grove at Intel wouldn't normally be associated with the common description of humility, Collins said. Where the definition fits them and others, though, is they are leaders who submit themselves to a higher goal or mission.

“All their ego and drive and ambition is channeled outward to something that is bigger and more important than they are,” Collins said.

Are leaders born to greatness? Some may be, but that is irrelevant for most leaders who are not, he said.

“I am absolutely convinced that leaders can be built and good leaders can become great leaders,” he said. “Most of the great leaders that we've studied grew into great leaders.”

They have to find the thing “that pulls the great leader out them,” he said. The conference in Scottsdale, Ariz., runs through Friday.

Follow Joseph Conn on Twitter: @MHJConn

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