Intersection of Compassion and Innovation (ft. Sara Vaezy)

Thanks for tuning to Digital Voices podcast, where we chat digital transformation, challenges, and opportunities across healthcare and life sciences. And now, your host, Ed Marx.

Hey, Ed here. Welcome to another drop of Digital Voices. So glad you can join me. I know you have tons of choices about great content to listen to and learn from, and there's so much And I appreciate the fact that you took some time to be with us today. And I think you're really going to enjoy this conversation with Sara Vaezi. And welcome to Digital Voices.

Thanks so much for having me, Ed. It's great to be here.

So we met a while ago. We've known each other in the industry for many years. You're doing great things in Providence. And so we were always looking at what you were doing and learning from you. So I appreciate that. And then one time we did have a chance to sort of collaborate a little bit. It was at Cleveland Clinic. We did this annual sort of innovations event, and you were one of our speakers, and it was great. But the most important thing that people want to know about you is what songs are on your playlist?

Oh, well, I have a very broad taste in music. I grew up listening to a lot of classical music, so it ranges from classical music to what I've actually been listening to a lot of lately is Rage Against the Machine, Black Sabbath, System of a Down, a lot of a little bit harder stuff. So yeah, I go through some phases and I'm in that sort of phase right now.

That's quite a dichotomy between Mozart, Bach, and Ozzy Osbourne, Black Sabbath. That's that's cool. I just actually because it was last evening, I came back from a Kansas concert.

So Kansas they were nice.

Yeah, it's like made me feel pretty old because it's like their 50th anniversary tour. It's like dang, I listened to them in junior high. So I don't know how old that makes me, but wow.

That's awesome. Dust in the Wind is a great song.

I know, and I got to introduce my wife. You know, who's originally from India, so she didn't she missed out on that part. And so I was like, you gotta hear this. It's like probably on the top 10 list for everyone in the world, you know? So yeah, it was, it was a lot of fun. So I appreciate again, you being with us and so much to talk about. You've been with Providence for some time now and you stayed and grew with the organization. So there must be some great things about Providence. So tell us what's some of the great things?

Yeah, so I, just by way of a little bit of background, I've been with Providence almost 8 years. So in January, it will have been 8 years. And currently, I serve as the Chief Digital Officer and the Chief Strategy Officer. And, you know, in those kind of 2 roles and the journey that I've been through, it's really demonstrated to me how forward-leaning Providence is, and how committed the mission, the vision, and then the individual folks across the entire organization are to driving not just innovation, but just like really getting down to like, we need to orient ourselves to serve our communities in a really effective, efficient, progressive way. And I just think that's so cool. You know, when we talk about what we do, we say we operate at the intersection of compassion and innovation. And I found that to be very true in both the thinking and the work that we do that's further out, as well as the day-to-day stuff that happens on the ground.

Yeah, that's really cool. And you also do work on boards and advisory boards and some startup. How does that help shape you and form you? And do you recommend that for other senior leaders?

I would absolutely recommend it, though I don't think folks should be spreading themselves too thin because I think the value from these things gets into— is derived from a deep understanding of the key kind of macro issues that are happening out there, how different organizations are responding to them. And then what are some broader opportunities that are presenting themselves that may span individual organizations, but really come from what happens when we connect the dots across different sectors, across different organizations within a given sector? So I find it very valuable because it helps paint a bigger picture for me. And then I can synthesize that into a strategy for Providence that is, again, thinking about the next set of steps as opposed to what we're sort of deeply embroiled in every single day.

Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. And I jumped right in, but you did share with us a few moments ago your title, and I definitely want to spend a little bit of time talking about the intersection of strategy and digital, which I think is quite Interesting, quite provocative in a good way. And I think you're probably the only organization I know that has gone that direction to this point. But again, to the point you were making earlier about Providence being very forward-thinking and progressive, this makes total sense. But before we get there, you didn't ask me to do this, but I'm bringing it up because I'm a fan of your family's hot sauce. Tell us a little bit about the hot sauce.

Yes, you're a great customer, Ed. Thank you. And we're also hiring you for our marketing department. So we have a very small family-run hot sauce company that really came from the fact that we enjoy eating hot sauce and wanted to eat something that was really delicious and didn't have weird chemicals in it. And so, now, we sort of do this to feed our own habit in a way, but it's a very small family affair and we're constantly experimenting with new flavors too.

Yeah. Like you said, it's all-natural. So, the ingredients are good when you look at the ingredient list. And, I love family businesses. And, I would have to say that the Blue Bonero is my favorite of the 3 that I have. So, So, for any listeners, you should go out. Again, Sarah did not ask me to do this. I'm just telling you because I'm a fan. They can go out. How do they find the hot sauce?

It can be found online at yeaboysauce.com. Yeah, boy is spelled Y-E-A-H-B-O-Y sauce.com.

Yeah. So, we'll put that in the notes as well. And again, if you're only going to choose one, I chose the whole variety pack. It's a 3-pack, but if you're going to choose one, Blue Bonero is definitely the way to go. I just think that's cool. It's always more interesting what people do. I mean, we all have fascinating lives in the workplace and we don't often get to see like what other fascinating things that happen, so that's why I bring it up. All right, so we're going to move on.

Love it.

So how did this combination of strategy and digital come about that you then created this position that you're pioneering?

Yeah, you know, it's interesting. And I'll start with the digital side of things a little bit, because digital can be a lot of things within a system. And a lot of folks have started on their digital transformation journeys. But without connecting it to an enterprise strategy, it can be somewhat tactical or like dabbling in little projects and initiatives that may or may not be mission critical. And thanks to Rod Hochman's visionary kind of personality and orientation, he really didn't want it to be that way, right? Like, if we're going to be doing something, we can't just be doing it for, like, little, little piddly things that aren't going to really return something to the system.

Yeah.

So, connecting digital to broader strategy was, that was part of the equation, which was like, if we're gonna do something, we gotta do it right. We gotta make sure that we elevate it to a mission-critical kind of strategic level. And then in general, also a lot of the journey of Providence as a whole is, may or may not be necessarily exclusively digitally oriented, but we have been in the sort of domain of care delivery for quite some time. But we're also recognizing that exclusively remaining in the delivery, care delivery domain, especially in the last mile, is going to be more and more challenged over time. So we need to continue to grow our organization in terms of how we serve by becoming, inasmuch as we are a care delivery organization, becoming a services organization. Inasmuch as we are a care delivery organization, becoming an information company. Becoming an organization that is really managing the distribution channels and coordinating resources within our communities to serve, not necessarily fulfilling all of those services, right, but working with the right partners to do so. And, and that's the direction that we're headed. You know, scale, not necessarily in the traditional sense of scale, but scale is important, right? I mean, we're seeing that all over, especially in an age where technology is influencing every aspect of almost every single sector and every single part of every organization's business within a sector. Things are moving very quickly, and you need scale to be able to keep pace, to be able to make the investments that are needed. And furthermore, that scale can't be achieved alone. So, we're in the, you know, we're very much in the mindset of scale and achieving that through partnership and really connecting the dots for ourselves, for our communities, in service to other providers, in service to our mission. And that's why those kind of things go together because they're very deeply intertwined.

Yeah, makes total sense. You know, I never thought of it on my own, but when I saw the title and And then certainly with your explanation, it just makes absolute sense. What about on a personal/professional basis? How do you get your ideas for innovation, disruption, transformation? 'Cause people always wonder like, wow, she's in that position. I might wanna be like her. How does she do it? Where does she get the stuff? Are there hacks that you use?

Well, I, I— maybe a couple of different things I would say. Um, uh, I spend a lot of time learning from my own team and from other people, um, and trying at like, uh, voraciously sort of seeking out, um, uh, ways of working, um, and, and doing things and, and just getting as deep as I possibly can. So one is listening a lot and being out there with my team, with other health systems, with folks outside of the industry, and trying to synthesize all of this together and being curious enough to do that. The second is I love playing the ground game. And what I mean by that is ideas from up top are fine and everything, but it's really important to play the ground game and get deep on the ground, on the issues and understanding the problems. I get very deep on the problems with my team because I find that we're often working on a lot of similar things with others, but the way we approach it, the nuances, they really matter and they help to sort of open up and clarify certain things where it may seem like there's a blockage. So I love to play the ground game. Um, the other thing is that, uh, I, uh, try to, um, maintain as much, uh, sort of humility and like clean slate thinking as I possibly can, uh, because, um, if we get caught in like, what about this, what about ism kind of, it just, it hampers some of the problem-solving ability. And so all of those things help me out a lot. And then last thing is, I do try, even though it is a bit difficult, to carve out time for sort of not being in meetings every single second of every single day or responding to email every single second of every single day. I try to carve out at least an hour or two a week. to be able to read and digest and think independently so that I don't get caught in sort of incrementalist approaches or just, you know, limited by what's right in front of me.

Right. Yeah, those are really good ideas. Thank you for sharing those. So you were recently at CLASS. So we're recording in November 2023. sharing a lot of great thoughts and ideas on patient engagement and sort of consumerism. Can you share a little bit about some of the things that you had shared at class?

Yeah, absolutely. And what I'll start with is what I started with at class, which is why do any of this in the first place, right? Like, I think starting with that question and having a clear, concise answer is really critical in ensuring that digital is working on the most important thing that it can be working on. And so, in all of the work that we've done historically and that we're currently working on, we acknowledge that one of the most important things that we need to be doing is building close relationships with our end users. And every industry is in that position. And for us, We're really focused on that relationship with the consumer and the patient. Other industries call it bringing buyers and sellers together or stuff like that. And that's kind of the same principle, though we're not just trying to create buyers, right? We are actually in the— we are committed to service and serving folks that need health and healthcare services. So we got to get close, we got to build a relationship with them. And the way, and the way that we can do that is through essentially this concept of a digital flywheel. So that's one of the key enablers. And what we mean by that is a flywheel for the definition that we're using here is just something that will keep folks coming back when they need services. And it's predicated on the notion of that relationship. Now, you need a technology infrastructure and chassis to keep that going. And what we've built is essentially this notion of, or this platform that knows our individuals that we serve, creates a profile so that that profile can then drive individual personalized experiences, which really matter. Like, that personalization is one of the key elements to building a close relationship. And then, we don't necessarily want folks only to engage with us. And we acknowledge that they're engaging with all sorts of other folks out, you know, companies out there that— and service providers out there. So, we want to Connect the dots. You'll notice that theme a lot. We want to connect the dots for them and make, you know, not just see people and treat them in a very myopic sense, but treat them as whole people and do so in a way that is easy and takes some of the— some of those historical challenges around, like, memorizing tons of passwords or having these very vanilla experiences.

Mm-hmm.

We want to take that out of the equation. So, that's really what we're focused on. And it's essentially just building customer relationships. That's the foundation for everything that we're doing. And it just creates a much better, you know, much better— we're taking an expert system, which is healthcare, and making it digestible for the average user out there. And that's our goal.

Yeah, no, I, I love it. Love what you're doing. So I want to pivot to leadership because I think a lot of people know about you and know about Providence. And as I mentioned earlier, people would be like, I want to be like her, you know, when, as, as I grow my career, what would be, if you were speaking to, and not, and you know, you're, you're, you're still very young in your career. Um, but what would be your advice to, to people like maybe at the, early parts of their career, so maybe at the manager level, who aspire someday to be in the C-suite, who want to lead digital, lead strategy, lead tech, what would be some advice that you'd give them now?

First thing is you really got to love what you do if you want to have longevity in it. And we don't all love everything we do all the time, so I'm not trying to be Pollyanna-ish about it. But if you want to stick around, um, in something, you should like it, and the balance of it should be, um, uh, fulfilling in some way.

Yeah.

So that's like, that's step one. Uh, nothing else really, you know, can, um, can replace that over the fullness of time. Now everybody, you know, I have bills to pay too, right? So like, um, there is a practical matter here, which is we can't always love everything again, and like sometimes we just got to do things that pay our bills. So I'm being practical here, but that is, if you want to do things over the long run, that's number one. That love will translate into how you engage with people. And when times get really tough, that is what I lean on is how much deep actual love and affection I have for the people I work with and the people that are on my team. And how much joy it brings me to work through tough problems with them. We had a great, like, conversation just this morning with— that we expected to be very difficult with one of our partners. And we all came to the table with that sort of joy together and that problem-solving orientation together. And that made a really big difference. Um, uh, when you are in that kind of mode, here's the other thing, don't overthink it. Like, I never anticipated that, you know, I would be in the position that I am in today. And, um, and there were sort of no wrong steps, you know. I did the, the next thing and the next thing that I found, um, that I was given, um, in some cases, like, right place, right time opportunities to do.

Yeah.

Um, and so don't overthink it. In some cases, you know, those— you may not be in the right place at the right time, and in some cases you may be, and just grab it and go.

Yeah.

Um, and make the most of those situations. So, uh, I, you know, I, I, um, I think that the right place, right time thing can't be overstated, actually. And some of it's just, you know, I was fortunate and, um, And I urge folks to try to create those situations for themselves to the extent that they can by finding great mentors, great sponsors, people that really share in their goals. But you got to know what your goal is too.

Yeah. No, those are really good principles to grasp onto. And again, I think if you do that, Like you're saying, that it'll create those opportunities and create some of those the right timing. I think in German they call it Zeitgeist, sort of the spirit of the time. And okay, so on the on the opposite side, so away from work, you know you have stressful roles. They're they're they're challenging roles, and you enjoy it. You love it, but you also have to have downtime. So what do you what do you do for your own downtime to make sure you don't burn out and?

A few things. I have a 5-year-old son that I love to play with. I'm a big fan of play, playing outside, playing games, being silly, reading and silly things, telling jokes. I love jokes. Anyway, I spend a lot of time playing and being silly, and that's huge for me. My weekends are often spent just, you know, doing those kinds of things. I find creative endeavors to be really critical. And one of the key places where I like to be creative is in cooking, because I also like to eat a lot. And so I have a secret talent where I can make a really fantastic meal out of any old thing from the fridge. So I, I like to do that. I get like a visceral satisfaction out of it. And, um, and, uh, I also spend a lot of time, uh, again, like just creative endeavors like drawing. Uh, I play piano. I've played piano for, uh, oh my gosh, 37 years.

Wow.

So, uh, for a really long time. So, uh, Those types of things just help reset.

Yeah, no, that's great. And I think it's important people understand that, you know, leaders like yourself, most of them, right, uh, have a balanced— well, I hate to use the word balanced, but, you know, an integrated life. And you, you know, you find fulfillment, enjoyment, and you make sure you spend the right time in the right, right places and things like that. Um, you know, we covered a lot quickly. We, we talked about, uh, hot sauce. Uh, we talked about a little bit about Providence. We talked more about strategy and digital and also the patient engagement side. And then my favorite topic on leadership, just to get some great insights for you that'll help others. What did we miss, or is there anything you want to double down on? I'll give you the last word.

I think that the world is a very challenging and in many ways troubled place. Um, and, um, trying to do even little bits of good are, um, uh, help me, you know, get up in the morning.

Yeah.

Uh, and I hope that we can all Do that. Um, and that's really our only way out of, um, a lot of the trouble that we're in. Uh, so try to do some good. Don't overthink it. You know, try to love your life, love those folks around you. I know that sounds a little cheesy, but that's what I try to do every day.

Yeah, no, and I, and I believe it, and I think that's very helpful. Again, you know, we sort of, because of where we are, I think, in our careers or the positions that we might hold, you know, uh, you're just sharing, and I appreciate it, very transparently and openly, you know, how you think and what's important. And so it doesn't sound, uh, Pollyanna or anything. It's just, I think it's good for others to hear this and, and to know, uh, just the humanness, right? And you're a very kind person and very giving of your time. And, and you've done so many great things for your communities that, that Providence serves in. So I really appreciate it. I appreciate you, you know, coming on, on Digital Voices and being so transparent. So thank you. I really appreciate it.

Thank you, Ed. It's always great to connect with you. And I loved our conversation. Thanks for having me.

Yeah, it's, it's such a joy and it makes me hungry. I'm gonna have some habanero, blue habanero after we're done. But thanks for everyone joining us on Digital Voices. Again, I know you have choices. We're glad you chose us.

Thank you for listening to Digital Voices podcast with Ed Marx. If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe on your preferred streaming service and leave a rating and review. And most importantly, thanks again for listening.