Tax season is upon us, and we are all in the process of filing our tax returns. Criminals know this and use this time to conduct tax scams attempting to trick you out of your personal information, or worse, your money. Scams take many shapes and forms, such as phone calls, letters and emails. Many Internal Revenue Service impersonators use threats to intimidate and bully people into paying a fabricated tax bill. That’s why it is important to be vigilant and know what to do if you are the target of one of these scams. Listen in to get cyber smart. 

In this episode of CyberSmart, we hear about Amy’s careful response to an email with an urgent message. We learn about techniques cybercriminals use to trick us, how to spot a phish and what to do when we suspect a phish. Listen in to learn ways that you can help protect Novant Health from cybercriminals.

In this episode of "Within These Firewalls," we chat with Jim about the importance of reporting suspicious cybersecurity issues. Hear how the things our team members share with the cybersecurity team help us secure our environment and how you can report suspicious events. Listen in and get cybersmart.

Featured guests: 

• Elizabeth Outten, senior director of external affairs, Government Relations and External Affairs team.
• Kristen Barnhardt, strategic relationship lead, Government Relations and External Affairs team.
• This episode of Inside Remarkable was edited by Gina DiPietro of Novant Health Public Relations. 

Looking for more information?

• This resource guide, available on I-Connect, guides team members throughout elections.
• Election activity guide, also available on I-Connect, includes a list of do's and don'ts for nonprofits and election activity.
• Register to vote in North Carolina.
• Request a mail-in ballot, also referred to as an absentee ballot, from the North Carolina State Board of Elections. 

In this episode of "Within These Firewalls,” we hear from Traci about a phone call she received from a ‘visher’ impersonating the social security administration. Hear how she paused and prevented falling victim to the attack. We also speak to Joel from the Novant Health cybersecurity products and services team about common strategies vishers take when trying to fool you on the phone and steps you can take to protect yourself from these scammers. Listen in and get cybersmart.

Carmen Canales  00:03

Hello, I'm Carmen Canales, Senior Vice President and Chief People and Belonging Officer at Novant Health. Welcome to Talent Talk, a podcast that focuses on leadership strategies for engagement, development, and retention for the modern workforce. In each episode of Talent Talk, I'll interview a different leader about their transformational practices in leading, engaging and retaining teams and supportive our patients and communities. These conversations will leave you with a few key takeaways and actions you can put into place on your own teams. Our guest today is Onyeka Nchege, Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer at Novant Health. Onyeka has more than 25 years of experience in leading teams developing strategies and building digital technology solutions. Prior to joining Novant Health, Onyeka held leadership positions in multiple industries, including in the automotive aftermarket replacement batteries, financial services, and consumer packaged goods. Onyeka, thank you for joining us today as we focus on transformational leadership.

Onyeka Nchege  01:11

Thank you for having me.

Carmen Canales  01:13

Onyeka, take a moment to tell us a little bit about your background, and about yourself and your role at Novant Health.

Onyeka Nchege  01:20

All right. So, you know, Carmen, I appreciate I appreciate you either, sharing all that about my background. And, and so when I'm asked to tell us a little bit about yourself, I'll be totally honest with you all that sounds great. But I always go into, look, I'm a husband, I'm a father, I'm a son, I'm an uncle, you know, I'm a brother. And that's, that's who I am. At the core of it all, it's about family for me. And that's who you get. I'm a friend, right? And those are all the those are all the things that truly define kind of who I am and and what I want to be known for. You know, it's, it's great that, you know, God, God's been good to me over the years, and I've had an opportunity to be a CIO at, you know, a number of major brands within, within the US and all that's great. But, you know, when it comes down to it, husband, father, son, uncle, brother, friend, those are the things that matter to me.

Carmen Canales  02:26

Onyeka, I love you distinguishing who I am versus what I do. That does not surprise me one bit about you.

Onyeka Nchege  02:33

Yeah. So, and then, and then, you know, at Novant Health, you know, my, my role is just accountability to the DPS team members. It's the accountability to the organization, Novant Health organization, to patient care to all the communities that we serve. It's, it's that role that is all about, you know, how do we leverage technology? How do we leverage innovation? And how do we optimize the things that we currently have today, that allow us to provide that patient care that patient experience that remarkable, right? So that's, that's, that's what the role is all about.

Carmen Canales  03:13

Well, Onyeka, so as you focus on that, tell our listeners about your leadership style, and what's your approach to leadership in general?

Onyeka Nchege  03:20

Yeah, that's a great question, Carmen. You know, from a leadership style, it's, I'd say it's collaborative. That's probably the the word that I would use, you know, what is my leadership style, it's it's a collaborative leadership style, it is a leadership style, that is a that is a purpose driven leadership style that that truly as a, you know, I believe in the lead from the back. And folks always go, what is that lead from the back? And it's, it's the opportunity to allow my team members allow my, my direct reports and all that report into my organization to take a leadership role themselves, right? I'm a firm believer that you know, you don't start leading the day that you're handed an opportunity. You start leading well before you're handed an opportunity. And the only way to really get there is if you have an opportunity to do some of that, to walk a mile if you will, in someone's shoes, in a leader shoes. And so I have an opportunity to push my team members forward and allow them to lead and so that that is the leadership style that I ascribe to. And that's how I, that's how I try to show up every day. Is that collaborative, inclusive leadership style that brings everybody along at the same time.

Carmen Canales  04:30

Onyeka, I hear in your conversation, not just a commitment to leadership, but also in mentorship and in developing leaders. So, tell us what sparked your interest in that. How did you discover that you were good at that? And how did you discover your interest in that?

Onyeka Nchege  04:44

Yeah, so you know, my, my, wow, that goes back that you're taking me back, Carmen (old school!). That goes that goes way back. So, I remember. It's, I'll tell you this story, right. And I and I've recounted the story. I've told the story several times over the years, when I first started working, I worked for an organization called Wachovia. So I graduated college, I went to join the Wachovia operational services on their management training program, you know, you six months intensive, all the all the stuff take you through the rounds at the bank, and you show and then you graduate, and then you get assigned to anyway, I got assigned to this group and I graduated, I went to Georgia State in Atlanta, graduated, started with Wachovia In Atlanta, finished the six-month intensive program and got and got sent to Winston-Salem to work as part of the eCommerce organization. And when I was there, I remember one day, this is some data and myself, I was way back when I first came out, right? And there was, there was this email that came to me, and it was it was a joke, right? So, it's, you know, I don't know if you remember that, like people would always send these emails with all these jokes. And, and, right now it's TikTok and Instagram and all that kind of stuff, right? Nobody sends jokes in emails anymore. Back then they did. And so, I remember getting it reading and thinking it was funny. And I forwarded it to a buddy of mine that worked at the bank with me, right. And later that day, I remember Mark, he was the vice president of...can't remember his full title, but he's the, he was the VP. He got it somehow, got that email and then he calls me into his office, right? And he goes, hang on you stop by? So, I stopped by. And he says, hey man, just want to just want to share something with you. (Oh no) You sent an email out earlier today. And, you know, the question I have for you is, is this who you want to be? Is this how you want people to know you? That you are, he said, you know, I read the same email when it was sent to me. I read it. And I thought it was funny. I laughed at it. But I didn't send it on to anyone. He said, because that's not who I want to be. That's not how I want people to know me. So, the question for you, is that really what you want, and that stuck with me? Right one that he took the time out to coach man, even though I didn't realize that's what coach/mentor was at the time. But he took the time out to do that for me, and to say, look man, let me let me help you along. Because there may be some things that you may not be aware of, there may be some "unspokens" that you didn't know about. And that that literally was the impetus for me to say I want to be I want to be "Mark" one day, right? I want to pay that forward to someone else to someones else, right? And that's how it started for me. So now, you know, I tell people that I that I mentor and coach, you know, I, I want to be a brain to pick, an ear to listen, and a push in the right direction. And that's the commitment I make to them. A brain to pick, an ear to listen, and a push in the right direction when you need it. And so that, that has become, you know, uber-important to me, honestly. Because, I want to see, I want to make sure that you know, folks have an opportunity to do the same things that I did and more, right? Because I look back and I go, like who knows whether that moment with Mark was the, was one of the moments that propelled me on to where I am today. I like to think it did. And so, I want to pay it back.

Carmen Canales  08:27

What a fantastic story about your days as a as a "Wachovian". I remember being called that myself!

Onyeka Nchege  08:34

Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely.

Carmen Canales  08:39

Onyeka tell us about your career. Tell us about your passion for technology and digital innovation. Where does that come from? Was there a particular thing that sparked your interest in that?

Onyeka Nchege  08:51

I don't know that there was necessarily any one thing that that sparked my interest in that. I will tell you, unlike, unlike probably some others that are in this field, mine took a, mine took a non-traditional approach to get here. Because, you know, when I was with, you know, going anchoring back on Wachovia, when I was there, you know, I was I was part of an operations group, not the technology team. But, when I went through that, that, that six months of management training, one of the things that came out was, man, he's got a strong technical aptitude. And so, I was, I was put with an organization, eCommerce back then, that worked very closely with the technology organization. So, I had an opportunity to interface with engineers and analysts. And, you know, and so I just, I developed a, an interest in the work that was happening across the tracks, right, I call it. And so I would spend time with the technology team, just understanding what they do, why they do it, and being able to close the gap between what is being requested, and the work that actually has to be done to create whatever is being requested, right? And so, that, that's the thing that, that sparked the interest for me in terms of wanting to be a part of how do I impact lives in an organization, right, by being able to, being able to bring solutions to the table? And those solutions in this case, are technology solutions and innovation and innovative solutions, how do I bring...how do I help bring that to life in organizations? And so that was important to me. And, then that's how I got involved, if you will, in the, in the technology space and in the innovation space. And I've been able to, to leverage those experiences over the years with multiple organizations. You know, to be able to not just develop leaders, but also be able to bring technological advances to the organization as well.

Carmen Canales  10:56

So, in your time as a Chief Information Officer in healthcare and at Novant, Health, what changes have you seen in the healthcare landscape? And how does that impact the work of you and your team?

Onyeka Nchege  11:08

I'm going to take it at a broader level, because I think it's, it's, I see something similar across all industries in terms of talent. I think that's the key, you know, organizations always say, you know, our people are our best asset, right? And, that the proof is in the pudding in terms of how we interact with engage with, nurture, right, that talent, right? It's easy to say, you know, our people our best asset, but if you're not, if you're not doing all the things that that demonstrate that, then it's just talk, right? And so, I think, when the change that I see, and I see that in our organization, right? So, this is there's a difference between, you know, we will take care of you versus we will care for you, right? And there's a big difference there. And I think our organization has done a good job of, of probably transitioning from, we will take care of you too, we will care for you, right? Because, if we care for you, then we give you all the things that you need to be successful as, as an, as an associate, right, or a team member. Versus we will take care of you, which might suggest that, you know, we'll do everything for you, which is not healthy for folks that, that are team members in our organization. So, I think that's, that's the thing that I have seen that I think is a difference-maker for not just, not just the healthcare, but any, any industry that I've been a part of is being able to focus in on, on the people. Right? And that, that and making that they're our best asset making that real.

Carmen Canales  12:44

And that's why you're a featured guest today. That's what that's why it's Talent Talk, right? Regardless of industry, it's about the people.

Onyeka Nchege  12:51

That's, a that's a very good point. I didn't think about that. But yes!

Carmen Canales  12:55

So, Onyeka, sometimes things don't go as we plan. Our listeners, I'm sure would love to hear about a mistake that you've made in your career. And importantly, what did you learn from it?

Onyeka Nchege  13:08

That's a good one. That's a good one. Mistakes, listen, I have made my share of mistakes over the years, there's no question about it. Probably two come to mind for me. I think when I was when I was a Senior Director at I think it was like Coca Cola at the time. When I first started with Coca Cola, it's many years back. And I had an opportunity to bring a product into the organization. And my team had been working on it well, before I got there, right? So, they they've been working on it. And so, I show up, and it's not going well. And, I have an opportunity to go talk to one of the Senior VPs about the fact that, hey, this, this, this thing is not gonna it's not gonna go in, on the day that we had originally said it was gonna go in. And so, I march, you know, I'm like, now I'm a truth teller. I'm transparent. I'm authentic. And I walk right into his office. I'm like, hey, man, this is not gonna go and hit baba, baba, you know, just going on about why it's not gonna work, right? And so, you might ask, well, what's the mistake in that? And it was a lesson for me, right? Because I hadn't thought through how I would have that conversation. (Okay) I just watched into to have the conversation (Oh no), as opposed to really thinking through, what's the best way to get my point across, right? So, intent versus delivery. My intent was right, my delivery was full of crap! It sucked! And so that that was a lesson for me. And, you know, one, taking two steps back, right, and really thinking through, what is it that you really want to say, and how do you want I say it, and know your audience, right? Understanding who it is that you're going to go talk to, and it wasn't title. In this case, it was how the person receives information...that I did not take into account. So, that's, that was that I remember that (So, how did it go?) I'm here. (It turned out, okay!). Yeah, it's, I learned how about let me let me put it this way, I learned from it. (I love it!) And he was he was in a coaching moment. So, he took the time to coach me with the, you may want to, you may want to step out, think through that and come back in which I really appreciate it. It was, and that was some real coaching because it and I did, I literally paused, walked out the door, closed the door, spent about five minutes behind the door, literally. And then I opened the door and came back in. And I apologized for the way I I stepped through the first time. And it was good. So, I learned a ton from that. My second, my second mistake, career mistake. And listen, you know, we all learn from it, right? So, I was with an organization and, and we were putting in a product. And I heard one thing. So, my team had told me, hey, here's everything that we're doing, here's how much it's gonna cost us about half a million dollars, and we're good to go. I said, okay, so I'm in with the I mean with the "E" team. And I'm part of the "E" team at this time, right? So, I mean with them, and we're talking and, and I said, Alright, hey, listen, guys, I'm gonna "thumbs up", I'm gonna move move ahead and get this, get the system, and put it in. And everybody was like, okay. But the next day I signed the agreement, and we push forward, right? Two days later, I had two of the "E" team members come to me and go ahead and say Onyeka, we weren't ready. Why did you sign that agreement? We're not...we never said we were ready to go. And I said, well, I brought it up. And, and I realized I brought it up. But, in my eagerness to go forward, I didn't hear the "Yes". I saw a couple of head nods and I just went with that because I was ready to go and committed the organization to half a million dollars’ worth of product that we never intended to use. Because my partners weren't ready to go. And so, you know, lesson, lesson there for me was and I actually put some controls in place as a result, because I had to go unwind half a million dollars that an organization had already booked revenue on it, right? So, I had to go unwind that and thank God for relationships, right? So, I had built a relationship with that company, on and on. So, I was it took a while. Don't get me wrong, it took a while to unwind it, but we finally did. And I remember going to our CEO and saying, hey, listen, I don't need my daddy to help me just yet. But I want you to know that this is happening. And at some point, I may need to call my daddy and to help me. (Oh no.). But as of right now, I'm good to go. So, but you know, lesson learned for me was you know, make sure you get make sure you get "Yes", verbal yesses from everyone. When you're when you're doing something this critical this important, don't just rely on head nods or, or thumbs up? No, no, no, I need it in writing. Right? If we're ready to go, and we're going to commit the organization to a million dollars, half a million dollars, whatever it is 20,000, then all of us need to agree that we're ready to go. But I've learned from it.

Carmen Canales  18:30

Onyeka, you might win the prize thus far for Talent Talk podcast guest with the most spectacular mistake. And lesson learned!

Onyeka Nchege  18:41

That's a good thing. Nobody wants to be known for that!

Carmen Canales  18:47

Onyeka, as we draw to a close, tell our listeners what final leadership tips do you have for them?

Onyeka Nchege  18:53

Wow, final leadership tips. I think I'd anchor on what I call all five points. And all five points is begins with ownership. Right? Regardless of what you've heard, it, everything belongs to you, what you do belongs to you. You've got to figure out how you get it done, how you get things done, but it starts with you. And so if you don't have ownership on the inside, then no one’s, no one’s gonna be able to help you from a leadership perspective. And then secondly, it's, it's feedback. You gotta get, you got to get feedback. You got to be a student of feedback at all times. You know, I'm constantly and I know it gets on people’s nerves. But I constantly ask, how did you experience me today? Right? How did you experience me today? And it gives folks permission to give you feedback. And you have to be willing to do just that. Get feedback. And then I talked about, you know, adaptability. As a leader, you have to learn the trait of being adaptable, right? You can't be so rigid that everything is just one way and that's the only way it is. And so, you have to, you have to learn how does adapt ability work and how do you, how do you, how do you lean into that? And then I talked about, you know, execution, right? It's the get 'er done, it the get ‘er done and those, that's table stakes, right? from a leadership perspective, if you're not a get 'er done kind of person. Right? It's tough to lead people or to be led. And so that's important. And then the last piece is I call it followership. Right? To be a good leader, you got to be a good follower. If you can't, if you're not a good follower, then how can you expect people to follow you when you're in a leadership role, right? So, you have to, you have to learn all of those and be good with that, to be a good leader. So that's my, that's my take now. Time will tell if I'm right.

Carmen Canales  20:44

Well, Onyeka, I have experienced you today in a very inspirational fashion. So, thank you for asking, and appreciate being our guest today on the Talent Talk podcast.

Onyeka Nchege  20:56

Thank you very much. This was great, Carmen, I really appreciate that. And thank you for the friendship and thank you for the partnership as well.

Carmen Canales  21:03

Thank you, friend. I hope you enjoyed today's podcast. Make sure to look for future episodes of Talent Talk where you typically listen to podcasts. Thank you for listening, and until next time, keep inspiring the talent around you!

Carmen Canales  00:03

Hello, I'm Carmen Canales, Senior Vice President and Chief People and Belonging Officer at Novant Health. Welcome to Talent Talk, a podcast that focuses on leadership strategies for engagement, development, and retention for the modern workforce. In each episode of Talent Talk, I'll interview a different leader about their transformational practices in leading, engaging, and retaining teams and supporting our patients and communities. These conversations will leave you with a few key takeaways and actions you can put into place on your own teams. Our guest today is Jay Norton, Senior Vice President Chief Risk Officer at Novant Health. Jay is an executive leader with more than 20 years of risk management experience and expertise in leading high profile regulatory initiatives. Welcome, Jay!

Jay Norton  00:56

Thank you, Carmen. It's absolute pleasure to be here!

Carmen Canales  00:58

Jay, tell us about yourself and your background and now your role at Novant Health.

Jay Norton  01:04

Sure, thanks, Carmen. I'll start on the personal side first. So I'm originally from the Tampa Bay area, Florida, but have lived in Charlotte for almost 20 years now. Married for 22 years. Somone I met 30 years ago. I have two kids, one in college, one about to go to college and excited to see what empty nest is all about. But professionally, I started off as an attorney, I quickly learned that I liked much more the proactive side of that work and got into compliance and regulatory work there. And as well as operational risk. I've worked for some large financial institutions and had great opportunities to lead programs there and work on some really high profile regulatory initiatives. That certainly taught me a lot about leadership.

Carmen Canales  01:44

Fantastic! So Jay, tell us about your leadership style and what's your approach to leadership in general?

Jay Norton  01:52

Good question, Carmen, I think my leadership style, it feels like it adjusts to the environment and the situation that I'm in. So maybe it's a bit of a chameleon, but I still try to ground myself and what I think are sort of core leadership styles about myself and my brand, I would really like it to be, first and foremost is credible. And credible doesn't mean knowledgeable about your business, but credible and that people respect what you say they know, you're gonna do what you say. So credibility is really important to me. Also authenticity. What you see is what you get; sometimes for good sometimes for bad, but definitely believe that being authentic is a great quality as well. And then lastly, just action-oriented, I think the space that we're in, we really have to get a lot accomplished. And I don't like to sit around and wait. Sometimes that might scare people. But I do try to move quickly and move on to the next thing. So I think all together. That's really how I describe my leadership style.

Carmen Canales  02:42

Well, Jay, I think that's fantastic. I certainly seen the action-oriented, it tells me and our listeners that you really have adopted your years of expertise in other industries over to healthcare. Jay, what do you think about the concept of belonging? It's something that we know has emerged as really key to attracting and engaging talent. What does it mean to you? And how do you foster belonging on your team and among your colleagues?

Jay Norton 03:06

That's great! And belonging is really important to me, Carmen, I think you know, by now, one of my personality traits is I'm a relator. So I get a lot of energy out of relationships with the people that I work with. And so for me, that really contributes to a sense of belonging for me in an organization. And I really try to do that through personally connecting one on one with everybody. I try to meet everybody in person, if I can...certainly get out and meet folks that I work with every single day. And also with the team members that report up through me. I have skipped level meetings. I make a commitment to meet with every single person on my team at least once within a period of time. And that's just a way to get connected and foster that sense of belonging. But I think for those who maybe aren't as wired, like I am, it might take a little bit more. I try to, I try to encourage that there's some organic ways, certainly encouraging others or creating opportunities for team members to interact with each other in meaningful ways, not just sitting at your desk on your respective zoom meetings, but find whether it's projects or coffee hour, or just sort of that organic interaction that I really...helps develop that sense of belonging, which I think we've lost after the pandemic, and folks have really gotten used to working from home. So it's important for me to find those opportunities to bring folks together. The last two things I'll say about that is I think a sense of belonging really comes from connecting people from their work to what they do in the big picture and strategy organization. So seeing that what I'm doing makes a difference. And again, I think fosters that belonging, I belong here because I'm making a difference. I'm contributing to the goals of the organization. And then lastly, celebrating our success. Again, I think that just strengthens relationships when we can all step back and take credit and pat each other on the back or have someone pat me on the back for what I did. So those are the things I think about as a leader.

Carmen Canales  04:52

You know, Jay, some of your comments really resonate. I couldn't agree more that for all of the things that took place during the pandemic, one of the things that is as leaders we really need to pay attention to is this sense of connection and intentionally doing things to make sure that it's happening. So it sounds like you have some great strategies in place around that. So, Jay, tell us about your time at Novant. Health as a chief risk officer, have you noticed significant differences in risk related to healthcare as compared to your, your previous experiences in banking or elsewhere? Or what similarities have you experienced?

Jay Norton  05:26

Yeah, it's been an amazing experience Carmen. So coming from financial services, this, I mean, everything is new every day is an adventure. And there's some story that I just could never have appreciated, um, having not worked in, in healthcare. So every day is exciting for me. And the chief risk officer role that I have, I get to see different aspects of risk through different dimensions. So whether that's through the compliance program, privacy office, or audit or risk managers, I really feel like I've got a good appreciation for the types of risks that are present in a healthcare setting. And from that, I constantly try to calibrate and compare my experience in financial services. And certainly an obvious difference is the subject matter, right, the healthcare regulatory environment is very different. But it's also similar that it's highly complex, highly regulated, highly nuanced. So that has been an interesting aspect for me. A difference is that in financial services, if we got something wrong and had a financial impact, but you could also address that, you could refund, you could do something to right, the wrong. In healthcare the stakes are so high. If you get the risk wrong, that has real consequences, real impact. So for me, I feel especially accountable to ensure that we have a really strong control environment and are managing our risks appropriately, because we just can't afford to get it wrong. I think that also in financial services, I share the example that for the large banks that I worked for, you would have over 100, full-time federal regulators, auditors, and examiners exclusively focused on you. They're on you every single day, they're in your offices, they have laptops, they get access to everything, and they will find everything, and you have to address everything. So there's really no place to hide in that space. You really, in some cases, have to over engineer your response to risks in that environment. Here, certainly we don't have the same resources, we don't have the same number of folks on us. So it puts more obligation on us to make sure we're appropriately identifying the risks, that we're prioritizing the work that we need to do, and do it in a way that makes sense for certainly our patients first and foremost, but also for our system. So those are just some early observations, six months no, but it is, it is something that constantly weugh back and forth, Carmen, financial services versus healthcare. It's a very, I'm gonna write a paper, we'll do a separate podcast on it.

Carmen Canales  07:33

Sign me up. I can't wait! So Jay, one of the things that we strive to do here on talent talk is really to honor authenticity and to have humility. So to that end, will you tell our listeners about a mistake that you've made in your career? And importantly, besides telling us a good story, what did you learn from it?

Jay Norton  07:53

I think about this all the time, Carmen, I obsess over things like this, because I always am trying to improve myself and challenge sort of my assumptions. But the thing that comes to mind immediately is a number of years ago, I was working on a really, really complicated regulatory matter where we had to return money to customers working with really outdated information, incomplete information. And it was it was really tough, and there was a lot of pressure to get it right. And I was part of a team and my role there was to help sort of coordinate and be a liaison between the regulators and senior leadership and the folks who were actually making the changes and doing the work. And you know, it's a little bit tough, because we have different roles and responsibilities in that space. And I, in hindsight, should have been more proactive and helping the other folks on the team. So I had peers that were working on different pieces of it. And I had sort of adopt this mentality of stay in your lane, let them do what they're going to do. I recognize they might be struggling, but you know, I'm not really going to step on their toes or get in the way. And what happened from that as we really got sideways on something, got to our leaders kind of late, later than we should have. And at the time, I thought, well, you know, that was my peers' responsibility, or I didn't want to bother my boss with these issues that I thought what really mind to raise, and my leader rightfully came down on me and, and gave me an "inconsistently meets expectations" which was devastating for me. But as we talked about it, I get the light bulb on. I go, of course, I mean, first of all, as a leader, you're a leader, they can't help if they don't know, right, and you're not really protecting the information. Don't wait for that really big sort of moment where it's too late to do anything about so that has certainly changed the way that I bring matters to the attention of others. And don't wait too late, no surprises. But it really changed the dynamic of the way that I work with my peers who are also leaders trying to adjust that I'm not stepping on their toes. I really am here to help them and what can I do to assist? And sometimes avoid,you know not avoiding those really delicate conversations where you have to give a little bit of truth to your peers or say look, let's...it's time like we really need to step up and do something let's call the boss let's call and resources and that's uncomfortable because you you don't want to step on toes. You want to respect your peers. But that learned from me like, we can't do that. Because ultimately, we show up as a collective management team, we show up together, we all succeed together, we fail together. And so from that, it really has changed the way that I interact with folks. I'm a little bit more...uhh...always constructive, always diplomatic. But I'm a little more assertive that I've been in the past, but I come upon it as a point of luck. We're here to succeed together. Let's do it. And let's not have anybody surprised by this or miss an opportunity to address something before it's too late. So that is something that sticks with me. I think about it way more than I, maybe I should. But I will never repeat that mistake again. 

Carmen Canales  10:33

Jay, thank you for sharing that, the candor and vulnerability of that example. I'm sure it's gonna resonate with our listeners. As we close Jay, what final leadership tips would you share with our listeners?

Jay Norton  10:46

Yeah, I thought of three things, Carmen. First is, is carving out time for leadership development. And I think some of us are good about blocking off time for focus time on our calendars. But, I actually schedule it, like leadership development, and whatever that looks like for you. Whether it's reading something, whether it's being intentional about setting up meetings with folks who haven't talked to in a while. I think if you don't make time for it very quickly, your calendar is is gonna get away from you. So, try to be really intentional about developing your leadership is really crucial. The second thing I would offer is constantly solicit constructive feedback. And it's 360 feedback from the people you work with, the people you report to, and who report to you. I got into a lull where I thought, hey, I'm smart, I kind of know what I'm doing here. And I really missed out on some opportunity. So I really, really missed an opportunity to ask for constructive feedback. And I've got thicker skin over the years that I can take it and and I also offer it. So, constructive feedback is really really important as a leader. And then lastly, I would suggest that you find a competent, a confidant rather, a friend at work, someone that you can bounce things off, unload, someone you trust that you can share, really, honestly. You know, how's it going? Because as you know, as a leader, you kind of have to put on the leader persona sometimes. But you also need someone you can talk to about it and share ideas, maybe vent a little, but also ask for feedback. How would you handle this situation? And I feel very fortunate that I found a really few great folks like that where I'm at now and I've had him in the past. And it just makes such a difference as a leader to know you don't have to go it alone. You don't have to know it all. You have to figure it out. There are people around you that are great resources.

Carmen Canales  12:20

You know, Gallup would call that having a best friend that work, which I think is key at all levels. Well, Jay Norton, I want to thank you for sharing your lessons learned and your wisdom with our listeners today. Thank you so much, Jay!

Jay Norton  12:33

Thank you so much for having me, Carmen. I loved it!

Carmen Canales  12:36

I hope you enjoyed today's podcast. Make sure to look for future episodes of Talent Talk where you typically listen to podcasts. Thank you for listening and until next time, keep inspiring the talent around you.

Carmen Canales  00:03

Hello, I'm Carmen Canales, Senior Vice President and Chief People and Belonging Officer at Novant Health. Welcome to Talent Talk, a podcast that focuses on leadership strategies for engagement, development, and retention for the modern workforce. In each episode of Talent Talk, I'll interview a different leader about their transformational practices in leading teams and supportive our patients and our communities. These conversations will leave you with a few key takeaways and actions you can put into place on your own teams. Today's guest is Becky Beane, Senior Vice President, and Chief Pharmacy Officer at Novant Health. Becky is a pharmacy leader with 24 years of experience in the healthcare industry. In this role, she is responsible for the development and implementation of Novant Health strategy for system-wide pharmacy services. Becky, welcome! Will you take a moment to tell us about yourself and your role at Novant Health? 

Becky Bean  01:08

Absolutely, I'd love to! First of all, Carmen, thank you. Thank you for letting me join your talent talk really excited about chatting with you this morning. I will say just a little bit about me. So, I have lived most of my life in North Carolina. So, I grew up in North Carolina. Went to the University of Chapel Hill for both undergrad as well as pharmacy school. I can't believe it's been 24 years that I've been a pharmacist but have lived here much of my life. I currently live in Denver, which is we call it Denver of the East. But it's a little bit north of Charlotte, with my husband, my two dogs. Some of the things that I really enjoy doing when I'm not working or getting outside, I love to run. I have a little leash that attached to my waist, and I take my dogs running with me every morning. So that's what I do to de-stress and prepare for the workday. I will say I've done a lot in my pharmacy career. It took me a little bit of time to figure out my niche, you know, where I really felt like I belonged and where I really wanted to have an impact on people's lives and was fortunate enough to land here at Novant Health about 15 years ago. I started as a Clinical Pharmacist and just had opportunities along the way to grow on my leadership journey. So, I'm really grateful for all of the opportunities that have been afforded to me while I've been a part of Team Aubergine. In my current role, I'm the Senior Vice President Chief Pharmacy Executive for Novant Health. So, what that means is I support pharmacy across the enterprise. So, think about all of our acute care facilities, all of our infusion centers or cancer centers within infusion pharmacies located there, our retail, as well as our specialty pharmacy locations. I support that across the organization. It's really a privilege to both lead an amazing team, but also really be leading the strategy and the vision for what we're doing as a pharmacy team to deliver better health for the communities that we serve. So really excited to be here with you and chat this morning. 

Carmen Canales  02:58

Thank you, that's fantastic. Thanks for telling us a little bit about yourself. Not only your career here, but about your personal life. And about all of Becky. Tell us about your leadership style and your approach to leadership in general.

Becky Bean  03:12

Yeah, so I think about this a lot, like you get that question sometimes when you're interviewing candidates. I would say really strive to be a servant leader, like, my role is to support the team that I have the privilege of leading. So, I really try to focus in on leading from a place of humility. I am not the smartest person in the room, but I want to surround myself with the people who have all the answers. So as a team, we can accomplish great things. I really focus on listening first. So, trying not to form an opinion, or try to come up with my own solutions, but rather listening to what the team has to say in terms of ways to get to an outcome. I try to focus on things like trust. So, both extending trust, but also being somebody, who people trust. So, whether that's self-accountability, holding people accountable, really delivering on expectations, being clear about what expectations are. So, I really try to focus in on helping teams be successful so that we can achieve more as a team.

Carmen Canales  04:12

Well, clearly you're doing a great job at it, Becky, so you know, thank you and keep going! So, you first joined Novant Health in 2007. And since then, you've held positions of progressive responsibility. How have things changed since you've been part of Team Aubergine and what advice would you give to colleagues who are looking to advance their careers at Novant Health?

Becky Bean  04:35

Yeah, I would say Well, first of all, we weren't Team Aubergine when I started with Novant Health. So we weren't you know, we were Novant Health, but we didn't have the Novant Health brand that we have today. So much has changed just in terms of how we function as a system, how we collaborate across a system. That's a big change for the better that I've seen since I've been a part of the team. Technology is completely different today than what it was back when I joined the organization. So, think about we didn't have an EHR, we didn't have systems that talk to one another. So, there was a system for hospitals, our clinics were still on paper charts at the time, we were just starting to get into the electronic health record aspect of care. So, all of that has changed since I've started. And I would say, you know, the other piece that's changed is we were very much silos. And I'm not going to say that we've got everything right today. But I think we function a lot more effectively in terms of thinking about how patients interact with our system across the care continuum. So, lots of really positive momentum in the, in the time that I've been here, I would say, you know, I've been lucky, it's unusual for somebody to start as a Clinical Pharmacist, and then have an opportunity to lead that pharmacy team across the big organizations. I feel very invested in paying it forward, so to speak, Carmen. I really tried to focus on creating opportunities for the team. So, I was fortunate enough to have a couple of people who saw something in me that I probably didn't even see in myself, and just gave me those opportunities to start on my leadership journey. I never anticipated planned for it wasn't my goal in life to, to be a leader but had people that saw something in me. And so, I would say that there's a lot of opportunity here. And what I would tell people in terms of advice is be open to that. You really have to change your mindset, when it comes to change when it comes to opportunity. You have to see them and take advantage of them when they come up. So, I think that, that's really the key. The second thing that I would say, for folks is mentors. I mean, everybody needs a mentor and a sponsor in their life. So, when you look around the organization, and you see somebody that you admire, that really inspires you, take, take the advantage of trying to develop a relationship with that person. Really think about who can mentor you and sponsor you in a way that's going to help get you to where you want to go in your career.

Carmen Canales  06:55

Those are some really great things for our listeners to think about. Becky, thank you. 

Becky Bean  06:59

Absolutely!

Carmen Canales  07:00

You're talking a lot about team and your connection to them. So, tell us more. How do you create connection and foster culture in a hybrid or sometimes totally virtual environment.

Becky Bean  07:12

That's such a good question. And at the end of the day, I feel like that's probably my biggest responsibility as the Chief Pharmacy Executive is to set the culture. To really establish a culture that people want to be a part of, where people feel like they're getting invested in, they're achieving what they want to achieve. And it's not like I can't say you check these three boxes, and you're gonna have that culture that you want on the other end of it. So, it's really constant work. It's really constant work. And I would say the way you know I've approached it is just making sure that we personalize everything that we do and create a lot of different opportunities for people to connect in different ways. So, starting when somebody joins the organization, so we've done a lot of work to have very robust orientation processes. And new leaders when they come into the organization, we have a whole new leader orientation program for them. Same thing with frontline team members. So, there's a lot to learn when you join a big organization like Novant Health, as you know, so there's a lot to learn about the organization. But there's a lot to learn about the division that you're a part of. And so, we really try to give people a very warm welcome. Set them up for success, who are the right people, you know, who do you need to call when something is not working with your computer, like, like helping people understand where to go when they need things done. So that's, that's piece one. The second thing I would say we do is we really focus on engagement. So, we have created a lot of structure within pharmacy to focus on ways to engage people in a way that's meaningful to them. So, whether it's we have shared governance committees across all of the different units within pharmacy so that we can hear from the teams. What's important to you, what do you need help with. And then we can have shared learnings across all of those different teams. A lot of work has happened there just to identify the things that matter to our team members and the things that we can do to make the time that they spend at work more enjoyable and more aligned with purpose and passion inspiring. And then the last thing I'll share well, two more things. So, one is rounding. So, getting out there spending time with the teams having an opportunity to see what people are doing and recognize the amazing and remarkable things that they're doing every day. So that's a big part of creating culture. And then the last piece, which is something that I actually learned from what Carl does with his monthly Carl's Corners. I created a fireside chat with the pharmacy team. So, every month we do fireside chats that are meant to be just kind of casual updates around what's going on but a platform for people to be able to ask questions, engage with the senior leaders across pharmacy. So those are just a sampling of some of the things that we do to try to create a culture and really try to engage people knowing that now we're not all in one location. Virtual is a part of our reality. And we have hybrid work environments and we're spread out across the entire state of North Carolina. So, it does take a lot of work and time and attention to make sure that you're creating opportunities to connect with the team.

Carmen Canales  10:05

Well, I can see the you're so intentional about creating the culture, you have to Yeah,

Becky Bean  10:10

Yeah, you have to. You have to pay attention. You have to focus on it day in and day out.

Carmen Canales  10:14

That's wonderful. So, Becky, tell us about the pharmacy landscape. You know, what changes have you seen? And how have you prepared your team to thrive during times of change?

Becky Bean  10:27

Yeah, it's a really good question, Carmen So much has changed. I can remember, when I graduated from pharmacy school, and somebody told me in like two years, the drugs that you're dispensing are going to be totally different than the drugs that you're dispensing today, because that's how fast the drug pipeline works. And I didn't believe it at the time. But I will tell you, it has turned out to be spot on truth. I mean because there's so much development and evidence that's being formed with clinical trials. We learned so much over the years around how best to treat diseases. So that just the drug landscape is completely different than what it was 24 years ago. So that's one piece of it. We've seen a lot of growth in the Specialty Pharmacy space that didn't even exist when I got to pharmacy school, if you can imagine that. So, so many new drugs, really new segments within pharmacy that didn't used to be as relevant are really important to how we care for patients today. And a lot of the care that historically, maybe we gave in the hospital...so we would bring people in, we would keep them in the hospital for five days to give them chemotherapy, all of that has changed. There are drugs that now can be administered in the outpatient setting, so we can keep people in their homes where they're more comfortable. So just the places where we deliver care is completely different than what it was 24 years ago. So, it's a really changing landscape. And I would say preparing teams for change, it really just is helping people expect that change is always coming. So, if you are not changing, you're standing still, and the world is going by without you. So really helping people be prepared for what to expect that they can lead change and that it's coming and then try to at least have a vision into what we think or where do we think things are going in five years. So, we can position ourselves to be successful in that. One thing I will tell you that we do in pharmacy that I think is really helped people prepare for change every year, we put together a strategic plan that has the specific things that we hope to accomplish as a team. And we align that plan with the organizational priorities, to get everybody focused on what they can do to help us be successful. So, I think that helps people manage through the change when they at least can see the vision for where things are going.

Carmen Canales  12:36

That's wonderful, Becky. It's, it's just really exciting to understand more about how the landscape has changed and how your team reacts and moves right through it. 

Becky Bean  12:46

Absolutely!

Carmen Canales  12:47

So Becky, I'm sure our listeners are just enthralled by hearing your story and your perspective. But tell us about a time where you've made a mistake. You know, sometime along the way in your career...what have you learned from that?

Becky Bean  13:01

It's a great question, Carmen. I would say we all make mistakes every day, right? We wish we could go back and redo, but I'll tell you a couple things. It just you have moments in your life that feel like that you look back on that you remember, and you think about things totally different after those things occurred. So I'll tell you two stories. One, when I graduated from pharmacy school from Chapel Hill, I got a BS in pharmacy. And it was a time and pharmacy where many of the schools were transitioning to all PharmD programs. Meaning that in order to sit for your license in North Carolina, you would have to have a doctorate in pharmacy to sit for your license. And I was kind of in that in between phase because that had not started when I graduated from pharmacy school. So, I graduated with a Bachelor of Science in pharmacy and chose not to do a residency and chose not to go for an extra year to get that PharmD. Like, what was I thinking? Why would I not spend one year setting myself up for future success? I was so, um, disappointed in myself because I felt like I needed to get out there, start making money start my career. You know, I had a broke down car that was breaking down on the side. You know how it goes? 

Carmen Canales  14:11

Well done, Becky! 

Becky Bean  14:12

I needed a car to get to work! So, I made that decision and just regretted it because I found myself in a job that I just hated. I felt like I was going to work every day checking a box. I didn't feel like I was really bringing my true self and delivering what I thought I could do for patients in the community. So, what I did, what I learned is it's never too late. So, actually went back to school while I was working full-time and got my doctorate. So, UNC had a virtual program where you could get your PharmD by watching videos of lectures, testing locations, we did experiential learning at different facilities. So, I had an opportunity to go back and get the PharmD which I'm so glad that I did. Because it's really well two things that helped me kind of put the pieces together. So, after you have some clinical experience, you can kind of see how things fit together in a way that maybe I couldn't before. So, I felt like I learned a lot from the program but was able to really set my career on a different path after doing that. The second story, I'll tell you, this is what I'm curious if it will help. So, I had an opportunity. When I joined the organization, it was one year into a two-year grant where the organization decided we were going to hire some pharmacists to help patients who are transitioning out of the hospital into the home. So, what we would do is we'd call them go over their medications, make sure that they got the medications, and then give that communication back to the physician if there were any concerns about side effects, interactions, that sort of thing. But I always thought, well, I don't know how long is my job going to be here, if it's a grant funded position, and it's two years? And fortunately, we had a lot of success. But because of that success, we had an opportunity to represent Novant Health on a national stage. So, the American Society of Health System Pharmacists awarded us a Best Practice Award, which is a big deal in the world of pharmacy, not everybody gets those. So, our transition of care program was successful, we got this award, and my boss came to me and she's like, I want you to be in the video. And I want you to go to San Francisco, or wherever it was, and accept this award on my behalf, because she felt like I had done a lot of work to help us get there. And I turned her down, I said, no I don't think that I want to go, let's let somebody else take that award, let somebody else do the video. And I really have no excuse for not doing that other than I just felt uncomfortable. I felt uncomfortable about being on a video, I was like, I don't know if I want to put myself out there. So, what I learned is you just have to be comfortable with being uncomfortable. And sometimes when you feel nervous or fearful about something, the best thing to do is lean in and learn something and grow as a result. So, I told myself after that minute, I'm never going to turn something down again, when an opportunity presents that I feel like I can do something here and it's a good opportunity for me, I'm going to lean in and take advantage of that opportunity.

Carmen Canales  17:03

Becky, thank you for sharing those examples that really show your humility. And, I don't know your candor, and, and just sharing lessons learned with, with our listeners. 

Becky Bean  17:13

Yeah!

Carmen Canales  17:14

So as we close out today, Becky, what pro leadership tips will you share with our listeners? What would you like to leave our listeners with? 

Becky Bean  17:23

I'll share a couple of things. Little, just little kind of snapshots of leadership advice. So, one, if you care first, your team will care. So, I try to always be very caring and really care for the person that I'm supporting. Because then they're going to care about the work that they're doing. Trust is key, you've got to honor your commitments, you’ve got to own your mistakes, you've got to be clear about what expectations are, and really hold others accountable. And sometimes that's a challenge when you first start in your leadership on your leadership journey. But it's really important for teams to be successful. Opportunities don't always come when you think you're ready. So, most of the time and opportunity arises and you don't think you're quite ready for it. And so, changing your mindset that being ready is a decision that you do need to take advantage of those opportunities when they arise is something...a piece of advice that I learned along the way based on the mistake that I shared with you. So, I wanted to share that. Another little snippet. And a lot of these are things that people told me along the way, so I thought they were really impactful. Never stop growing and learning. So, the skill set that brought you to where you are today is not the skill set that you need for your future self. So, you have to always look for opportunities to grow. And then the last thing I'll share is just to be true to yourself. Don't try, try to change who you are, how you show up, the work that you do, or be like anybody else, because really the best gifts that you bring only come out when you're living authentically and bringing all of the things that naturally are a part of who you are as a person to the work that you do every day. So, that's what I'll leave you with. 

Carmen Canales  18:58

Well, Becky, what a treat to spend some time with you. I've really enjoyed our conversation. And I know that our leaders and our team members will enjoy it as well. 

Becky Bean  19:08

Absolutely! Again, thank you for the opportunity as always love spending time with you, Carmen. So, thanks for giving me the stage today!

Carmen Canales  19:16

Thank you, Becky. I hope you enjoyed today's podcast. Make sure to look out for future episodes of Talent Talk where you typically listen to podcasts. Thank you for listening, and until next time, keep inspiring the talents around you!

(Part 2 of 2) We continue our discussion with Candace Williams to learn more about how BRG leadership impacted her and what her plans are for the future.

Ashleigh Hargrave  00:05

Welcome to Mosaic, your Novant Health podcast for diversity, inclusion and equity. You'll learn more about the mosaic of similarities and differences that make us stronger, and how health equity benefits us all. Piece by piece. We're telling the stories of the beautiful mosaic of Novant Health.

Becky Knight  00:25

Welcome to part two of our conversation with Candace Williams, immediate past co-leader of our award winning women's business resource group at Novant Health. In part one, we focused on the work that has garnered some accolades, and on this episode, we are going to focus on how BRG leadership has impacted Candace. Candace, leading such a large BRG, even one with a strong co leader, executive sponsor and committee leaders -- It takes a lot of time and energy. With so many groups you could volunteer to serve, why did you choose to be a BRG leader?

Candace Williams  00:58

To your point, it is a growth opportunity, I saw it as that I saw. It as an opportunity to meet new people in the organization to grow my own skills. And really for the women's BRG, I've always been, I shouldn't say always, but like, as long as I can remember for many years, very personally passionate about helping people grow developing people, and it's particularly women. So the opportunity to help my colleagues to grow, to be able to identify different people to come in and to really pour into them with information and knowledge and learning to be able to plan and strategize how you know, what is this year look like? Are we focusing on mental health? Are we focusing on domestic violence and making sure that women are taking care of themselves is an international women's day and we get to collaborate with other BRG to do something fabulous and honor the contributions that women have made. It just has been, for me, it was just this opportunity to use a lot of the skills that I get to use at work, but maybe in a very different way to be able to be creative and working on our videos that we submitted with our application to be able to like I said, bring in these amazing speakers. So I just really saw it as a way to really sort of feed my passion like I care about it. It's exciting to hear people grow. It's exciting when people reach out to us and say that a speaker impacted them or something that we said impacted them. It's just amazing. So that it was it was for both my personal and professional development personally, I was fed my soul was fed as a result of it, it fed me. And then I also had an opportunity to feed others and the opportunity to learn from more amazing people because the big leader, you're able to connect with all these other amazing leaders across the organization. It's just fabulous. I mean, I really had so much it was like really hard to let go. But I think part of that is making room for someone else. Like I would have happily continued to do this for years to come. But they're amazing people who also want any that same opportunity.

Becky Knight  03:21

I would love to learn what is next for you.

Candace Williams  03:24

So outside of work, I'll say within Novant Health, I still will be very active with the BRG. I'm a member of the Women's BRG and the African American BRG still able to support the new chairs with finding speakers and just anything I can do to help them as they transition. So I'll remain active there and love that and be able to step up with African American BRG because when I took on the chair role women's BRG, I had to step back so I'm so I'm excited about continuing to support the BRGs. Outside of work, I'm very active. I'm in my last year as PTO President, my youngest son is a senior in high school. And so I've been President for probably six years and I've always been on the board of the PTO or PTA and some call it at their schools. I'm in my last year of Jack and Jill of America, which is a an organization of historically black Organization of Women, moms. And so it's really a mother organization, we support our kids and I've been active in that. And so I'm I'm able to kind of step back from that. I'm a sustainer and Junior League of Charlotte, and then recently joined, became a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, which is a historically black sorority, and we strive to be of service to all mankind. And so with that, I know I'll be able to continue to give back to the community. And one of the things that being a big leader did and I said I was passionate about women and growth and development, but it really also sort of sparked this desire in me to do more and what does it look like so capacity for you? I shared that I spoke with the local university. I've actually got two speaking engagements in queue over the next couple of months. And I'm really excited about and really hope to do more of that because I love actually enjoy public speaking and enjoy sharing things that help feed women and help us to grow. I recently had an opportunity to share on the women's BRG call for the first time because all the years it was sort of like I was always scheduling other people and thought, oh, wait, what if I shared you know and so Jill and mothering allow me to share and actually Candace Whitfield who shared with me is going to be coming back and sharing soon as well. And then I, I've started coaching, so I've got some clients that I'm coaching because really, like I said, it's like pouring into women and the BRG really helped me to kind of unlock that gift, that desire that was in me and what does it look like for me to serve and give back to other women?

Becky Knight  05:57

Well, thank you. I am very thankful just personally for what the BRG has done for me as a team member at Novant Health and also in my role as a BRG administrative coordinator. Your leadership of the women's BRG, in your partnership on so many things has really raised the level for all of our BRGs. And so I thank you for what you've done the last few years and I'm excited for what lies ahead for you. So thank you so much for joining us today. I appreciate it.

Candace Williams  06:27

Thank you, but Becky, before we go, I want to thank you too. You are an amazing support. As a BRG coordinator you are they're all extremely supportive. Novant Health didn't just come to the big game like this isn't something new. It's not a result of anything that just happened in culture. This has been going off for years, we've got amazing support all the way across the organization. It's clear that BRGs are valued at Novant Health and you're one of the reasons that we are also successful. So thank you

Ashleigh Hargrave  06:59

Thanks for listening to mosaic your podcast for diversity, inclusion and equity and Novant Health. Stay tuned for our next exciting episode.