In our new series, we ask our key thought leaders to share a more personal perspective on their career journey and current position.

Michael Craig is the Vice President of National Solutions at Orion Health with responsibility for promoting Orion Health solutions and partner solutions to the Canadian marketplace. He has led many of Orion Health’s Electronic Health Records (EHR) initiatives across Canada and in Australia from a Sales and Marketing perspective. Michael has worked in a variety of healthcare roles over the past 23 years in Canada, Australia and New Zealand and has gained considerable experience in solution architecture, clinical requirements gathering and clinical workflow mapping. 

Can you share with us five things you wish you knew before you started out?

Check your assumptions at the door.
There is nothing wrong with having assumptions and expectations going into a meeting.  However, do not accept them as being accurate until you have been able to explore and confirm them. I have often been surprised how wrong assumptions have been, going into a meeting, and how grateful I was that I took the opportunity to confirm or dismiss them.  

Listen. 
Too often we are tempted to start talking when we should really be listening. In order to learn, you have to stop talking and listen.  

Engage as many people as possible in strategic decisions. 
Diversity of ideas and approaches will always lead to a better outcome. In seeking out differing opinions, attempt to avoid biasing discussions with any preconceived outcomes.

Discuss and study failure. 
Although it can be an unpleasant topic, we need to focus as much time on failure as we do on success. Identifying and rectifying factors that led to failure are as valuable as identifying success factors.  

Get a dog.
No matter what happens during the day, your dog will always be excited to see you!

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