Turning Red Lights into Green Lights: CIO Chani Cordero's Road to Flourish

For an aspiring leader, an unfavorable evaluation can be devastating – especially when it isn’t expected, or even warranted.

But, with the right attitude, it can also be a game-changer.

Chani Cordero

That was the case for Chani Cordero, CIO at Brooke Army Medical Center and a Colonel in the U.S. Army. During the inaugural episode of Town Hall: Road to Flourish, she spoke with Erica Williams (Regional Technology Officer - Texas at Ascension) about her sometimes bumpy career path, and how she was able to turn a difficult situation into a growth opportunity.

Potential “career ender”

Long before she landed at Brooke Army, a 425-bed medical center that boasts the Department of Defense’s only Level 1 Trauma Center, she experienced her share of challenges. One of those was a supervisor with whom she “didn’t gel very well, and ended up issuing a less-than-stellar performance review. “I thought it was a career ender,” recalled Cordero, who had enlisted in the Army after high school, eventually earning an ROTC scholarship and a degree in chemistry from St. Mary’s University.

What that education didn’t provide, however, was the knowledge needed to navigate this particular situation.

“I didn’t know how to approach it,” she said. “I would get an anxiety attack that hit me in the pit of my stomach.” When she did finally receive an explanation, it left her even more baffled. “There was no good reasoning or rationale other than, ‘I don’t like you.’”

Cordero’s mistake, she admitted, was letting the resentment fester – and, as a result, prevent her from moving on. “When you’re in it, it’s hard to see past it and it’s hard not to take it personally.”

Relatable and real

Fortunately, she was able to look past it and seek professional development opportunities, one of which was a speaking engagement with CHIME. And despite it being her first stab at public speaking – and her fear that it didn’t go well – it was a success. The audience found her delivery to be both “relatable” and “real,” and it led to more invitations.

The key, according to Williams, was in Cordero’s ability to view a stumbling block as a stepping stone. “We have these red lights in our lives and careers that are really pivotal moments,” she noted. And although they can be difficult at the time, those experiences help people to “head down a different path that takes you where you wanted to go and where you needed to go.” 

Learning never stops

The other critical lesson she learned? Seek guidance. Rather than let her entire career become derailed as a result of the negative evaluation, Cordero approached one of her superiors and asked, “how can I earn opportunities or demonstrate that I am very capable of getting selected to the next rank?” The key, she noted, was being “very open and candid,” and of course, being willing to go the extra mile. “Some of it wasn’t fun, but those opportunities allowed me to do very well in that position.”

Mentorship doesn’t stop

And, like a true leader, she has made it a priority to pass along that knowledge and experience to the next generation by creating a group focused on coaching and developing women in IT. “We meet once a quarter and talk about anything from time management to career building, resumes, and even the importance of credit and investment opportunities,” she said.

No matter the format, what’s critical is ensuring that mentorship is available at every step along the way, because the need for guidance doesn’t stop at the top. “At the C-suite level, there’s a different type of culture and environment that you have to navigate,” Cordero noted. “And at every point of your career, it changes. What made you successful in the beginning part or the middle part of your career will not necessarily make you successful or sustain success at the senior level. And so, having someone that you can bounce ideas with and also help you navigate is very important.”