A career transition isn’t something to be taken lightly – particularly when a physical move is involved. Fortunately, taking things lightly isn’t Julie Eastman’s style.

And so, when she was weighing the decision to leave Orange County for an opportunity to take on the CIO role at PeaceHealth, a large health system based in Vancouver, Wash., Eastman admitted to being “overly cautious” during the recruiting process.

“When you’re talking about relocating your loved ones, it puts a little extra pressure on you,” she said. Not to mention the fact that PeaceHealth didn’t have a CIO in place, which meant she would have to jump into the decision-making fray quicker than usual.

Her situation, however, isn’t unusual. And as more leaders contemplate job changes – spurred largely by rising M&A numbers and budget cuts – they’re learning that each instance needs to be navigated individually, and thoughtfully. Recently, Eastman spoke with This Week Health about her recent transition, offering valuable nuggets about how to approach the recruiting and onboarding processes and how she has leveraged her clinical background.

Doing the homework

Julie Eastman

As Eastman started to weigh the pros and cons of the opportunity at PeaceHealth, several points stood out, including the faith-based element (which played a significant role) and the organization’s dedication to transformation. The true tipping point, however, was the overall philosophy that “technology underpins everything we do,” she noted.

“When I met with the executives, it was clear that they understand the value not just of technology, but a technology delivery team. That type of language is very different from what I was used to.”

This impression, however, didn’t come from a single conversation, but rather, an entire campaign, during which Eastman leveraged every opportunity to obtain feedback about the organization. “I leveraged my network to learn everything I could,” she stated, including those who were familiar with PeaceHealth, either as employees or consultants. “I went in with eyes wide open.”

Listening before leading

Similarly, PeaceHealth was also “a little apprehensive” to fill a role that had been vacant for a significant time period. “They were careful too,” she said. But because priorities had been put on hold, Eastman had to be ready to hit the ground running. “They were really hungry for somebody to come in and make decisions. I had to get up to speed quickly.”

It was a departure from her usual approach of “listening before leading” – a critical component of her onboarding playbook. “Having been through a number of transitions, I tend to focus on making sure I understand what’s working, what’s not working, what’s possible, what’s the culture, and where are the service gaps,” Eastman said. Doing so requires spending time with teams in both group and one-on-one settings to get a feel for how they interact and manage challenges.

And while it’s not ideal to do that in a truncated timeframe, it is possible, she said, noting that adaptability has become an essential aspect of leadership. It’s one she learned firsthand during the 15 years spent in consulting, “where you get dropped into an organization and have to figure things out pretty quickly.”

Nursing as “a great foundation”

The other experiences that helped prepare for the CIO role? Her time as both a critical care nurse and clinical services manager, during which she cut her teeth as an implementation specialist. Having that knowledge, she noted, has given her a tremendous edge.

“I speak the language. I understand the impact,” Eastman said. “If you’ve spent time as a critical care nurse, not much will surprise you. You need to be able to think on your feet, and so I think it’s a great foundation for any career.”

For those who eventually move into IT roles, having a background as a nurse or physician can also help gain admittance into exclusive meetings with CMOs, CNOs, and other key leaders – as has been the case for Eastman. “I feel like I’m a very active part of the clinical cabinet. It feeds my soul.”

But while she knows firsthand the implications of changing a workflow or introducing “one more tool to a clinician,” she also realizes the importance of possessing strong technological skills. As such, “I tend to surround myself with technologists. My job is to provide the connection to healthcare operations through my leadership.”

Vision for transformation

That function is becoming increasingly vital as PeaceHealth approaches an “inflection point in its journey,” according to Eastman. “We’re looking to do a lot of transformation across the system in terms of how we’re structured, and we operate so that we’re continuing to evolve.”

At the foundation of those plans is a “basic technology modernization” that includes pulling more strategic functions in-house and creating a modern operating model. “We’re looking at what’s the future model for IT, and how we can evolve our maturity so it’s not the tail wagging the dog.”

Although she’s only a few months into the new role, Eastman feels her team is on the right track, and feels validated that the work she did prior to day one has paid off. “I went into it so carefully. I had so many great conversations, but the reality is that sometimes you end up in an environment that’s very different” than advertised, she said.

Luckily, that hasn’t been the case. “They were looking for a leader to transform the IT function, and they really have an understanding of how best to do it. It’s about organizational change – that’s the kind of work I love to do.”