Innovating Leadership: An Interview with Fortium Partner Michael Smith.

This interview outlines the professional profile of Michael Smith, a strategic technology leader at Fortium Partners with extensive experience in driving technological transformation to enhance profitability and growth across various industries, including healthcare and manufacturing. It highlights his expertise in M&A integrations, cloud migration, digital interactions, and the implementation of enterprise systems like ERP and CRM. Furthermore, this cites his educational background, certifications, and awards while also emphasizing his leadership style focused on collaboration and client service.

Introduction

At Fortium Partners, we pride ourselves on bringing seasoned technology leaders to the forefront of our clients' most pressing challenges and strategic opportunities. Today, I have the pleasure of sitting down with one of our distinguished Partners, Michael Smith. With almost 30 years of experience leading technology initiatives across diverse sectors - including healthcare, life sciences, global manufacturing, and non-profits - Michael embodies the strategic vision and operational excellence our clients seek. His unique journey, from a consulting foundation to serving as CIO at InnovaPrep LLC and former VP & CIO at the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), has consistently focused on leveraging technology to drive business growth and profitability.

Interview

I’m Burke Autrey, CEO of Fortium Partners, and Michael, it's a pleasure to have you.

Burke Autrey: Michael, your career path is notable for its breadth across various industries and your consistent ascent into senior IT leadership roles. You famously transitioned from a $17 billion publicly-traded world leader in life sciences to a large non-profit association. How has this diverse background shaped your approach to technology leadership, particularly when advising CEOs and C-level executives on their strategic initiatives?

Michael Smith: Thank you, Burke, it’s great to be here. My diverse background, particularly my foundational years in management consulting, was incredibly formative. It gave me the unique opportunity to work with a range of organizations – from government entities to entertainment and finance – exposing me to how technology is leveraged across vastly different industries. This broad view helps me understand what’s truly possible and to identify the best options for a given organization, regardless of its specific sector.

Coming into the IT industry from an operational background, rather than a purely technical one, fundamentally shapes my perspective. I view technology from a business and operational lens first, focusing on how it can enable the organization's objectives rather than technology for its own sake. This "business-first" approach makes it easier to bridge the gap between technical teams and executive leadership, ensuring technology strategies are always aligned with core business outcomes, such as enhancing profitability, driving organic growth, and improving shareholder value. My experience in turnaround environments also means I'm adept at stabilizing situations and tackling complex problems with agility to drive desired results.

Burke Autrey: That business-first mindset is crucial. Many organizations struggle with integrating IT into their core business strategy. From your experience leading significant digital transformations, like the one at AAFP, which earned a CIO 100 award, what are the key principles for successfully orchestrating an end-to-end digital transformation that truly delivers value and drives change?

Michael Smith: The transformation at AAFP was truly end-to-end, impacting over 90% of the organization and significantly modifying our technology stack. A core principle was recognizing that it wasn't just about updating systems, but about driving an organizational mindset shift towards digital interactions and agility.

Key principles:

• Strategic Roadmapping: Developed a multi-year IT strategy and technology roadmap is paramount. This provides a clear vision and ensures all initiatives contribute to the overall strategic direction.

• Data as a Strategic Asset: We focused heavily on building a data-driven organization, establishing a robust business intelligence function, and a foundational data warehouse. This enabled a 360-degree view of member engagement and informed strong strategic decisions. This also involved rigorous data governance processes to ensure integrity and accuracy.

• Enterprise Architecture: Implemented a robust enterprise architecture, including application architects, was a huge enabler. This moved us from siloed, "Frankenstein" applications to integrated "ecosystems" like Workday for HR/Accounting and Salesforce for CRM, enhancing agility and reducing administrative overhead.

• Embracing Cloud and Automation: Actively seeking opportunities to embrace automation, migrate to cloud computing, and increase digital interactions with customers is vital. We adopted a hybrid cloud computing strategy, leveraging SaaS solutions where appropriate while maintaining in-house systems for unique organizational needs.

• People-Centric Leadership: Digital transformation is as much about people as it is about technology. My leadership style emphasizes partnership and collaboration, inspiring teams to work together and build strong relationships with business unit colleagues. I also make it a point to mentor technology professionals, fostering high-performing teams capable of driving strategic initiatives forward.

The smooth pivot to 100% remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic was a direct testament to the value of this proactive digital transformation, as our members and internal staff experienced minimal disruption.

Burke Autrey: That’s a powerful example of foresight delivering tangible business continuity. Looking forward, we're seeing rapid advancements in AI and machine learning. How are you advising organizations to strategically leverage these emerging technologies, and what’s your perspective on their impact on operations and the workforce?

Michael Smith: AI and machine learning are certainly on the horizon for significant impact, and during my time with AAFP, we actively explored applications. For instance, in healthcare, a primary challenge for family physicians is administrative complexity. We leveraged how AI and ML can streamline processes, reduce the administrative burden, and allow physicians to have more focused time with patients, rather than documenting in Electronic Health Records (EHRs). This involved developing prototypes around automated processes that could integrate directly into the physician's workflow.  

At InnovaPrep, we’re leveraging AI and machine learning to enhance R&D through the development of automated control systems that integrate seamlessly with our patented technologies. Additionally, in my work with Fortium clients, I’ve led initiatives to design AI/ML governance frameworks and define use cases that demonstrate how these technologies can deliver measurable business outcomes.

My perspective is that while there might be underlying fears about job displacement, the explosion of innovation in AI and machine learning will ultimately create new jobs and industries that don’t even exist today. It's not a threat, but an advantage that will enhance efficiency, collaboration, and connectivity across all sectors. For C-level executives, the focus should be on identifying specific operational pain points where AI/ML can provide predictive insights and tangible outcomes, leading to increased revenue and product growth, as well as fostering an agile R&D environment for new product development.

Burke Autrey: That's a forward-thinking perspective on leveraging innovation. Finally, Michael, you've been recognized for your strong leadership and mentoring. What advice do you have for fellow CIOs and C-level executives on building influence and credibility within their organizations to drive technology initiatives successfully?

Michael Smith: This is a topic I feel strongly about. As CIOs, we operate at the intersection of business and technology, serving as a critical translation layer. The IT function touches every aspect of an organization, from individual contributors to executive leadership, giving us a unique vantage point.

My advice would be:

• Don't Wait for an Invitation: A seat at the executive table isn't usually extended; it must be earned. Establish credibility by deeply understanding the business challenges and consistently providing technology solutions that fix real issues and demonstrate clear value.

• Speak the Language of Business: Avoid technical jargon. Communicate the value of technology in terms of business outcomes, profitability, and competitive advantage.

• Consistent Execution: The ultimate metric of a CIO's success is the consistency of execution and the ability to provide value with excellence and customer service as a priority. When organizations trust that IT consistently delivers on challenges, you'll be brought into early strategic discussions.

• Lead with Courage and Boldness: Believe in the transformative power of technology and confidently communicate that vision to leadership. Don't shy away from leading the pack and providing the direction the organization needs.

• Invest in Your Team: Build and mentor highly-effective teams. By empowering your team and cultivating their careers, you enhance their effectiveness and solidify IT's position as a trusted partner.

These principles have allowed me to guide organizations through significant transformations and position them for sustained success.

Burke Autrey: Michael, your insights are invaluable and truly highlight the depth of experience and strategic acumen that Fortium Partners brings to our clients. Thank you for sharing your perspective with us today.

Michael Smith: My pleasure, Burke. It's rewarding to apply these lessons and continue to help organizations leverage technology as a strategic driver for their future.

Are you a CEO or C-level executive looking to drive growth, navigate complex transformations, or build a more agile and innovative technology organization? Fortium Partners brings proven technology leaders like Michael Smith to your executive team, offering advisory, fractional, and interim CIO, CTO, and CISO services tailored to your unique needs.

Contact us today to discover how our "leadership-as-a-service" model can help you unlock your strategic advantage.