October 1, 2024

Sylvia Owens: Basketball & Boardrooms

Episode 41
“Basketball saved my life.”

Sylvia Owens: Basketball & Boardrooms

Episode 41

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Leadership is not about the leader. And I equate this back to basketball. When you have coach or coaches, they can't go out on the court and shoot the ball and dribble the ball and pass the ball. But coaches have to be really good at getting work done through others. And so from a leadership perspective, that's how I see it. As a leader, I have to be really good at getting work done through others.

Join host Cynthia Kirkpatrick in a deeply inspiring conversation with Sylvia Owens, the Director IT Revenue Cycle Systems at BJC Healthcare. With over 27 years of experience in healthcare, 18 of them in IT, Sylvia shares her incredible journey from growing up in East St. Louis to playing professional basketball in Europe and eventually transitioning into a leadership role in healthcare technology. Sylvia’s story is one of resilience, reinvention, and the power of hard work.

In this episode, we dive into:

  • Sylvia’s Early Life: Growing up in East St. Louis with limited resources, Sylvia learned the value of perseverance and grit from a young age.
  • The Role of Sports in Shaping Leadership: Sylvia reflects on how basketball saved her life and taught her the importance of teamwork, discipline, and resilience, qualities she later applied in her career.
  • Navigating Career Pivots: Sylvia opens up about the tough decisions she made throughout her life, including leaving her basketball career after a knee injury and finding new purpose in the field of healthcare IT.
  • Leadership in Healthcare IT: With 18 years of experience in implementing Epic electronic health records, Sylvia discusses her approach to leadership, including how she builds trust, motivates teams, and creates a culture of inclusion.
  • The Importance of Mentorship: Sylvia shares how her network of mentors, or “angels,” helped guide her through difficult times and how she now mentors others, especially women in tech.
  • Resilience and Reinvention: Sylvia’s story is a testament to the power of starting over, as she reflects on her personal and professional challenges, including a 20-year marriage, a life-changing divorce, and the courage to start fresh multiple times.

Key Takeaways:

  • The importance of building resilience in the face of obstacles.
  • How to embrace career pivots and turn setbacks into opportunities.
  • The value of mentorship and surrounding yourself with a network of support.
  • Sylvia’s strategies for leading successful teams by understanding and motivating individuals.
  • Lessons from sports that apply to leadership and life.

Memorable Quotes:

  • “Basketball saved my life.” – Sylvia Owens
  • “Leadership is not about the leader; it’s about getting work done through others.” – Sylvia Owens
  • “You can always start over—don’t stay down.” – Sylvia Owens

About Our Guest: Sylvia Owens is the Director of IT at BJC Healthcare, where she focuses on software change management and business process design. She has an 18-year background in healthcare IT, implementing Epic electronic health records across large healthcare systems. Before transitioning into healthcare, Sylvia played professional basketball in Europe and has continuously demonstrated courage and resilience throughout her life.

Show Notes

 

🏀 Sylvia’s Background and Career (00:00 – 09:41)

  • Sylvia Owens is the director of IT at BJC Healthcare
  • She shared her story at the St. Louis “That’s What She Said” event
  • Grew up in East St. Louis with a single mother and five siblings
  • Basketball played a crucial role in her life
  • Won a state championship in 1980 with East St. Louis Lincoln girls team

🎓 Education and Early Career (09:41 – 19:01)

  • Awarded athletic scholarship to University of Houston
  • Played professional basketball in Switzerland and Spain
  • Knee injury ended her basketball career
  • Transitioned into healthcare, starting at Scott Air Force Base
  • Worked at Washington University School of Medicine and St. Louis University School of Medicine

💻 IT Career in Healthcare (19:01 – 27:32)

  • Joined Mercy Health as an analyst, quickly became director
  • Implemented electronic health records across multiple states
  • Moved to New York to work for Mount Sinai during the pandemic
  • Currently IT director at BJC Healthcare, focusing on revenue cycle applications

👥 Leadership Philosophy (27:32 – 35:14)

  • Emphasizes getting work done through others
  • Meets individually with team members to understand their motivations
  • Builds trust and psychological safety within teams
  • Shares personal experiences to connect with team members

🌟 Overcoming Challenges (35:15 – 47:06)

  • Faced homesickness during early college years
  • Mentors like Elvin Hayes helped her overcome challenges
  • Emphasizes resilience and starting over multiple times in life
  • Stresses the importance of self-reflection and talking kindly to oneself

🚀 Advice for Success (47:07 – 56:47)

  • Encourages women to share their stories and support each other
  • Promotes the value of team sports in building character and leadership skills
  • Advocates for women in tech to discuss their journeys
  • Emphasizes the importance of having mentors throughout one’s career

🌈 Personal Growth and Inspiration (56:47 – 01:06:16)

  • Reflects on the impact of her childhood experiences on her resilience
  • Discusses the importance of being authentic and bringing one’s full self to work
  • Shares experiences of working in different healthcare organizations
  • Highlights the changing landscape for women in IT leadership roles

🤝 Mentorship and Giving Back (01:06:16 – 01:17:00)

  • Stresses the importance of having a network of “angels” for support
  • Writes letters to acknowledge people who impacted her life
  • Encourages pouring into others and sharing one’s story to inspire
  • Promotes LinkedIn as the best way to connect with her

Content Notice

This podcast and all She Lift Project content represents the opinions of Cynthia Kirkpatrick and her guests. The content here is for informational purposes only, and should not be taken as professional advice – financial, legal, medical, or otherwise.

Views and opinions expressed in the podcast and across all She Lift Project media channels are our own and do not represent that of our places of work. While we make every effort to ensure that the information we are sharing is accurate, we welcome any comments, suggestions, or correction of errors.

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Sylvia Owens: Basketball & Boardrooms

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