Crain’s 2022 Noteworthy Executives in Technological know-how Q&A: ‘Tech allows a business enterprise, supports people’

Howard Pincham acquired a leadership lesson many years in the past when he worked at Hyland Software program. In the open office natural environment, Pincham viewed as then-CEO A.J. Hyland took the past glass of h2o from a cooler, then changed the vacant jug with a complete a single. “I was struck by this gentleman, the CEO of a huge corporation, switching the drinking water for everyone else,” Pincham stated. Pincham attempts to convey that strategy to his perform as chief info officer at Koinonia Houses, a nonprofit that gives dwelling spaces and encounters for those with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

What IT troubles have you experienced to deal with at Koinonia?

I started out in the slide of 2019, and when COVID hit, we had two months to convert from a location exactly where all the perform took place to just one exactly where some get the job done could easily take place in other places. A ton of us have the exact same tales, but it took us a tiny more do the job, since we were driving in conditions of technologies. We’ve also tried to help the individuals in the front line report information back about purchasers with some pretty complicated disabilities. How well somebody had lunch that working day or how somebody else is developing self-treatment habits. Our organization is about treatment, and we need to have to doc that care. A great deal of what we’ve carried out is par for the system, but this is a path to maturity for us.

Your state of mind seems “other”-driven. Is that good?

I consider of myself as part of the staff, and I will need to keep up my finish. If I am the government and people today have to dazzle me, primarily prior to they dazzle end buyers, their efficiency goes out the window. If I can make this workplace drama-absolutely free, I experience like I’m serving them mainly because the group — and it is an great group — is contributing for finish shoppers.

How do you mesh servant leadership with IT?

I am a standard person, but I am also almost certainly the major nerd you know. One of the troubles that nerds like us have is we feel tech is the be-all and conclusion-all. I see a few legs that are important: men and women, system and tech. For somebody in my room to say tech solves all the problems, definitely not. Tech enables a business, supports persons, supports approach.

Are you in a position to interact with purchasers?

We have additional than 60 destinations spreading as a result of Cuyahoga County and Summit and a bit of Lorain, so there are many alternatives for all of us to engage. It is really wonderful that we are termed just to give a home for our clientele. When I present up, I don’t have the ability established to provide the care that some of them require, but I can speak and shell out time and be existing — and hopefully that helps a person. Looking at the operate that the entire staff does to present the tiniest point for another person on the autism spectrum or a person who is nonverbal but so significantly desires to be component of the neighborhood, observing the mission and seeing what front line folks do, it is really been a blessing and a privilege.