It was the spirit of his HFMA National Chair theme, “Dare You 2 Move,” that that led OSF HealthCare CFO Michael Allen, FHFMA, CPA, to his leadership position in healthcare. And it also was what led him to find himself onstage at The Red Barn.
“I had been playing guitar and writing songs for about 10 years or so, most of it at home with familiar equipment and an audience of one — me,” he says. “I noticed I wasn’t getting any better. It felt very stagnant, but it was comfortable and familiar.”
So a little over a year ago, Allen pushed himself out of his comfort zone and signed up for the open mic night. He prepared by practicing five songs over and over to take as many variables out of play as possible. Even so, he admits it didn’t prepare him for the emotions and sensory reactions to the moment.
“I was terrified,” Allen says. “But I did it, and I got a little better. Playing at home had taken me as far as it was going to. I had to do something. I had to move. I had to make myself uncomfortable to get better. I had to risk failing and having a bad song or bad night to learn.”
Allen says that he hopes HFMA members, and the broader healthcare industry, will be similarly inspired by the “Dare You 2 Move” theme.
“It is my hope that this dare in some way can help people along in their own personal and professional journeys,” he says. “My goal is
for them to adopt it, adapt it and make it their own.”
