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In Conversation with
MIKHAIL BOUKHNY
A Techronicler interview with Mikhail Boukhny, CTO, BVI
Techronicler: Thank you for joining us, Mikhail! A lot of careers look like straight lines on LinkedIn. How was yours different? Was there a pivotal moment or ‘happy accident’ that actually steered you toward your current role or niche?
Mikhail Boukhny:
I actually haven’t seen too many “straight lines” on LinkedIn, most everyone has zigzags in their professional lives. Mine is no different. So far, I’ve devoted the great majority of my efforts to surgical ophthalmology. I was fortunate enough to gain experience in most every sub-discipline within it having worked for three great and different in their own ways companies – Alcon, Zeiss and now BVI. There were quite a few “accidents” along the way, and what appeared at the time of the event as a huge upside or downside, in retrospect, turned out to be very different from how it looked at that moment of time.
Techronicler: What is the one book every leader in tech should read this year?
Mikhail Boukhny:
I think we’re experiencing too fast paced environment for books, at least while the books are still written, edited and published in old-fashioned ways. I would encourage leaders to listen to podcasts and interviews to get opinions from broad range of industry leaders, with at least half of them outside of your professional domain. And don’t let algorithms suggest anything to you. That’s a “runaway condition”. Unfortunately, current algorithms designed in a way that you don’t get a 3D picture, but rather provide a one-dimensional view, thinking that this is what you want and like to hear.
Techronicler: What is a piece of ‘common wisdom’ in the industry that you completely disagree with?
Mikhail Boukhny:
There is a quietly emerging rather cynical view that the new generation of healthcare providers, especially in the US, care primarily about money. While business success is pivotal, and ophthalmology has continued to shift toward privately held entities and rely more and more on patients’ financial participation, from my many interactions with 30- and 40-something surgeons, they do want to gain more than just financial rewards from their careers.
Techronicler: How do you create ‘leadership moments’ for junior team members before they officially have a title?
Mikhail Boukhny:
In my view, everyone is a leader, and most of the time, leadership doesn’t come with a title. It’s never too early to become a leader and having solid reporting lines is not a prerequisite to become one. Words do matter in how a project or problem is formulated to the team. You want to structure it at as high level as possible and then fine-tune it to the team members. That balance is critical – leaving enough of freedom in execution and even problem statement as the team members can handle. Frequency of “checking in” is also just as important – do it too frequently, and people will think you’re micromanaging, do it not enough – and you might find that the project has drifted away too far from where it needs to be.
Techronicler: If you were tasked with reducing the carbon footprint of your department’s compute strategy by 20% this year, where would you start?
Mikhail Boukhny:
I would start with looking carefully at what is being computed.
Techronicler: As a leader, how do you architect workflows to reduce the ‘mental load’ and cognitive burnout of your team in a 24/7 digital environment?
Mikhail Boukhny:
You need to be very clear about what’s urgent and what’s not. I often find myself thinking of more strategic aspects in the evenings during sunset hikes in Laguna Beach or on the weekend bike rides. And I would often compose an email or a message capturing my thoughts and rationale. A lot of the time, I’d send that communication to myself to double-check if it still makes sense on Monday. If this is something directed at the teams, I’d specify directly or indirectly how urgent the topic is. Communication to your colleagues and especially your reports, is not a “scratch pad”.
Mikhail Boukhny brings over 25 years of leadership experience in Surgical Ophthalmology. Until 2018 he led Alcon’s Surgical Instrumentation R&D in Cataract, Vitreoretinal, Refractive and Diagnostics areas. Mikhail has grown through the ranks at Alcon, developing many breakthrough products, including Torsional ultrasound and Centurion Vision System. He combines a deep understanding of unmet clinical and business needs with the ability to bring breakthrough innovation to commercial success as well as to create strong teams.