Based in Providence, Rhode Island, Ian Chinich joined Barrington’s Faulkner Consulting Group as an escalation analyst in 2017. In this position with the healthcare consulting firm, Ian Chinich supported the health policy and program design team in their work to address clients’ complex healthcare issues. He also contributed to a strategy team with nearly a century of experience in Medicaid program leadership and implementation of the Affordable Care Act. In 2023, Ian Chinich transitioned to the position of operations analyst at Faulkner Consulting Group.
Throughout his career, Ian Chinich has worked in a variety of industries, including food services and academia. He has also published articles on topics such as the impact of large loans and debt restructuring processes in Greece on employment and social services.
Ian Chinich earned a master of political science from Boston University. He studied political science and philosophy as an undergraduate at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Beyond his activities as an operations analyst at Faulkner Consulting Group, he enjoys reading, playing strategy games, and international travel. He plays multiple instruments and has written poetry and fiction.
What is your typical day, and how do you make it productive?
On most days, I wake up early to take my toddler to daycare. While it can be exhausting getting everything together on time, her cute smile in the morning when she sees me makes it all worth it. Then, I make my way back home and log in to work. Most of the day I spend in meetings discussing policy and system updates and dealing with escalated customers to the Rhode Island Health Exchange. After a hard day at work, I like to relax with my baby and my partner and either make dinner or eat out and watch a movie.
How do you bring ideas to life?
Imagination by itself is insufficient for the implementation of a new idea. In order to achieve a successful outcome, there needs to be both an ability to convince others of your idea and a will to carry it out. I personally like to discuss my ideas with other friends/coworkers first to receive buy-in and through discussion work out the kinks. Then I brainstorm the steps needed to see it through.
What’s one trend that excites you?
Despite the dangers inherent in any new technology, I think that new computer technology, and in particular quantum computing has a chance of changing the world. Simultaneously, there has been a dramatic increase in research into cold fusion, which can unlock a future of limitless clean energy. The symbiosis of these two developments, along with social movements, will hopefully reduce poverty, improve healthcare, and end scarcity.
What is one habit that helps you be productive?
This may sound cliché, but caffeine helps a lot. Waking up in the morning after my child’s unsteady sleeping habits often leaves me a little exhausted, but a minor stimulant and a hot one at that can really help me focus on the tasks at hand. The key is to not drink too much caffeine so that you are jittery and bouncing off the walls.
What advice would you give your younger self?
If I could start again, I would have joined the trades as either a plumber or an electrician. There’s nothing like a high paying union job with a lot of job security and the inability to be replaced at some point soon by intelligent AI.
Tell us something you believe almost nobody agrees with you on?
I never want to be “The Boss.” I don’t want to have power over people’s livelihood. I feel the same way about never wanting to be a landlord and have control over other people’s access to housing even if both situations can result in an increased income and financial security.
What is the one thing you repeatedly do and recommend everyone else do?
I am very solutions based. While this is not the best approach in dealing with feelings, it can be very useful in practical applications. For example, at work I always try to think what actionable steps we can take to approach a situation. This prevents both meetings and tasks from becoming overwhelming and resulting in procrastination.
When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, what do you do?
When I am overwhelmed with a task or stress in my life, I like to take a very short walk. It can an outside jaunt for 5 minutes. Doing this changes the scenery, provides some endorphins, and helps me concentrate again when I go back to focusing on the task at hand.
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business or advance in your career?
Never be afraid to ask your friends for advice or help. Society is not designed for individuals to succeed without cooperation. As they say, “it takes a village.” Job hunting and promotions can be tough, and recommendations can go a long way.
What is one failure in your career, how did you overcome it, and what lessons did you take away from it?
When my father became terminally ill in 2014, I dropped out of my PhD program to help take care of him. By this point, I already had misgivings about continuing in academia due to its cutthroat nature and politics. On top of that, I also was convinced that I didn’t want to struggle for change within the ivory tower. When I left, at first I was crestfallen because I had spent so much time on that trajectory, but I learned that popular intellectualism and sharing ideas with “non-experts” was much more fulfilling.
What is one business idea you’re willing to give away to our readers?
I don’t currently have a business idea that goes beyond the process of already occurring technological change that is occurring between AI integration and digital services. I suppose if I was to give an idea, it would be for additional online ways to mimic being in person, such as video tools when playing online games or a hologram in a room when video chatting your loved ones.
What is one piece of software that helps you be productive? How do you use it?
Though many people will likely now say AI software like ChatGPT, I think that one of the most useful software applications is OneNote. In the modern age of work when there is a ton of multi-tasking, having an application that helps you organize, create templates, and remember what you are working on reigns supreme. I use it to keep policies and SOPs, to list out manual notices, and organize my to do list.
Do you have a favorite book or podcast you’ve gotten a ton of value from and why?
In the past few years, I have really appreciated Mike Duncan’s “Revolutions” podcasts. He breaks down history in a few dozen episodes for each revolution covering the economic, political, social, and regional contextual causes, and this gives the listener a lot of time to get the full details of why people and movements are doing individual things. So far, I have listened to the American Revolution, the French revolutions of 1789, and 1830, the 1848 Revolution, the Paris Commune, The Mexican Revolution, and am halfway through the Russian Revolution. I encourage everyone to check them out, as they also influenced the writing of the Star Wars Andor show.
What’s a movie or series you recently enjoyed and why?
One of the best recent shows I have watched is season 2 of Andor. It is a major departure from all the other Star Wars shows and a lot of science fiction/fantasy shows in general in that it depicts a lot of the psychology of rebellion to dictatorship. It also contains themes of self-sacrifice, bitter infighting, ideological differences, and the banality of evil. I recommend that everyone watch it.
Key learnings
- Progress isn’t achieved by one’s self. It happens in collaboration with others.
- It is not sufficient to have good ideas if there is no implementation plan.
- Creating sufficient cooperation and self-sufficiency at work is more important than becoming a boss.