MacAulay-Brown President and CEO Sid Fuchs attended a recent event in Washington to share insights on people development and lessons the healthcare sector can learn from the national security industry.

MacB said Tuesday Fuchs noted the importance of interactions, insight sharing and mentoring to a company’s growth.

“As leaders and managers, we have to understand that the more you are willing to share and empower others, the better your organization will be at all levels, including interoperability, growth (and) customer retention,” the chief executive said at the Feb. 6 event.

According to Fuchs, client needs and demands are what drive business and innovation, citing 9/11 and how it fostered greater public-private collaboration and sharing of intelligence data.

“The customer drives governance, requirements and policy,” Fuchs noted, adding, “Industry drives technology and innovation.”

Harry Greenspun of the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions moderated the HCI-DC 2014 conference co-sponsored by the West Health Institute and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT with over 1,000 healthcare professionals in attendance.