FOUNDER TO THE PROFILE
Cloud Operations Manager, HCA Healthcare
“I attribute my success first and foremost to the grace of God, along with the lessons I have learned through the school of hard knocks and from the honest criticism of others. My faith teaches me that I was created in God's image and that I should continually strive to live according to the standards He has set for us.I certainly don't claim to meet those standards perfectly. I struggle, learn, and grow every day. Throughout my career, I have tried to remain humble enough to accept criticism, learn from my mistakes, and recognize that difficult experiences are often our greatest teachers.I also attribute my success to the people who have challenged me, trusted me, mentored me, and given me opportunities to grow. Those experiences have shaped not only the technology leader I have become, but also the way I try to lead and mentor others. I believe success is not simply what you accomplish personally, but what you learn along the way and how you use those lessons to help others succeed.”
Marc Smith is an IT operations professional based in Nashville, Tennessee, currently serving as Public Cloud Operations Manager at HCA Healthcare. With nearly 30 years of experience as a seasoned Systems Administrator, he has cultivated extensive technical expertise in Unix and Linux operating systems, infrastructure management, and enterprise cloud architecture. In his leadership role at HCA Healthcare, Marc oversees public cloud operations, ensuring scalable, secure, and reliable IT environments for healthcare infrastructure. His decades-long background in systems administration enables him to bridge traditional system architectures with modern cloud solutions, supporting mission-critical operations and technical innovation within the healthcare sector.
IN HIS OWN WORDS
I attribute my success first and foremost to the grace of God, along with the lessons I have learned through the school of hard knocks and from the honest criticism of others. My faith teaches me that I was created in God's image and that I should continually strive to live according to the standards He has set for us.
I certainly don't claim to meet those standards perfectly. I struggle, learn, and grow every day. Throughout my career, I have tried to remain humble enough to accept criticism, learn from my mistakes, and recognize that difficult experiences are often our greatest teachers.
I also attribute my success to the people who have challenged me, trusted me, mentored me, and given me opportunities to grow. Those experiences have shaped not only the technology leader I have become, but also the way I try to lead and mentor others. I believe success is not simply what you accomplish personally, but what you learn along the way and how you use those lessons to help others succeed.
The best career advice I’ve ever received is to stay humble and never give up. No matter how much experience you gain or how successful you become, there is always something new to learn and someone you can learn from.
Throughout my career, technology has changed tremendously, and staying humble has allowed me to ask questions, accept criticism, learn from mistakes, and continue growing. Perseverance has been equally important. When faced with a difficult problem, I believe in staying with it, learning what I need to learn, and finding a way forward.
I’ve also tried to pass that philosophy on to the people I mentor: never believe you know everything, never be afraid to ask for help, and never let a difficult challenge convince you that you cannot succeed.
Believe in every sense of the word. Believe in yourself, believe in your ability to learn, and believe that you can accomplish things that may seem beyond your reach today.
You will face criticism, setbacks, and people who may doubt your abilities. Don't allow that negativity to define you. Listen to criticism, learn from what is valuable, and let it fuel your determination to become better.
Stay humble enough to keep learning, strong enough to keep going when things get difficult, and confident enough to pursue opportunities even when you don't feel completely ready. And when you make a mistake and you will be strong enough to admit it and humble enough to apologize. Take responsibility, learn from it, make it right when you can, and move forward as a better person because of it. To me, admitting when you're wrong isn't a sign of weakness; it's a sign of character.
As you become successful, remember to reach back and help the next person grow with you. Success isn't only measured by how far you advance in your own career, but also by the impact you have on the lives of others. Some of the greatest accomplishments in my career have come from watching people I've mentored grow, succeed, and eventually become mentors and leaders themselves.
And most importantly, believe in our Lord and Savior. Have faith that there is a purpose greater than the challenges in front of you. Let that faith keep you grounded when you succeed, give you strength when you struggle, and remind you to use the opportunities and abilities you've been given to serve and lift up others.
One of the biggest challenges and opportunities in our industry is the incredible speed at which technology is changing. We have reached a point where it is nearly impossible for any one person to keep up with everything. Success increasingly depends on surrounding yourself with a strong team, trusting the expertise of others, and continuously learning from one another.
With the rapid growth of AI and automation, I also believe we have to remain focused on the fundamentals. AI and automation are only as reliable as the data, processes, and infrastructure behind them. If the underlying data isn't accurate, validated, secure, and well governed, automating decisions simply allows us to make mistakes faster and at a much larger scale.
The opportunity is tremendous, but we shouldn't allow the excitement surrounding new technology to distract us from building a strong foundation. We need to embrace innovation while continuing to prioritize the validity of our data, the stability of our infrastructure, and the people responsible for both.
The values most important to me are family, trust, integrity, and teamwork. My family keeps me grounded and reminds me of what is truly important, and I try to bring those same values into the way I lead my team.
Professionally, one of my greatest priorities is building a team based on trust. I don't want to build a team that depends on me to make every decision. I want to develop people who understand our mission, our standards, and each other well enough that they can operate autonomously and confidently when new challenges arise.
I often say that I want to build a team that can finish my sentence not because everyone thinks exactly alike, but because we have developed a shared understanding of where we are going and what we expect from one another.
To me, successful leadership means developing people, trusting them with responsibility, supporting them when they need you, and ultimately building a team that can succeed whether you are in the room or not.
PERSPECTIVES
Original insights, ideas, and viewpoints shaped by real-world experience.
View All ArticlesLEARN MORE
Notable Men brings together influential voices across industries to share insights, experiences, and perspectives that matter.
Learn More
