From Strategy to Execution: How Pintail Bridges the Gap Between Innovation and Impact

Pintail Solutions President Jason Bork was recently published in an issue of Indiana Business journal’s special BIOFUTURES magazine. This interview series adds some additional insight beyond the article. 

In healthcare, it's not enough to have a groundbreaking idea—you need the structure and strategy to bring that idea to life. That’s where Pintail Solutions thrives. In this conversation, Jason C. Bork, President of Pintail Solutions, shares how his team helps organizations move from vision to value. With a unique mix of strategic insight and hands-on execution, Pintail is proving that clarity, alignment, and measurable goals are key to real transformation in healthcare.

Interviewer:
When we're thinking about translating research into solutions, how can organizations like Pintail help bridge the gap between innovation and technology in healthcare impact?

Jason C. Bork:
A mentor of mine asked me this about ten years ago when I first started the company: “Do you think you're more of a thought leader or more of an execution partner?” I thought long and hard about it. There’s no right or wrong answer—but for us, the answer is both.

The only work we've ever walked away from was with a company that already knew exactly what they wanted, how they wanted it done, and just needed someone to flip the switch. You can find someone else to do that.

But we also don’t want to simply consult, offer strategic insight, and then leave you with a deck and say, “Good luck.” We want to see the work through. We understand how organizational change works. We know how to drive impact both within and beyond the organization. So we help on both sides of the equation.

Interviewer:
Let’s talk more about Pintail’s strategic advisory role. What insights from Pintail Solutions' consulting experience help streamline or better structure large-scale transformation?

Jason C. Bork:
As I mentioned, we operate on both the strategy and execution sides—and the combination is critical.

Going back a couple of decades, when I was at a large pharma company, I attended the best leadership training I’ve ever experienced. We spent a week in Phoenix—not in a classroom, but out speaking with real business leaders. As someone new to leadership at the time, I believed success was all about strategy—like 98% strategy.

One conversation really shifted my thinking. We spoke with the CEO of a Southwest-based insurance company. Someone asked, “How do you know your strategy is right?” He paused, took a breath, and said, “I don’t know... but we’re not confused.”

Whether he had 1,200 or 12,000 employees, he was relentless about making sure everyone in the organization understood what they were doing, why they were doing it, and how it was being measured. He acknowledged that they might not be perfectly right—but with smart people and insights from external partners, they wouldn’t be far off. And because of their clarity and alignment, he believed they could out-execute anyone.

That message stayed with me.

We recently had a similar experience with a smaller client. For the first time, they had clear annual objectives and key performance indicators (KPIs)—and there was no confusion. No one on the leadership team misunderstood what they were being measured on. Everyone in the organization understood how their role connected to the larger goals.

And those KPIs weren’t just for internal use—they were shared with the board regularly.