“I have been pondering rather a lot about management fashions,” Sarah O’Leary, CEO of femtech firm Willow, tells Entrepreneur. “ There’s been loads of noise and information round, ‘We want extra masculine power within the office.’ It makes you query as a frontrunner: What’s my type? How efficient is my type? I do not consider that we’d like extra masculine power.”
Picture Credit score: Courtesy of Willow
O’Leary characterizes her management type and the tradition at Willow, the model behind “patented leak-proof” wearable breast pumps and their equipment, as one which facilities transparency and empathy to construct belief throughout the office. In accordance with the CEO, groups which have belief in one another — and of their leaders — usually tend to perform in a means that is conducive to success.
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“I consider [flexibility in the workplace] makes us extra productive.”
Instilling belief inside group members means emphasizing a degree of autonomy, O’Leary says. Willow is a “very versatile office,” O’Leary explains, noting that the corporate has by no means given its workers return-to-office mandates. As a mom of two herself, O’Leary is especially cognizant of the on a regular basis hurdles group members who’re additionally dad and mom face, and he or she desires to assist them in any means potential.
“ If my youngsters’ elementary college live performance is occurring at 10 a.m., I will log out,” O’Leary says. “I will go to that, then come again and hold going with my day. I do not consider that makes us any much less productive. I consider it makes us extra productive. I really feel very passionately that we are able to construct a tremendously profitable enterprise whereas additionally working in ways in which really feel genuine to our management and group.”
Willow is navigating its subsequent progress chapter with O’Leary on the helm. The corporate lately introduced its acquisition of UK-based femtech innovator Elvie, which is predicted to spice up income by 50%. Willow additionally continues to companion with organizations that assist dad and mom. To kick off its Mom’s Day marketing campaign this 12 months, the corporate introduced a partnership with Canopie, a preventive maternal well being care platform, to donate a million hours of maternal psychological well being assist.
“[Being CEO is] a duty as a lot as it’s a cool title.”
Previous to entering into the CEO position at Willow, O’Leary served as the corporate’s chief industrial officer and “liked” the work. O’Leary has mirrored rather a lot over the previous 12 months on her resolution to turn into CEO, and he or she says that ambition wasn’t her main motivator; as an alternative, she acknowledged that she was the suitable individual for the job at this second.
“I cared deeply about our mission,” O’Leary explains. “I had a imaginative and prescient for the place we may go. I understood the industrial operations of the enterprise and will carry that along with our product groups. In some sense, [becoming CEO] has put me in a servant chief type of position — It is a duty as a lot as it’s a cool title.”
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On the finish of the day, O’Leary means that leaders be certain that their motivation is genuine to them — as a result of that is what’s going to assist them lead via probably the most tough occasions.
“New tariffs are introduced, and you have to determine that out,” O’Leary says. “It’s problem after problem, and the group appears to be like to you and says, ‘What are we going to do?’ This position is admittedly about being keen to take duty for the individuals, merchandise and prospects. It isn’t all glitz and glamor. You are the primary one that will get all of the powerful questions.”
“I have been pondering rather a lot about management fashions,” Sarah O’Leary, CEO of femtech firm Willow, tells Entrepreneur. “ There’s been loads of noise and information round, ‘We want extra masculine power within the office.’ It makes you query as a frontrunner: What’s my type? How efficient is my type? I do not consider that we’d like extra masculine power.”
Picture Credit score: Courtesy of Willow
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