What I Learned From My Favorite Pharmaceutical Executive Interview – Thus Far
By Rob Wright, Chief Editor, Life Science Leader
Follow Me On Twitter @RfwrightLSL
Although all of the interviews I’ve done over the years as Chief Editor of Life Science Leader magazine are special in their own ways, the truth is I do have a favorite, and would like to share what made it so. But first let me share some insights into many of the other interviews I have conducted over the years, as well as what I learned in the process. Though I completed my MBA back in 1998, I feel the experience of interviewing executives has been akin to acquiring a second master’s degree in pharmaceutical leadership.
What I Learned About Leadership From Executive Interviews
When I interviewed Jeff Evans, Ph.D, and Joe Connell, both were executives of shiny new start-ups. Evans was the founder and CEO of Oncoholdings, Inc., a privately held virtual pharmaceutical company focused on acquiring and developing the most promising preclinical and early clinical anticancer agents. Connell was president and co-founder of Regenicin, a publicly traded biotechnology company specializing in the development of regenerative cell therapies to restore the health of damaged tissues and organs. Both companies were founded during one of the worst recessions in U.S. history, and both men intended to shatter the conventional drug development discovery model via the virtual approach. Since the publication of this article, Oncoholdings no longer exists, and Regenicin and Connell parted ways amongst lawsuits between he and 2008 co-founder, present CEO, Randall McCoy. What were the leadership lessons I gained from Evans and Connell? Don’t put off until tomorrow to try that great idea today, and You will learn more from trying and failing, than failing to try. Jeff Chulay, M.D., is the VP and chief medical officer at AGTC, a company developing cures for rare lung and eye disease. During the interview, Chulay made a comment to which I have since referred to often — serendipity rewards a well prepared mind. “When I was at GSK,” he said, “One of the investigators at a VA Hospital evaluating Wellbutrin commented to the clinical trial monitor, ‘A lot of my patients who go on this drug say they’ve lost their taste for cigarettes.’” The monitor shared this offhand observation, which led to the collection of prospective data, exploratory analysis, and eureka! — Zyban, a product indicated for smoking cessation. The leadership lesson gained from Chulay: Hiring top talent isn’t the key to innovation, but empowering top talent is, so they can not only recognize opportunities, but act on them when they do.
In my discussions with Maxine Gowen, Ph.D., and Brian O’ Callaghan, I experienced levels of candor and transparency I have since come to relish. It is rare for CEOs to be able to make comments to a member of the media and be able to trust them to go no further. Their leadership lesson: Don’t violate trust placed with you for personal gain. This is not a sustainable relationship model.
There have been several leaders interviewed where I have found them consistently repeating my name when answering questions, such as Steven Ryder, M.D., and Dalvir Gill, Ph.D. Though this may seem like insignificant behavior, I am a firm believer that it is the little things, such as using a person’s first name when engaged in a conversation, which can make the biggest difference to how you are perceived. Unfortunately, remembering first names is one of my biggest weaknesses. When out to dinner or at a conference, I am thankful for name badges. But the leadership lesson isn’t to just call a person by their name or use name badges, but to treat people like you would like to be treated, and you are never too old to work on your weaknesses.
In my interview with the FDA’s Jeff Baker, Ph.D., I asked about what he learned from being a member of the Northwestern University Marching Band (NUMB). He clarified that he was not just in the band, but also served as “The Grynder” for two years. The Grynder assists the “Spirit Leader” with cheers and keeping the band’s spirit up during football games. The leadership lesson — being a leader requires an enthusiastic willingness to “put yourself out there” — passionately. It takes courage to have all eyes fixed on you, out front, cheering on the band, especially when your team is losing. Leadership takes courage. Allergan’s David Pyott was my first big company CEO, and I had to be very persistent to get the interview scheduled. Thus, theleadership lesson: Persistence pays off. At the 2013 BIO International Convention, I interviewed Bill Hait, M.D., Ph.D., and Bahija Jallal, Ph.D., the first interview I had ever conducted in person for cover feature stories in the magazine. The leadership lesson: Leaders can smile and laugh even in the face of the toughest questions. Smile when faced with adversity. From Takeda’s Tadataka (Tachi) Yamada, M.D., I learned some of the best leadership lessons are learned from people and in places least expected. Leaders are vigilant learners. When I interviewed David Meeker, M.D., I asked the CEO of Genyzme if he had ever expected or anticipated becoming a CEO when he stopped practicing medicine to enter the world of pharma. His answer was no. Leadership lesson: The best leaders aren’t necessarily those charging to take command of the troops. From Bob Hugin I learned good leaders go to where the problem is, bringing challenges closer, not pushing them further away. Ron Cohen taught me the best leaders are never too busy to help others if they are able. In addition to learning to hate failure, Bill Ciambrone taught me leadership requires authenticity. The best leadership advice Ciambrone ever received — don’t try to be someone you are not. From Tim Garnett, I learned sometimes it is necessary for leaders to slow down in order to speed things up. Merck Serono’s CEO, Belén Garijo, M.D., taught me the importance of being flexible. Though I came to the interview with a list of prepared questions, I didn’t ask any of them, and the article is probably much better from having done so. Finally, Andrew Skibo, who was one of my top three favorite interviews, taught me that the best leaders work at being great communicators, employing every day analogies and visualization to impart better understanding of difficult concepts. Truth be told, the article I did with Skibo is probably the one of which I am currently most proud.
My Favorite Executive Interviews
Though my next cover feature with the senior executive officer and global head of R&D at Daiichi-Sankyo (global), Glenn Gormley, M.D., Ph.D., might be one of my favorite interviews, because the article hasn’t been published, I nixed it from consideration. Although in the beginning I said I have a favorite executive interview, the reality is there are two — Pfizer’s SVP and worldwide head of development operations, John Hubbard, Ph.D., and Merck’s VP of vaccine product & technical operations, Jim Robinson. I have a very high regard for both of these men as people and leaders. So what made these my favorites? Let me start with Hubbard.
When I sat down for my 3:00 p.m. discussion with Hubbard, as I typically do for all of my interviewees, I asked, “When is our hard stop?” The response is usually 30 to 45 minutes after the start time, perhaps with some flexibility. Hubbard informed me he had kept his afternoon clear so I could get what I need. His approach that my time was as valuable as his is a great example of servant leadership. There have been cases when I have had to spread interviews out over several days because of timing, and though this is always appreciated, if you can get most of what you need on the first shot, it prevents wasting time later. I really appreciated this, and think it made for an outstanding article. Another reason this interview was one of my favorites is when I asked him for examples, tools used, best practices applied, lessons learned, metrics, he gave me thoughtful answers as opposed to rehearsed talking points. For example, he explained how, during the process of going from 17 to two CROs, Pfizer utilized the balanced scorecard, an internal accreditation process, and so on. In other words, he knew his stuff and was well prepared. But he was always prepared for the unexpected, like when I asked him about how his martial arts training helps him as a leader. He told me how it helps him to find/stay centered.
As for why the interview with Jim Robinson is one of my favorites, it is because he was extremely transparent in his communications, and thus, why the article turned out so damn good! I recall him expressing concern that the communications people in the room were rolling their eyes at some of his candid responses. But Jim and I established a trust, and I got my bachelors in engineering degree, plus a Ph.D. in leadership from our conversation. I can still recall him describing the manufacturing floor having a rhythm, knowing by the sound of the machine something was about to go wrong, a puddle where it shouldn’t be, walking to lunch and smelling the air and knowing a batch would be out of spec by the gases being given off. Leadership is teaching, and that’s what I benefited from most during my conversation with Robinson. After the discussion, he sent me a book by John Miller, QBQ! The Question Behind The Question. If you are wondering why, the simple answer is — because that’s what great leaders/teachers do, use multiple methods of communication to facilitate understanding, and continue teaching even when class is over. I began sharing the book with my colleagues, but it was in such demand, we just bought a bunch of copies for use in the office.
I hope you have enjoyed these insights. Though I have enjoyed and learned something from all of my interviews, I look forward to when someone raises the bar above the likes of Hubbard and Robinson, because when they do, it will be really fun.