Femtech CEO on Management: Do not ‘Want Extra Masculine Vitality’

“I have been considering so much about management fashions,” Sarah O’Leary, CEO of femtech firm Willow, tells Entrepreneur. “ There’s been plenty of noise and information round, ‘We want extra masculine vitality within the office.’ It makes you query as a pacesetter: What’s my type? How efficient is my type? I do not consider that we want extra masculine vitality.”

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 operate in a approach that is conducive to success.

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“I consider [flexibility in the workplace] makes us extra productive.”

Instilling belief inside crew 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 staff return-to-office mandates. As a mom of two herself, O’Leary is especially cognizant of the on a regular basis hurdles crew members who’re additionally dad and mom face, and he or she desires to help them in any approach potential.

“ If my youngsters’ elementary faculty live performance is going on at 10 a.m., I will log off,” O’Leary says. “I will go to that, then come again and preserve 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 will construct a tremendously profitable enterprise whereas additionally working in ways in which really feel genuine to our management and crew.”

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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 associate with organizations that help 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 help.

“[Being CEO is] a accountability 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 business officer and “liked” the work. O’Leary has mirrored so much over the previous 12 months on her choice to change into CEO, and he or she says that ambition wasn’t her main motivator; as an alternative, she acknowledged that she was the fitting 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 might go. I understood the business 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 accountability 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 sure their motivation is genuine to them — as a result of that is what’s going to assist them lead via essentially 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 you and says, ‘What are we going to do?’ This position is basically about being prepared to take accountability for the individuals, merchandise and prospects. It is not all glitz and glamor. You are the primary one that will get all of the powerful questions.”