3 Ways to Support Your Leaders to Success
By Jim Rudman, CEO, Ashton Tweed
Although your leadership team may consist of one individual or a few people, it doesn’t mean they are meant to work alone. Successful leaders often rely on a team of advisors or trusted peers within or without their company. Having worked with the leadership of many life science companies and being the CEO of a search firm myself, I’m very familiar with how much a “captain” relies on their “team.”
In all industries, company leaders are frequently faced with tough decisions, but this is particularly true in the life sciences where the health and well being of patients are involved. Therefore, it’s important to work as a team with your management. Here are three main ways to support the leadership of your company amidst your daily responsibilities:
Speak up.
Make yourself a resource to leadership rather than simply waiting for instruction. Your voice and opinion are valuable, so it’s important to share your thoughts with management. Offer constructive input to your managers and work as a team towards the common goal of figuring out the best solution. Debate is a healthy strategy when making decisions and can lead to a better plan of action. No one person should be expected to anticipate all possible concerns, and leaders will appreciate your input more than if you keep your thoughts to yourself.
Be their eyes.
Regardless of the size of your company, a single leader cannot know every interaction taking place or piece of work that is being done. If there is any issue or dysfunction, report these observances to your supervisor early on – he or she will be happy you did. By the time it comes to your leader’s attention organically, the problem might have grown, making it more difficult to remedy. Addressing potential issues up front is part of your duty in supporting your company’s leadership and is in the best interest of the business as a whole.
Keep them in the loop.
Whether this means updating your supervisors on the progress of a project or reaching out to them for advice on next steps, make a constant effort to keep your leader involved in your assignments. This doesn’t mean they need to know every detail or minor update, but ensure that major progress or steps are not taken without keeping your supervisor informed. This is beneficial in two ways, because their input might end up being useful to your team and it keeps them informed when making larger company decisions. This will reflect well on your supervisor, which in turn will reflect well on you.
You know the saying, “It takes a village to raise a child,” well the same goes for a company! A leader’s strength comes from his or her ability to weed out good from bad advice, to solve potential problems, and to stay informed – but these can all be more easily accomplished with your help! Just because they have the leadership title doesn’t mean that your support isn’t needed. It takes teamwork to make a company successful. Fulfilling your responsibility to leadership won’t go unnoticed; it’s likely to benefit your personal success as well.
Need new leadership for your company? Contact Ashton Tweed today.
Share your insights! Contact jamesrudman@ashtontweed.com to contribute your life sciences article as a guest writer.
