“I have been pondering loads about management fashions,” Sarah O’Leary, CEO of femtech firm Willow, tells Entrepreneur. “ There’s been a number 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 imagine 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 line 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 imagine (flexibility within the office) makes us extra productive.”
Instilling belief inside staff 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 staff members who’re additionally dad and mom face, and she or he desires to help them in any means doable.
“ If my children’ 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 preserve going with my day. I do not imagine that makes us any much less productive. I imagine 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 staff.”
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Willow is navigating its subsequent development chapter with O’Leary on the helm. The corporate just lately introduced its acquisition of UK-based femtech innovator Elvie, which is anticipated to spice up income by 50%. Willow additionally continues to accomplice 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 duty as a lot as it’s a cool title.”
Previous to moving into the CEO function at Willow, O’Leary served as the corporate’s chief industrial officer and “liked” the work. O’Leary has mirrored loads over the previous 12 months on her resolution to develop into CEO, and she or he says that ambition wasn’t her major motivator; as a substitute, she acknowledged that she was the best particular person 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 deliver that along with our product groups. In some sense, (changing into CEO) has put me in a servant chief form of function — 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 ensure their motivation is genuine to them — as a result of that is what’s going to assist them lead by means of 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 seems to be to you and says, ‘What are we going to do?’ This function is admittedly about being keen to take duty for the folks, merchandise and clients. It isn’t all glitz and glamor. You are the primary one who will get all of the powerful questions.”
“I have been pondering loads about management fashions,” Sarah O’Leary, CEO of femtech firm Willow, tells Entrepreneur. “ There’s been a number 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 imagine that we’d like extra masculine power.”
Picture Credit score: Courtesy of Willow
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