“I have been considering rather a lot about management fashions,” Sarah O’Leary, CEO of femtech firm Willow, tells Entrepreneur. “ There’s been a whole lot of noise and information round, ‘We’d like extra masculine power within the office.’ It makes you query as a frontrunner: What’s my model? How efficient is my model? I do not consider that we’d like extra masculine power.”
Picture Credit score: Courtesy of Willow
O’Leary characterizes her management model 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 keeping with the CEO, groups which have belief in one another — and of their leaders — usually tend to perform 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 she or he 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 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 crew.”
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Willow is navigating its subsequent progress chapter with O’Leary on the helm. The corporate not too long ago introduced its acquisition of UK-based femtech innovator Elvie, which is anticipated to spice up income by 50%. Willow additionally continues to companion 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 rather a lot over the previous 12 months on her resolution to grow to be CEO, and she or he says that ambition wasn’t her major motivator; as an alternative, she acknowledged that she was the precise 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 business operations of the enterprise and will deliver that along with our product groups. In some sense, [becoming CEO] has put me in a servant chief sort 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 certain that their motivation is genuine to them — as a result of that is what’s going to assist them lead via essentially the most tough instances.
“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 actually about being prepared to take accountability for the individuals, merchandise and clients. It is not all glitz and glamor. You are the primary one that will get all of the powerful questions.”
“I have been considering rather a lot about management fashions,” Sarah O’Leary, CEO of femtech firm Willow, tells Entrepreneur. “ There’s been a whole lot of noise and information round, ‘We’d like extra masculine power within the office.’ It makes you query as a frontrunner: What’s my model? How efficient is my model? I do not consider that we’d like extra masculine power.”
Picture Credit score: Courtesy of Willow
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