CONMED Spotlight: Women In Leadership, Kim Pence

I have strived to grow and develop throughout my professional career so far and it has led to me forming a strong passion for women in leadership and how it can truly innovate and drive a workplace forward. As women, we may not always realize our full potential, but once it is unleashed, it has a direct route to our success! When women become leaders, we provide a different set of skills and imaginative perspectives which drive effective solutions. CONMED believes in the power of engaged talent, and we are fortunate to have many amazing female leaders supporting our organization. Read below to learn more about Kim Pence, Director of Global Talent Acquisition.

Can you tell us a little about yourself and what has contributed to your success so far at CONMED?

I’m going to take it way back here to start! I was fortunate to be raised by parents where being a girl wasn’t part of the conversation, it wasn’t a limiting factor. I had the same potential as anyone else, period. My only limiting factor was myself- my own work ethic, my own goal setting. I truly believe this is what set me on my path to where I am today. I’m acutely aware of this as a mom myself now. Not everyone is as privileged to have advocates from day 1. What I would say to you is; while you can’t choose your family, you definitely do choose your partner and friends. I have an incredible husband who shares big goals. Neither of us could do it alone. We split responsibility, support one another and share in each other’s wins. I would not be in my position today without him.

The support I had from my family early on afforded me the ability to passionately follow my love of swimming, and ultimately compete for the University of Alabama. What my athletic upbringing offered me was an endless supply of powerful women and advocates of women. I had coaches, both men and women, who pushed me past my self-imposed limits and challenged me to have loftier goals. They supported me when I was down and celebrated with me when I was excelling. I had teammates, again both men and women, who had the same goal as I did. We pushed each other to be great, even when that meant sometimes you lost to that very same teammate in a race. This is a mindset, work ethic and drive to succeed that has been at my core since childhood. That, paired with the support I have at home every day, is what’s greatly contributed to my success so far.

As a female leader, what has been the most significant barrier in your career?

Finding the right team to play on.

When my final season of swimming ended, there was a gaping hole for me. I naively thought that simply being connected to sport again would fill it. I proceeded to work for a couple of years in collegiate athletics, then at an athlete-focused startup company for the better part of a decade. It didn’t fill my bucket entirely. But I couldn’t place my finger on why. I loved sports and worked in sports. What was the issue?

That brings us to CONMED! In high school I took recruiting trips where I got to know a team, coaching staff, culture, and style all before making a decision on what was the right fit for me. We need to look at interviewing the same way. When I took the leap to join CONMED, it made the answer to the “what was the issue” question abundantly clear. Yes I loved sports, but that wasn’t the root of what I was missing. I missed being a part of a performance-based team, where the performance was truly the focus, no matter who delivered it. Where effort, and ultimately results, lead to success and advancement. Where I had trusted coaches and teammates to push me and give me tough feedback. I had the opportunity to work with some incredible people before CONMED, but was I on the right team?

While I know my own determination and results are a piece of my path to leadership, it’s definitely not the only piece. You need to be in an environment that allows and encourages your growth. I have a coaches/leaders today at CONMED who push me to be better. They give me feedback, especially the critical kind. They raise the ship around them as they grow, affording opportunities for those below them to stretch, learn and develop. It’s also my peers and amazing individuals on my team today who have allowed my growth. A leader can’t grow without incredible people around them shining and excelling. My team delivering results and advancing, allows me to advance.

Seek out organizations, teams, environments where you will thrive, not just survive. 

How do you empower yourself and the women around you?

There are three big things that come to mind.

1. I empower by putting people in roles and on projects that align with their strengths. When those two line up, the results will follow.
2. Highlighting the wins! It’s one of my favorite things, when I have a high performing teammate that I can celebrate and showcase among other leaders. I also remind women to “toot their own horn” a bit. It’s more comfortable for some than others. And this doesn’t mean flashy “look at me”. However, sometimes you accomplish something that others aren’t seeing. Many times, when all is running smoothly, no one is looking deeper behind the scenes. Everyone needs to push themselves to share the wins and be their own advocate.
3. Taking Opportunity! Rarely is opportunity convenient. I believe strongly that part of my path to leadership was saying “yes”! Without fail, if I thought I was at my max and simply couldn’t take on any more – that’s when an incredible opportunity would present itself. I’m not talking opportunity to apply for a role or promotion – I’m talking the kinds of opportunities that gave me the chance to grab a high impact project, take on a challenge where something needed to be fixed or developed from scratch, or support my leader in achieving their goals. Those were the opportunities that allowed me to consistently build on my brand and consistently deliver. 

At CONMED, we embrace a people-first culture that starts with a mission to support our healthcare partners and the patients they serve, and we believe in the power of engaged talent. I am grateful to have strong female leaders across the company to look up to!

Interested in joining our team? Visit our Careers Page.

Published by: Rachel Dainelli,Talent Acquisition Manager at CONMED