The Standoff: Dad vs. Daughter

It was cold and rainy. The kind of damp chill that made you dream of hot sand beaches and palm trees. I had to get out of the warm car and run through the rain to the payphone to make a dial. In those days, that’s how pharma reps checked their voicemail.?

My dad was a pharmaceutical salesman as well and he knew the score. It was tough to show up at a doctor's office looking a bit like a wet pup, but sometimes the receptionist would feel sorry for you and get you an appointment with the doc.?

When my pops and I were working in sales for competing companies, often I’d pull up to a doctor’s office – and see my dad’s car parked in front. Occasionally, the doctors and staff would invite us to have a joint appointment.?

It was always fun sparring with my dad, debating why our respective product was better than the other’s.?

Of course, back when I started, there weren’t too many female pharmaceutical sales representatives. In fact, I think I was the only woman in my area.?

At the same time as more women got into pharmaceutical sales, the way business was conducted - not just in pharma - was evolving. Those “client development meetings” over 18 holes of golf became less frequent. The Mad Men-esque habit of three-martini lunches with co-workers on Fridays was quickly falling out of fashion, replaced by in-office pizza or birthday cakes.

?During that time, I constantly heard complaints that men had to surrender those activities because of women in the workforces, and not because of new regulations and codes of conduct. Even my father, who has three daughters, would inadvertently start a story with “before there were so many women in our industry…”, illustrating that these unconscious biases ran deep.

Certainly, it is good that women are in pharmaceutical sales today because they bring diverse perspectives and unique skills to the job. Women are often better at building relationships and communicating with empathy, which is essential in the pharmaceutical industry where trust and credibility are critical.?

This diversity also helps the industry better understand and serve the needs of patients and caregivers.

At the same time, this does not diminish the contributions of our male/ non-female counterparts.? But how can leaders untangle these complexities to hire or promote the right person for the right role with certainty and fairness?

Companies Can Do Better

Every person has unique behavioral traits that are well suited for? specific types of jobs, and traits that may present challenges for other roles.

There is software available that lets hiring managers look beyond resumes to examine prospective employee’s suitability for the position for which they are interviewing. They can predict with greater certainty if a particular candidate is right for a particular job.

In the setting of organizational change such as mergers or layoffs, employee assessments and software can help organizations so more to quickly identify employees that would best fit in the new culture and strategy. ?

Successful leaders leverage people data and technology to gain a competitive edge. Now, you can do the same to optimize and retain your employees. This strategy, called talent optimization, is the fastest growing discipline in today’s market.?

Ronda Robinson, who is in the San Francisco area, provides organizations with software and consulting services to “fix people's problems.” She helps leaders hire the right people for the right role, inspire employees to do their best, and align the talent strategy with the business strategy to meet or exceed business goals.

You can call Ronda at 303 902 3616 or email her here . You can also get on her calendar here .