Tamara Lovi

What is the biggest challenge facing women leaders in our industry today and how do you overcome it?

If asked in February 2020, I would have answered differently. Today, with our new “COVID19” reality, the challenge is greater. In addition to the unconscious gender biases we face in the work environment, which make it harder to reach our full potential, many women are now also faced with increased responsibility in the home to care for our children or parents. Achieving work-life balance has become impossible for many women at the moment.

How to overcome this??  2 tips

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#1 Seek harmony instead of balance. Balance implies you need to divide your time equally between work, family, and personal demands. This is not realistic, and sets false expectations that can only lead to disappointment. Seek harmony that works for you, and own it.

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#2 Ask for help, we forget about reaching out, we are used to multi-tasking and taking on so much. Just ask.

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What is the leadership/business framework you use most often to help you lead effectively?

As a strategic marketer, I seek to influence consumer decisions and actions. To do so, I study the psychology of people and always put them at the heart of any marketing decision (consumer 1st).

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As a leader, seeking to influence people in my team (or cross-functional teams) to collaborate to reach common objectives, I apply the same “Humans 1st” principle. People need to feel valued, empowered, respected and they need to understand how their work is contributing to the organization’s objectives and purpose.

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It’s amazing what a team can accomplish when individuals are empowered and collaborate with a strong sense of purpose; the sky is not the limit!

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What’s a trend going on in the pharmaceutical and life sciences industry that doesn’t get enough attention?

Self-care (#selfcare), consumers are becoming more empowered to take an active role in managing their health and well-being.  With an aging population, increase in chronic diseases and shortage of medical professionals, this is critical for better healthcare. Organizations have been created to encourage the self-care movement (i.e. https://www.selfcarefederation.org/) but change is slow. For this to work, companies need to better leverage the power of digital and government & health authorities need to provide access to more “self-care” treatments, while ensuring continued access to healthcare professionals and accurate information about treatments. This will ensure consumers (or patients) can make the best decisions for themselves.

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What impact has social networking, social media and Web2.0 had on you?

People are now hyper-connected, no matter where they are in the world, they are instantly available at their fingertips. As a marketing leader, this has provided more opportunities to connect and engage with a target consumer. It has also made it more challenging, consumers are no longer “captive audiences”, their attention span is limited (we now have less than 8 secs to seize their attention – before we are swiped away!). If they are unhappy with your brand, thousands of people can quickly know. But the same applies if they are happy with you! Digital has had a profound impact on how we live, and will transform the Pharma industry in the next few years.

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What resources do you recommend for those strengthening their leadership abilities?

Know (and accept) yourself, self-awareness is key to strong leadership.

Recommended read: Insight by Tasha Eurich