Reflecting on LIFE’s Leadership Lessons

Karen Cosenza-Glade, Director, Pharmaceutical Compliance Operations

I recently received Bayer’s LIFE Award for Leadership in the U.S. Bayer’s LIFE Values — Leadership, Integrity, Flexibility and Efficiency — are the guidelines we work by at Bayer. The recognition got me thinking about sharing some thoughts on being a leader that might be useful to others.

Use all your experiences to shape your career.

I started at an advertising agency — a time I refer to as “boot camp for business.” I learned the importance of being accurate, thinking of all angles, having a “Plan B,” meeting deadlines, managing expectations and creating finely tuned deliverables. These lessons still make an impact on how I make decisions and lead my team.

Don’t underestimate a long career at one organization.

Many people believe a successful career means working at multiple companies. I’d argue to always look for ways to grow within your chosen companies. Seek out new opportunities and don’t be afraid of trying something you never expected. As a leader, your institutional knowledge is incredibly valuable. You know how to get things done. I started at Bayer in marketing communications and product marketing, an easy transition from the ad agency. Later, my marketing skills helped support an internal change management effort. And now I lead the data collection from business processes and systems to be sure our interactions with healthcare providers are compliant with federal, state and global regulations. Find new challenges and embrace the opportunities that come with changing roles at a company you know and respect.

Foster — and force — collaboration.

The success of my team is a result of collaboration that we’ve both fostered and forced to happen. A new organizational structure helped force some of the collaboration, but creating opportunities to foster collaboration sets the tone for working together and yields strong team performance and results.

Listen. Listen some more. And then listen again.

To me, one of the best ways to achieve results is to listen. Listen to your colleagues, your teammates and your business partners. With careful listening, you gain empathy, which helps tremendously in gaining consensus. When you listen more you’re better able to engage in productive conversations that get quicker results.

Mentor with strong leaders.

Good mentors are invaluable. My mentors taught me the importance of having high standards, but also being fair and understanding, how to chart the best path forward, and to clearly articulate my vision so others can envision it, too. Find your mentors and learn from them. Then be a mentor to others.

Don’t forget to laugh.

One thing I found most surprising in the recognition was a comment about how much my team values sharing a good laugh. Sometimes a good hearty laugh might just be the best part of your day.