Join us for a discussion on personal branding, leadership and networking in pharmacy with Monica Gautam, managing director at COMPASS Medical Affairs Consulting and Medical Affairs Canada.
Episode 4: Personal Branding, Leadership and Networking with Monica Gautam
Laura (Host): Hello, everyone, welcome. My name is Laura and I'm your host once again. Today we will talk about personal branding, leadership and networking. Our guest is Monica Gautam, a Pharmacist with diverse experiences in community and hospital settings, followed by over 15 years as a senior executive within the pharmaceutical industry. Monica has extensive experience in developing and leading teams through major organizational changes. She supported the launch of 10 biologics in Canada, and has managed multiple local and global initiatives. In the PharmD program at the University of Toronto, she leads courses regarding the pharmaceutical industry, management, and also organizes the annual Business Plan Competition. Most recently, Monica has founded COMPASS Medical Affairs Consulting and Medical Affairs Canada, which offers solutions to pharmaceutical companies to maximize the impact of Medical Affairs teams. Hi, Monica, how are you?
Monica (Expert): Thank you so much, Laura, for that very kind introduction. I'm doing well. I'm very happy to be here.
Laura (Host): Thank you for joining us. Are you ready for our first question?
Monica (Expert): Sure. Let's go.
Laura (Host): What is personal branding and how has it influenced your career?
Monica (Expert): Personal Branding can mean different things to different people, but to me personal branding is knowing who you are and keeping your authentic self front and center, but also being mindful of how you want others to view you. And it comes down to a whole host of things, right from the words you choose to use, to the behaviors and the, and the, actions that you do. And just your, your simply, your presence. And it's important to know what your brand is and what talents that you bring to the table. I often say to the students in my class that everyone in the room is, is very similar. So what is it that makes you unique? What is it that differentiates individuals from others, and that's what personal branding plays a huge role. And now if I look at how personal branding has actually helped me in my career, and my career has spanned over 25 years and I think with the different experiences that I've had a different practice settings be a community pharmacy or hospital and certainly, as an entrepreneur now and as an executive in the pharmaceutical industry, my brand may have evolved, but what has stayed core has been the values: what is important to me, and how do I, how do I, communicate that effectively with the different audiences that I'm engaged with? I think personal branding has also given me the opportunity and the confidence to take more risks with my career and be more thoughtful about the consequences of that. So at the end of the day, it's what is the image that you want to put forward? And what are the values that make it feel like an authentic experience to others and not just a something to do for the sake of doing?
Laura (Host): Could you give us an example of what Community Pharmacists’ personal branding might be like?
Monica (Expert): So I think if I look aside from the their values, their personal brand might be the go-to person that can engage effectively with patients, and can take that proactive step to identify and help patient needs, as opposed to being reactive. So they may be, that to me is what do they want to be known for? They want to be the go-to expert or it could be they're the go to expert in diabetes care. So there's a whole host of ways in which you can create your brand and create your image. And that's just one that I can think of in community pharmacy setting.
Laura (Host): And when someone is using a personal brand, would this be something like during job interviews or when they're at networking fairs?
Monica (Expert): I think it's just inherent in who you are and what all the different activities that you're doing. It's not like you turn on a brand and you turn it off. It's really, at the end of the day, it's who you are, but it's what you stand for. So that would come through in all your interactions, be it with patients with healthcare professionals, with even your friends and family. It really is who you are, but it's done in a way that is very purposeful and very thoughtful.
Laura (Host): Okay, thank you. Our next question is: why do you feel personal branding and leadership are important topics for Pharmacists to take an interest in?
Monica (Expert): Well, as I mentioned earlier, it's so important to know how you differentiate yourself. It's not just what you stand for, but what makes you unique, and what talents are you bringing forward to whatever organization or whatever situation you're in? So I think it's important for Pharmacists, and there's ways in which they can do this in terms of understanding what are those talents and strengths that they're bringing forward. For example, just knowing what you're good at is important. So you can find these out through a number of different assessments through like StrengthsFinder® is one that I believe in. It's an easy, it's very accessible. And it's one which helps you identify what are some areas where you are naturally good at and how can you use that to your advantage. I think it's important for Pharmacists, because I think there's a lot of talents that they can bring to clinical care into a workplace that would offer great value. And that's just even knowing what they may be is really important to do. I think also at this stage with at this point in time with pharmacy practice where it's at, Pharmacists need to be more innovative and embrace the changes that are happening within our profession and taking on leadership roles to do this in an effective way. We'll just make that transition from, from more of a dispenser of medicines to a true partner in clinical care. I think that's where showing not only what your brand is, but also assuming leadership and responsibility for those activities will benefit not just individual Pharmacists, but the Pharmacy profession as a whole.
Laura (Host): The Strength Finders assessment tool that Monica mentioned just now is actually something that I tried after you recommend it to my class in your management course I think, and it was very interesting to do so I recommend it to all of our listeners. Our next question: many people feel that they are not good at networking. I personally know that this is something that is hard to do. What advice would you share with those who are interested in improving?
Monica (Expert): And this is a tough question. Networking is a hard thing to do. And it makes a lot of people uncomfortable, and I'm definitely one of them. I don't enjoy networking events, because it seems to be at times can be a very artificial experience. But I think it's what you bring to it. It's while I don't enjoy it and I don't enjoy feeling uncomfortable, I appreciate the great value that they bring. And networking doesn't just have to happen in those formal networking events. It can happen in a whole host of venues and opportunities. So as students, your classmates are part of your network. It's an, and as you grow through your, your practical experiences and engage with new preceptors, there too your network grows. It's also as you become… uh in… clinical practice and assuming your first roles. And within your career, this is the people that you engage with, that's how your network grows. So it doesn't just have to occur at a networking event with that title. And it can happen even in social settings. You never know where people's careers and lives intersect. And I think that's an important consideration for people to be mindful of. But what advice I would have is above and beyond, you need to make certain that you're genuine and you're authentic in these particular situations. Also approaching it with that sense of not what can I get from the individual? But how is it that I, with my limited experience or my narrow scope of practice, or whatever it might be, how can I actually offer something of value to someone that I'm meeting? I also see sometimes it's not quantity and quality, you have to be balanced those two things. I've seen people where they see networking events as an opportunity to collect a lot of business cards. And that's probably not the best use of anyone's time.
Laura (Host): No.
Monica (Expert): It's more, it's more about being realistic in your goal setting and being mindful of, I don't have to meet 15 new people, maybe I just need to meet two new people or three new people. And I always recommend, there's always a comfort and a safety, a sense of safety when you bring a friend. So there are people that I know are more outgoing, perhaps or per StrengthsFinder® would be “Woo” (Winning Others Over). They thrive, and they love the environments, of that networking, formal networking events provide. So you got to find someone that's that Woo. Because they will just be the catalyst to open up a number of engagements. The other advice that I would give is, if you're feeling uncomfortable in these events, chances are other people at the event are feeling the exact same way. But they appreciate and value what that opportunity brings. So, if you see someone that's not with anyone else, go up and approach them and introduce yourself. I guarantee they, guarantee you that they will be so appreciative of that gesture and may forge a long-lasting bond.
Laura (Host): I have a question for you. I'm not sure if… are you familiar with the career fairs that the Faculty holds sometimes?
Monica (Expert): I'm familiar with them. I haven't had the opportunity to participate. I was at a networking event for recent alumni not too long ago that the that U [of T] Alumni hosted that I want to say that was back in September.
Laura (Host): Okay. I was wondering if you happen to know, from the perspective of someone who was sent by a company to participate at one of these career fairs, what sort of mindset, or what are their goals when they're participating in these career fairs?
Monica (Expert): Okay. I can only speak to that from my time when I was working in the pharmaceutical industry. It may not have been at this Faculty. There were instances where we would send representatives to different kinds of career fairs and the objective, typically, you want to send someone that's very dynamic that's, that can effectively engage with others, but it's also knowledgeable to answer the questions, not just of the department that they represent, but of the company as a whole. And from the industry's perspective, what they're trying to get out of it is to at least raise awareness of them, as a, as an employer raise what they stand for, what their company values are, what products that they may have, and also to identify potential talent that might be, be a benefit, mutual benefit, in the future. So it's always good to identify who has a true interest in in pursuing a career within industry or whatever organization that they're representing, and trying to find some opportunity to where there's a click, and it's when the actual career opportunity comes up, where that's the, where the magic can happen.
Laura (Host): Is there any comment you want to make about LinkedIn, which is a very popular networking site nowadays?
Monica (Expert): Absolutely. I think it's by far the most popular professional engagement social media tool, and it's one that I strongly recommend. Students, new grads, anyone that's in the workforce to have a presence on LinkedIn. There's a lot of advice that I could give, about, about your profile. You want to obviously be accurate, you want it to reflect who you are and your experiences, it really should mirror your resume as much as possible. But it's about being, being mindful of how you use LinkedIn. So I get requests a lot of times, and I usually will only accept them if I know the person
Laura (Host): Like personally, you have met them?
Monica (Expert): If I personally met with them, or if there's something I can help them with, or there's a personal note that's attached explaining why they want to link in with me. At some point, I don't accept random requests. And so it's not that I'm so choosy, but have to be to some extent and, and if there's someone that reaches out to me on LinkedIn, and their background is of similar interests, or there may be a connection opportunity, for sure I’ll do that, I've linked in with many strangers. And it's proven to be a very productive relationship moving forward. But I definitely recommend people have a LinkedIn account.
Laura (Host): Even students?
Monica (Expert): Absolutely, your network starts in the classroom, as I said. So absolutely, you should start it now. So that when you're in the opportunity, when you find yourself needing to find a job, you actually are two years in, or three years in, or four years in to that process, rather than starting from scratch. And while those networks may not serve you very well, especially if it's classmates immediately at graduation, fast forward three years, five years, ten years, they will be perhaps some of your strongest links within your network.
Laura (Host): Okay, I should make a LinkedIn page.
Monica (Expert): Definitely make a LinkedIn page.
Laura (Host): Okay. What are the most common mistakes in personal branding, leadership, and networking that you have seen?
Monica (Expert): I mean, I've seen lots of things that have done exceptionally well. And I've seen things that could be improved. And so, if we look at personal branding, the biggest mistake is someone not even giving it any thought. And it doesn't need to take a lot of thought, but it is just to give some, some attention to what is it that I am bringing forth? What am I really good at? And where can my talents - how can I exploit them and develop them? And so I think, if you haven't given it thought, be it using StrengthsFinder® or some other similar tool, or just sitting down and thinking based on feedback that that someone has received from previous managers or preceptors. And taking that to heart both what they do well and where they can improve. So, if you haven't thought about it, it doesn't necessarily inspire confidence. So if I were to ask you at an interview, what are you really good at? And if you can answer that question to me, which is essentially communicating your brand, then it doesn't inspire a lot of confidence in your abilities, if you can't tell me what you're good at. And that's what I mean by one of the major pitfalls is just simply not having given the time that it deserves. I think sometimes another pitfall is when people try to align their personal brand to what they think it should be, as opposed to what it truly is. Authenticity is so, so important. When people aren't being their true self it’s so easy to spot that.
Laura (Host): Is it really?
Monica (Expert): I think so. And I think if you've been in a situation where you interview a lot of people for jobs or for other things, you can spot that. You can spot when people are being authentic or saying what you what they think you want to hear. And I think the best thing to do is to be authentic, know what value you bring, know where your development areas are, and just be honest about it because if you land the job with, not the right intentions, it's not going to be a very comfortable place. And then the last one around personal branding is in, in people's effort to appear very confident and very capable, it can at times come across as being somewhat arrogant or there's a lack of humility. It’s so important to be humble and to have a sense of humility, no matter how experienced you are. If you’re a brand new graduate, to having 10 years of experience, humility goes a long, long way, especially when you're creating your brand and what you want others to think of you. So that would be what I would say in terms of potential pitfalls or mistakes that people make on personal branding. With respect to leadership, I think some of the, the mistakes people make is that leadership is not a reflection of them as a leader, it's more what is the success of the team that they're part of, or leading, formally leading. And when you take, when you spend more time on, on your own personal gain as a leader as opposed to the success of the team as a whole, your leadership isn't very strong. So that would be one thing I would, I would suggest. Another area that I think that some make a mistake with respect to leadership is being somewhat reluctant to take risks. As a leader, you have to inspire that confidence and be willing to take calculated risks. I'm not talking about risky behaviors, but I'm just talking about being able to read a situation and try something new, try something innovative. And we talk about leadership. I don't mean the necessarily the boss, you can lead without authority, and it's a responsibility of everybody, no matter what their position, to assume leadership roles, and you don't have to be the boss to do that. And I think sometimes people fail to understand or appreciate that. And that I think would be an area that some people make mistake. And then finally, with respect to networking, as I mentioned earlier, it's, it's not always a comfortable situation. And one of the biggest mistakes anyone could make is avoiding them altogether. They’re so, so important for your career and, for, just to make new connections, I think that was would be the biggest one. Also not viewing the situation as to how can I offer value and more looking at what can I gain from it? And that ties into what I think is perhaps the biggest mistake is, is not nurturing that relationship. When you meet someone and only reach out to them when you need something, it doesn't feel… it's not a… it's not a real relationship, it's very much one way and it takes time. These things take time to build and develop relationships and so my advice would be, is follow up, be reliable, engage, reach out. And over time that relationship will be where you need and you may be helping someone they may be helping you and when it feels very balanced in that regard, that's networking done at its best.
Laura (Host): To expand on the nurturing your relationship point, by this do you mean maybe emailing them once in a while to see how they're doing? Not necessarily a topic related to the reason you initially met, but just like more like a casual conversation?
Monica (Expert): Absolutely. I mean, I think if you're meeting someone new and let's say it was at a networking event, even a simple connection on LinkedIn with a note to say “wonderful to meet you hope we can meet up for would love to meet you for coffee in in the next couple of weeks”. It's just even that that gesture of reaching out and holding true on that coffee or maybe a phone call. You might run into them at a conference for another time in the future and taking the time to just go and say hello. And it's those little things that over time add up to being what we would call a relationship. And it's not just a transactional thing. I think, I even find in my people that are very close within my network that I you know, I could send them a text. You can't necessarily do that in every professional setting. But you would never get to that point very quickly. So it could be something even as a text or having lunch or checking in asking them for advice. But it is about not abandoning that relationship. And the more you get to know them, you may be able to go longer periods of time without having to check in but at the same time, it's important if that relationship’s important to you make the time.
Laura (Host): It sounds like professional relationship is very similar to just any other type of relationship. For example, with a friend, you will check in with them once in a while. And it's those little things that add up right?
Monica (Expert): I think that's… whether it's a professional relationship or a personal relationship, that's the essence of relationships. They need to be nurtured, they need to be fed, in order for them to grow and be mutually beneficial. And of course, they're going to remain professional. But at the same time, if there's not that sense of caring, and that sense of humility and genuine authenticity, you just don't really connect, I think the best I can speak to my pers-, my, my professional relationships in my professional network, have become very much a personal network as well, just because over time, these are relationships that have spanned decades, that it's very hard to separate the two and I think that just shows, and it's not with everyone of course, but it shows that those other relationships in the truest sense of the word.
Laura (Host): Alright. My second-last question is: how may a Community Pharmacist improving their role as a leader?
Monica (Expert): As I mentioned earlier, everybody, no matter what their role is, they have a responsibility to lead and to assume leadership. And that's never been more important, as I mentioned around pharmacy practice and the changes that are occurring, very exciting changes that are occurring within the profession of pharmacy, and embracing those, those changes and rising to the occasion, I think are very, very important. In order to improve the Pharmacist’s role as a leader, especially if it's not something that they're comfortable with, or it's not, just natural tendency, um seeking a mentor is really a valuable tool and emulating behaviors that they see and they admire. A comment around mentoring, I mean, it not just admiring someone from afar, I mean, true mentor, someone that knows first of all, that they your mentor, some people will, call, “oh, I have a mentor” but the person that they're referring to doesn't even know that they're there that person’s mentor. So make it formal. Ask them “would you be, you know, I'm trying to improve on my leadership skills, I really admire these skills in you, would you be willing to be a mentor for me”. And with a true, if you have a good mentoring relationship, they're going to provide you with honest feedback. And the intent is to see you improve. And when you get that you can improve really quickly. So I really strongly recommend that you seek mentors, and make it formal. And ask for feedback not just from your mentor, but from the people that you're working with, people around you, make your workplace a culture where continuous feedback and continuous improvement is the norm. So receiving and giving feedback is just the norm and it will feel uncomfortable at the beginning. But the more that you do it, and the more that it becomes just standard practice, that's how you elevate everybody on the team in terms of what the expectations are. And I think at the end of the day, it helps everyone become a better leader. It's also being patient, you have to realize that when you're developing any new skill, it takes time. And people don't become wonderfully great leaders overnight. And to be patient with yourself, be forgiving when you make mistakes, learn from your mistakes, don't – try not to repeat them. And be gentle with yourself and be kind, but certainly learn from them. And above all, as I've said many times throughout this discussion with you today is about being authentic, be who you are, not who you think you should be.
Laura (Host): What a line, oh my. My very last question for you: are there any words of wisdom you want to give to your current pharmacy students or recent graduates about this topic?
Monica (Expert): Well, this is a, all of these topics are things that I share with students, from, at this faculty through the different courses be at management or the industry course. And some may wonder why I'm doing it where it doesn't necessarily fit in with the pharmaceutical industry. But to me, leadership, networking, your personal brand, these are all fundamentals of becoming an exceptional professional. And I know that this faculty graduates some pretty phenomenal people that are going to do amazing things within their career. And if I can just give them a vocabulary and some insight on how to get down that path, I'm just very grateful.
Laura (Host): Monica once again, thank you for joining us, and thanks to all the listeners for tuning in to another episode.