Femtech CEO on Leadership: Don’t ‘Need More Masculine Energy’

“I have been considering rather a lot about leadership models,” Sarah O’Leary, CEO of femtech firm Willow, tells Entrepreneur. “ There’s been numerous noise and information round, ‘We’d like extra masculine energy within the office.’ It makes you query as a pacesetter: What’s my model? How efficient is my model? I do not consider that we want extra masculine vitality.”

^{Picture Credit score: Courtesy of Willow}

O’Leary characterizes her leadership style and the tradition at Willow, the model behind “patented leak-proof” wearable breast pumps and their equipment, as one which facilities transparency and empathy to construct belief inside the office. Based on the CEO, groups which have belief in one another — and of their leaders — usually tend to operate in a means that is conducive to success.

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“I consider [flexibility in the workplace] makes us extra productive.”

Instilling belief inside group members means emphasizing a stage of autonomy, O’Leary says. Willow is a “very flexible workplace,” O’Leary explains, noting that the corporate has by no means given its workers return-to-office mandates. As a mom of two herself, O’Leary is especially cognizant of the on a regular basis hurdles group members who’re additionally mother and father face, and she or he needs to help them in any means potential.

“ If my children’ elementary college live performance is occurring at 10 a.m., I’ll log off,” O’Leary says. “I’ll go to that, then come again and maintain going with my day. I do not consider that makes us any much less productive. I consider it makes us extra productive. I really feel very passionately that we will construct a tremendously profitable enterprise whereas additionally working in ways in which really feel genuine to our leadership and group.”

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Willow is navigating its subsequent development chapter with O’Leary on the helm. The corporate just lately introduced its acquisition of UK-based femtech innovator Elvie, which is anticipated to spice up income by 50%. Willow additionally continues to companion with organizations that help mother and father. To kick off its Mother’s Day marketing campaign this 12 months, the corporate announced a partnership with Canopie, a preventive maternal well being care platform, to donate a million hours of maternal psychological well being help.

“[Being CEO is] a duty as a lot as it’s a cool title.”

Previous to entering into the CEO function at Willow, O’Leary served as the corporate’s chief business officer and “cherished” the work. O’Leary has mirrored rather a lot over the previous 12 months on her resolution to become CEO, and she or he says that ambition wasn’t her main motivator; as an alternative, she acknowledged that she was the appropriate individual for the job at this second.

“I cared deeply about our mission,” O’Leary explains. “I had a imaginative and prescient for the place we might go. I understood the business operations of the enterprise and will deliver that along with our product groups. In some sense, [becoming CEO] has put me in a servant leader sort of function — It is a duty as a lot as it’s a cool title.”

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On the finish of the day, O’Leary means that leaders be certain that their motivation is genuine to them — as a result of that is what is going to assist them lead by essentially the most tough instances.

“New tariffs are introduced, and you have to determine that out,” O’Leary says. “It’s problem after problem, and the group seems to you and says, ‘What are we going to do?’ This function is de facto about being prepared to take duty for the folks, merchandise and customers. It is not all glitz and glamor. You are the primary one who will get all of the powerful questions.”