At Danaher, we are committed to advancing precision medicine through innovative diagnostic solutions and enabling healthcare providers to diagnose disease with unprecedented speed and accuracy. We foster innovation through collaboration across our diverse businesses and cutting-edge technologies.
Hear from some of our top associates on why they love working at Danaher’s diagnostics companies and about the impact of their work on patient outcomes around the world.
Why does Senior Sales Director Shwanna Tauriac compare Cepheid to a rocket ship? Because the company’s rapid growth has brought exciting changes—just the sort of challenge Shwanna was looking for in her career. In this interview, Shwanna reflects on her path to Danaher, why an open approach to leadership is best, and the bumpy but exciting road ahead.
I’m the Senior Director of National Accounts. My sales team consists of seven people managing the largest Integrated Delivery Networks (IDNs) in the U.S., including government, Group Purchasing Organizations (GPOs), and National Reference Labs.
Cepheid is growing so rapidly that in addition to coaching the team to secure business and all that fun stuff, I also help to build and improve internal processes. As a manager, my job is to move the ball forward by helping people with suggestions and coaching. For example, if I want my team to reach out to CEOs, I give them the right tools to empower them to feel comfortable speaking with that type of customer.
Also, during this time of COVID, I often worked with the teams to help when customers are upset about their allocations or other issues. The customers all want things yesterday, but we only have control of what we can control. It has really been both challenging and rewarding—for myself and my team—to have those tough discussions while still maintaining relationships with the customers.
I am a microbiologist by degree. I’ve always been a science and math geek; it just came naturally to me. And I’ve always been a people person. I come from southern Louisiana, where people are warm, friendly, and full of sunshine. But when I graduated and went to work in a lab, everybody was an introvert. I was like, “Yeah, my bacteria don’t talk back. I’ve got to do something different.” So I started a sales position with VWR International and learned about distribution.
But my career really grew when I began as a sales consultant at Becton, Dickinson and Company (BD). Sales was a great marriage between my technical abilities and my personality. At BD, they identified my potential early on—especially my talent with strategic accounts and maintaining high-level relationships—so I went through a leadership development program and eventually got management and capital sales experience.
When the opportunity at Cepheid presented itself, I honestly wasn’t looking. It just seemed like such a great chance to join a high-growth company that felt like a rocket ship. Because Cepheid is growing so rapidly, there are a lot of things that still need to be worked on here. It’s an opportunity to take my experiences from all the divisions and companies I’ve worked for and build a national strategic account team.
My first role at Cepheid was as a Regional Director of strategic accounts. This role gave me the opportunity to learn the organization, the people, where they were, what we needed to work toward. I felt comfortable enough to articulate my desire for growth to my manager and the coaches around me, and we made a plan. Within 12 months I was promoted to a senior director.
And if I ever outgrow Cepheid, I know there will always be other positions within Danaher I could go to and still stay in the family. That sense of family is important to me.
As they say, “My hustle game is strong.” If you tell me, “Hey, I need your help out here,” I’m going to be with you. I think people respect when they see that you work really hard. I try to be the best advocate I can for my team.
Communication is important, and so is being as open to learning from others as they are to learning from me. For example, we recently reorganized the strategic account teams, and there was a gentleman on my team who filled in during the transition. His style of working with customers wasn’t what I would have done, but his approach has proven to be successful. That was totally exciting for me to see and to learn from.
I know I have my own unique way of selling and doing my job, and I believe in that type of autonomy because I think it brings creativity. My way isn’t always the right way, but if we all get where we’re trying to go, I’m all good.
Change management is probably the most challenging part of my job. Cepheid was a startup that allowed for a lot of flexibility. Now that the organization is growing and becoming more of a corporate entity, a lot is changing. For example, executive-level leadership doesn’t have time to work on every single deal anymore, and you can’t go to them whenever you want. We have a chain of command, and we’ve had to develop new approval levels and systems to accommodate this shift. Adapting to these new processes has been challenging, but we are making it through!
As a manager, I try to help my team with the changes by having open conversations. I believe people should be happy. We spend a lot of our waking hours at work; we should be happy there. And at the end of the day, if someone isn’t happy, they’re not going to give their best. We both have to be all-in for this to work.
Also, as we change, we’re developing better processes and systems to accommodate our growth. It’s a challenge, but it’s exciting, too. I appreciate the fact that we’re building the plane while we’re flying because I get to be creative. When I interview candidates, I like to be up-front and honest. I don’t want to waste their time or mine putting on a front or a show. I want to be real. I’m like, “Hey, I need help building this plane, so if you’re in, let’s do it.”
Building strategic excellence—we don’t have that yet. It’s exciting to really build a program, to find teaching and learning opportunities for our teams, and ask, “How do we continue that process? How do we help them continue to develop?” I often say these types of things aren’t one-and-done. You constantly have to work toward them and learn more.
Part of building strategic excellence is choosing the right people. Strategic thinking requires you to not only look at today but five and 10 years down the road. The win in strategic accounts is building that relationship, not getting the PO. The POs will come.
Honestly, Cepheid is a great company. We have a great product, and we are really going places because innovation is a good part of our repertoire. Of course building processes comes with challenges and hurdles. But once we get there, it’s going to be fantastic. And the journey is great, too. People just have to want to be a part of the ride.
From manufacturing oligonucleotides to keeping new product introduction teams aligned, to validating new facilities, to leading blue-sky innovations, Carla McDowell-Buchanan has worn an exceptional number of hats during her 14 years at Cepheid. Below, she explains the game-changing developments she’s helped launch; reflects on how both the company and its Bothell, Washington, location have evolved over the years; and shares her excitement about taking on new challenges—including as a leader.
I’m a principal scientist at our Bothell, Washington, location, which is the company’s main raw material reagent manufacturing site. There’s also an R&D component to our work that helps keep that pipeline going with new reagents, which expands our current technology capability.
My main focus is looking for opportunities to expand the value proposition of the Cepheid platform, and do everything we can to innovate first and stay ahead of the competition. I’m also now leading a team of scientists working on an innovation project involving new chemistries to enhance our tests for better use in point-of-care settings.
The work I did for my doctorate was a nice fit with what we do here. I studied electron transfer mechanisms in DNA repair resulting from the photoproducts formed in DNA, and much of that scientific understanding directly aligned with Cepheid’s molecular diagnostic technology. One of the first chemists to work here at Bothell was also a postdoc at the University of Washington, where I went to school, and they initially brought me in for a temporary position, covering someone’s summer vacation. They liked what I was able to contribute, and in 2007, I was hired full-time in oligonucleotide manufacturing.
Cepheid was much smaller then, but we were going through what at the time was a huge growth period for us, and I was able to scale up and improve some different processes so we could synthesize higher quality oligonucleotides at a larger scale. After about a year and a half, the Bothell site was getting large enough that we also needed to start establishing more formal processes for design control and product transfer, and I took the lead on developing those departments. That gave me some expertise in validating chemical reagents, oligonucleotides, and qualifying instrumentation—which then led to a role as a technical liaison, where I was part of the core teams not only here but also at Cepheid’s locations in Sweden and Sunnyvale, California. I helped keep everyone in sync on new products required to be transferred to manufacturing.
From there, my responsibilities became multi-layered—for about five years I managed Product Transfer, Program Management, and worked as site liaison for new product introductions. As our real estate in Bothell grew, we needed someone to handle facility validation—things like HVAC systems, above-ground waste tanks, and moving chemistry and oligo manufacturing, where you have to decommission and then re-qualify all the instruments. I wasn’t an engineer, but I’d learned a lot about validation protocols and systems, so I worked on those efforts for about a year and a half. We were also able to make some changes like adding large-volume solvent delivery systems. Then I moved into doing innovation, where I am now.
I’d say it’s mostly been me raising my hand—recognizing a gap and trying to put something in place to alleviate the pain points. But part of that comes from listening to the vision of our leaders. My first innovation project was sparked by a presentation from our former CEO, John Bishop. I remember he had this slide of our GeneXpert® Infinity-80 system, with DNA, RNA, cells, and proteins all run on that same device. I’d worked with proteins before I came here, and I thought, “I wonder if there’s some way to integrate protein detection on top of the nucleic acid?”
My prototype that involved detection of different types of biomarkers that took about three years for a proof-of-principle prototype. [Editor’s note: This achievement earned Carla the Excellence in Innovation Award from Danaher, Cepheid’s parent organization, in 2020.]
Compared to a few years ago, I do see a difference in our culture—especially here at the Bothell site. Back when I was the technical liaison between the three locations, this site was so much smaller, and it was more like a startup. It was really Sweden and Sunnyvale that had the oversight and regulatory processes in place to get their outputs onto shelves and into clinicians’ hands. At our size, and with our R&D mindset, adding those layers of accountability—things like specification settings and addressing nonconformances—was a challenge.
But we’ve grown. And I think today, people are much more willing to speak up in a meeting and share a new idea, rather than working on it in the background until they find something that works. Maybe your idea doesn’t end up being the one we use, or maybe it’s combined with something else. But you definitely have a safe space to talk about it and contribute.
At the Cepheid level, I think what we’re seeing now—especially since joining Danaher in 2016—is a real commitment to stay ahead of disruptive technology in our space. That’s important, because it’s what will allow us to stay relevant and realize the potential of all these ideas we have to help patients by developing new instruments, chemical reagents, and detection modalities. Cepheid has earned a lot of respect globally on the quality of our diagnostic tests, and we aren’t willing to bend on that. But our leaders are very focused on making sure innovation is happening, and they carve out the resources and opportunities for our scientists to think creatively and come up with better solutions.
At the moment, I’m so immersed in getting over a technical hurdle related to the current innovation project that it’s all I can think about! But I am pretty excited to someday see this project go from the blue-sky phase we’re in now all the way through to advancement in a technology that the company can use. My director has a strong background in the assay development space we are interested in, so he understands what we’re doing and he’s very supportive. He’s also exposing me to the higher-level aspects of the projects I’m working on—I sit on the steering committee, for example. Even at this phase, there is some level of structure moving the project forward, and with that comes a commitment from leadership to give us what we need to realize the vision. I started out working on it solo, but I’ve since been able to grow the scientific team to five. If we can eventually see all that work turn into something patients can use, that will be very rewarding.
I’m also looking forward to growing my leadership skills, now that I have the opportunity to manage multiple scientists and especially because we’re working across two different locations. I’m learning how to keep communication going and make sure people are engaged, feel valued, and know that they’re part of a team. I’m trying to do for them what my director does for me—if there’s a roadblock, I figure out what I can do to remove it. I do gravitate toward the early, pre-concept work I’ve done as a bench scientist. It intrigues me and feeds my curiosity. But I feel like I’m also gaining a new appreciation for being a leader.
After joining Cepheid as the International Regulatory Affairs team’s first intern, Anisha Panth quickly found herself in a full-time role—and she hasn’t stopped learning since. Below, she shares the challenges and opportunities that come with working in a fast-moving field within a fast-growing company and explains how she’s helping to pave the way for those who come after her, within Cepheid and beyond.
I cover Southeast Asia, Japan, and Australia for our International Regulatory Affairs team—we work with the authorities in each country to make sure they have the information they need to approve Cepheid products. Essentially, it’s our job to show that our test kits are safe and effective. That usually starts with compiling a submission dossier that has our package inserts along with detailed analytical and clinical reports, along with country-specific requirements. Then regulatory authorities will come back to us with any questions they have. Often, we need to reach out to other teams here at Cepheid for the answers, so we do a lot of cross-functional work, especially with R&D, Quality, and Product Transfer. We also collaborate closely with our Regulatory Affairs teammates in the U.S., who have a lot of detailed insight because they’ve already launched the product there.
The way we work differs from country to country. Sometimes we don’t have a local office, but we do have a distributor who acts as an intermediary. In other places, like Australia, we work directly with the regulatory authority. The pace of our work also varies depending on the location. From some places, like South Korea, we’re getting new questions every day. Others might reach out just a couple of times per month.
I was initially introduced to regulatory affairs when I was in New Zealand, studying for my master’s in pharmaceutical sciences; it was part of our core curriculum. At the time, I wanted to work in the lab. But I have a wrist injury that eventually made that too difficult, and I liked the idea of getting closer to patients—even the best product isn’t much good to people if it’s sitting on the shelf. One of my main research topics, for example, was pain management after knee replacement, and our idea was to inject microparticles that would allow patients to start physical therapy more quickly. At first, I assumed we could be helping patients within two or three years. But I realized there’s so much more involved in bringing a product to market, including regulatory work, which I find so interesting. Every country is different, and things are constantly changing. You really have to be on your toes.
After I finished my degree, I moved to the U.S. and did a second master’s in medical product development management with a focus on regulatory affairs. One of my professors, Sowmya Arunkumar, is also the Senior Director of International Regulatory Affairs here at Cepheid. I first joined as an intern on her team. My mentor, Sruti Krishna, handled Southeast Asia at the time, and I took on some of her responsibilities. She’d trained me well and had been good about documentation, plus the team was very supportive. It went well, and when my internship was over, I was offered a full-time position. That was almost four years ago, and I’ve since been able to move into more senior positions twice, still as a regulatory affairs specialist. And I’m working with Sruti again—she’s currently on the U.S. regulatory affairs team, and I shadow her on one of her core teams working on regulatory affairs for a new product launch.
Sometimes the questions we get from regulators are vague or difficult to understand, and the guidance they offer can be ambiguous. So, there’s some trial and error. But there are also a lot of resources, whether it’s training or guidance online, or just asking your manager for help. And once you finally figure something out, it’s so satisfying!
There’s also a lot to keep up with in regulatory affairs, which I think is especially hard when you’re new to the field. Regulations are constantly changing, but you do get used to that. Management also provides a lot of tools to help. We have access to a global database called Tarius, and our partners from other teams will come in to educate us and give us a more in-depth understanding of their work.
For me personally, time management has been a challenge. On top of my usual responsibilities, I might be covering for an open role or someone who’s on leave, and I always want to balance the day-to-day with learning new things. But I’m in a mentorship program that’s given me some tools for prioritizing and even delegating, and my manager really helps, too. I have had times when I felt like I was working at every opportunity, but that was because I wanted to—our team is actually very flexible.
While something like COVID-19 obviously requires adaptation, our managers are very understanding of our boundaries. For example, I just got a puppy, so I’ve blocked time on my calendar for training him. Cepheid has grown a lot since I joined four years ago, but I still feel like management is understanding of our needs.
And even though I’ve earned my certification, continuing education is still critical in our field. Whenever I see something new, I like to dig into it. Our team has “no-meeting Fridays” every week, so we can focus on building regulatory intelligence. Management definitely understands that there’s new guidance out every day, and it’s important that we keep up to date.
My first couple of years here, I was working toward my global certification from the Regulatory Affairs Professionals Society (RAPS). Preparing for the exam takes a lot of time; thankfully, my manager Ting Chen and my entire team were very supportive. And I do think getting certified has made me better at my job; when you understand the background and history behind a regulation, it’s much easier to interpret the current guidance. A lot of the regulations in Southeast Asia, for example, are based on the ones in the U.S. and EU. The more educated you are, the easier it is to quickly find the answer when a teammate comes to you with a question.
Very fast-paced, especially at the beginning. Obviously, this was an unprecedented situation, so the regulatory authorities were adapting in real-time, coming up with new requirements—and we had to adapt along with them. We were constantly on watch to see what guidance they were releasing, and that was exhausting at times. But it was a great learning experience. Of course, each country wanted to move as quickly as possible, and they worked closely with us to expedite approvals. In a place like Singapore, for example, where it would normally take about a year to approve a test kit, we were able to do it within a week or two.
For me, the big takeaway was that we should be working toward more harmonization between countries. We’re often providing very similar documentation to each and standardizing that could make a big difference in an urgent situation like COVID-19. There have been some efforts toward that in the industry over the years, and I’m looking at how our team might be able to get involved.
The teaching was at San Jose State University, where I studied with Sowmya. She asked me last year if I’d be interested in helping her update her curriculum to align with recent regulations. That was another great learning experience because I was reading so much, from so many different countries. I also got to add some things that I thought would help the students. And I learned a lot from their questions, too! Sometimes it’s really tough to find the answer, and you have to do a deep dive.
The mentoring is here at Cepheid, working with people in our internship program. Because I was an intern myself, I wanted to give back once I had a few years experience and felt like I was ready. It’s also been an opportunity to see what some aspects of people management look like, in case I want to explore that at some point.
Because of the pandemic, the entire internship program was remote, and I couldn’t just stop by my mentee’s desk. But we adapted pretty quickly. We met every morning to talk about what she was working on—and even a bit of our lives outside work. She had a great attitude, and I really enjoyed it.
In the short term, I just started working with Australia a couple of months ago, so I’m excited to learn more about their regulations. Our team also supports our Regulatory Affairs colleagues across other regions as new regulations take effect, and I’m looking forward to helping out with that, too. Down the road, I do think people management is something I’d like to explore, and there’s certainly lots of opportunity at Cepheid; we’re growing so quickly. But I have some things to learn before I get to that point. Right now, I want to focus on just being as good at regulatory affairs as I can.
Ultimately, my goal is to be an expert—a one-stop shop when someone has regulatory questions. And when they’re facing a challenge, I want to be someone who can help come up with a solution. In a lot of companies, regulations are sometimes seen as a hurdle because there are a lot of requirements to meet. But I think we can have much more value as partners, working with our colleagues to get products to patients as quickly as possible.
For Strategic Account Executive Eric Eckton, working at Cepheid is a chance to combine his passions for sales and science—and help not only customers and their patients, but his colleagues. Below, he explains the path that led him to the company and how he’s grown since, reflects on the recent wins and challenges in his role, and shares what he’s excited about in Cepheid’s future—and his future career.
My title is strategic account executive, which for me basically means laying out what we want to accomplish for our customers and then working with our local teams to help execute that strategy. I’m focused primarily on several large health systems in the Southeast U.S., talking with executives and medical directors about how our tests can help them treat patients more effectively and efficiently. Right now, most of those conversations are about our PCR test for COVID-19; there’s still a lot of need, and our product is the fastest and most accurate one on the market. But Cepheid also provides close to two dozen other critical tests, for everything from strep A to STDs.
Internally, I like to say my role allows me to “lead without authority,” meaning I do a lot of coaching and mentoring, but I don’t deal with things like expenses and performance reviews that come with having direct reports.
I also get to help out people I usually don’t work with directly—if a sales rep in a different area is facing a tricky situation, they might come to me for some advice on how to handle it.
I think I was always a salesperson at heart, but I was also interested in science. In college, I actually started out planning to be a physical therapist, which gave me a background in biology, chemistry, anatomy, and physiology. But ultimately, I decided that wasn’t a good fit for me, and after graduation I started working in marketing for a sports broadcasting company and bartending on the side. One of my customers at the bar happened to lead a company that did transcription and dictation services for hospitals, and he encouraged me to apply for a sales job.
After that, I spent some time selling to veterinary labs, and then I moved into the diagnostics space—including at a company called LABSCO, which at the time was Cepheid’s exclusive distributor. So I actually sold Cepheid products even before I worked here. I was impressed by the difference Cepheid’s use of the PCR method makes in patient care, and after a few years, I had the chance to join the team. I started out as an instrument specialist, which is essentially a subject matter expert who supports sales reps, and over the course of a couple years, I went from working with 3 reps to 12. Then in 2019, I was tapped on the shoulder for this new position, where I’m focused on the decisions being made at the health-system level.
One thing that’s great about Cepheid is there’s a true team approach to selling—and we have an amazing team. We have territory executives and field application specialists that really understand the intricacies of testing, and I’ve learned a lot from working with them. Before a presentation, it isn’t uncommon to have people in half a dozen different roles get on a call together to share what we know and discuss together how we can best help the customer.
I also learn a lot from our customers themselves. We have a saying in the lab industry: “If you’ve seen one lab, then you’ve seen one lab.” Each one really is run differently—with COVID-19, for example, every health system has its own protocol for testing. So it’s important to do what we at Danaher call “going to Gemba,” which in Japanese roughly means going to “the place where work is done.”
Talking to customers is really the best way to learn what they’re doing day-to-day, and to understand how we can help.
A recent win that comes to mind was helping a customer dramatically reduce their turnaround time for COVID tests. It’s so critical to get results as quickly as possible—if a patient comes to a freestanding ER with respiratory symptoms, for example, knowing whether they have COVID-19 or another condition can change how they’re transported to the main hospital. But the time required to run the actual test itself often isn’t the only factor; in this case, for example, the health system was using a courier to move samples from all of their locations to the main hospital. We were able to not only move them to a faster, more automated solution but also help them decentralize and set up products in each location, much closer to the patients. Now people can get results within 45 minutes, which has been invaluable.
COVID-19 created a lot of challenges. For us in sales, being remote was a big adjustment. Body language and other nonverbal cues are so important, and they’re hard to read when everyone’s on Zoom. We learned to pause more between questions and make sure to give people plenty of time to think. But in some ways, going remote has also opened up communication. There are customers I might have struggled to get in-person time with before, but meeting virtually was easier—and now we’re on texting terms. Some things, like presentations that involve a large group, might always be easier in person. But since we’re starting to do some limited travel again, we can prioritize those.
Another big COVID-related challenge was the high demand. It takes a lot to manufacture those little cartridges, and of course everyone wanted them—as well as our other tests, which are also very valuable. So we’ve had to make hard decisions about resource allocation.
But one thing I really like about Cepheid is that our leaders genuinely want to hear what the customers are experiencing, and we’re encouraged to share that feedback. Just recently, for example, we had slowed production of a non-COVID-19 test, but our customers asked to get it more quickly. So we pivoted to pump up inventory levels and make sure we’re meeting their needs.
I first got involved in the LatinX + Friends ARG. I’m a first-generation American—my mom was from Mexico—and I was raised in the Latin community and culture.
But before Cepheid, I never really embraced that at work and at times, had even been told I was too high-energy or too emotional. By the time I started here, I sort of hid that part of myself away. Then I got an email about the ARG, and I decided to join the call and just observe. The stories other associates shared really resonated with me, and as I got to share my own experiences—including with Cepheid’s leaders—I started to feel more comfortable being my authentic self.
Working here has helped me better understand other underrepresented groups, too. Not many weeks go by without at least getting an email that highlights someone’s experience, and I’ve been able to participate in other ARGs like Black + Friends, as well. I really appreciate that diversity is a focus, because if everyone is thinking and talking the same, how can we really grow? We still have a long way to go, especially in terms of diversity in leadership. But from the top levels of the company, I think there is a genuine understanding and interest in having those conversations. That’s very refreshing.
For Cepheid, it feels like the sky’s the limit. Our growth has allowed us to make huge investments in our testing—both expanding our portfolio and also improving the efficiency of our existing products. It’s also meant we need to keep building the plane while we’re flying it; in one division, for example, we’re more than doubling our sales force right now.
And for individual associates, myself included, growth comes with a lot of opportunities to develop and do more. Right now, I’m heading a “competitive intel” team that’s looking at what it takes to win within health systems, and I’m part of various leadership development programs. For one program, I was recently paired with a mentor who’s several levels above me, and he’s been helping me think beyond my comfort zone. I’ll tell him that in the next year or so I want to manage my own team, and he’ll ask, “Okay, and what do you want to do five years from now?” He’s also worked in various departments, including Marketing and Operations, so he’s helping me think beyond sales, too, and realize that seemingly different roles can have a lot in common. So much of it comes down to good communication. It’s been great, because he really understands and cares about what our customers are thinking—and what I’m thinking, too.
When Jennifer Teodorsson joined Cepheid in 2017, she was a program manager on a team of four, with each person handling one or two products at a time. Less than three years later, the team and assay portfolio had both more than tripled in size, and Jennifer took over as director of the team—just as COVID-19 hit and demand for the company’s tests exploded. Below, Jennifer reflects on leadership lessons she’s learned, explains how she decides where to focus in the face of rapid growth, and shares why she’s so excited about her team members’ futures—even if it means she has to find a new job.
I’m the director of program management for assay development, which means I lead program managers (PMs) who coordinate the launch of new tests. At Cepheid, a PM is sort of like a startup founder. From the moment the company decides to develop a product until the moment it’s released, PMs are working with a cross-functional team to understand what the market needs and what we can do technically, then navigating all the trade-offs along the way. You have to be well-rounded in a lot of different areas in order to manage that push-pull and keep things running smoothly.
At a lot of companies, a PM might just be handed a product that they run through the usual processes and systems, but here, there’s a lot more empowerment. It’s, “Here’s your team. Here are the needs and the information. Now make it your own.” That can be intimidating at first, because you’re making decisions that at your previous job, your manager probably made for you. But this is unlike any place I’ve been in terms of creating a safe environment to share your ideas. Our leaders aren’t micromanaging from the top down; they’re asking what we need and how they can help. That makes it so much easier for all of us to contribute to the overall strategy and vision.
I lead 12 program managers, each running one or two product development teams, so there’s no way I can dive deep into their day-to-day. I have some processes in place to check on hot topics and know who needs help when, but I focus much more on them as people—their mental health and their development goals. That means being open and transparent, and building our relationships to the point where we have the psychological safety to trust one another. We need straight talk, whether it’s me giving them feedback or them reaching out when they need support. I always tell people in one-on-ones that it’s okay to struggle. In fact, I expect it. Struggling combined with reflection is how we grow.
Another priority for me is that our program managers lean on each other and build a team environment. In a lot of organizations, PMs get siloed within the projects we lead. But we have so much to teach each other. One reason I strive for diversity within my team is that, for example, someone extroverted and results-driven can learn a lot from someone more introverted and inquisitive—and vice versa. Often, I’ll put two people with very different strengths on a project together. At first they might think it’s terrible, but by the end they’ll end up being great friends.
It’s always a conversation. I think it’s so important to talk with someone and understand what their interests really are, because that’s different for everyone. You might want a people-management path, and there are multiple roles within that. Or you might want to go a specialist route and be a principal PM but not have direct reports. Regardless of the goal, it’s imperative that we come up with an action plan to get people the training and experience they need.
Career development is a big part of the Danaher culture, and that’s key—the company walks the walk of encouraging people to move within, or even between, operating companies. If I have a great associate on my team, I might wish they could stay forever. But if they’re interested in exploring another area, I’m still going to reach out to that manager to see if we can set up a rotation or otherwise help the employee pursue their goals. Having a succession plan in place is a good thing; we want one for every role at Danaher. That includes mine—if one of my team members wants this job, that’s great! I’ve had lots of development opportunities of my own over the years, and I don’t need to sit here forever. I want to help that person take over as soon as possible, and I’ll find something else to do.
One thing I’ve learned is how to be my authentic self. I’ve worked in pharma and med tech for most of my career. Coming from that space and being a woman in leadership—especially in a global environment—I had developed a certain approach. But it wasn’t really me, and I wasn’t happy. This is one of the reasons I feel so lucky to have Shibu Gangadharan, our VP of Strategic Development and Program Management, as a manager. I first got to know him during my interview process, and we realized we could really learn from each other. He’s driven and ambitious, but he’s also the most compassionate human being ever. He has such a big heart. Whether it’s engaging with Black Lives Matter or helping people get development opportunities or just making sure we’re all safe during COVID-19, he is so invested in his people. He was also humble enough to recognize that mentorship from other female leaders could help me in ways he couldn’t, so he connected me with Elsa Burgess, our Senior VP of Engineering; Rika Dutau, our VP and GM of Commercial Operations in EMEA; and my own direct manager Wendy Wong, VP of PMO. Having them as role models has really been transformative.
Another source of learning for me has been the Danaher Business System (DBS), which is like a shared culture across Cepheid and other Danaher operating companies—a set of tools and processes we all use to do our work. Now that I know DBS, I wonder how other companies live without it. It makes everything easier and more effective. I even use some of the frameworks, like Problem-Solving Process and Crucial Conversations, in my personal life! I am totally hooked.
Like any team—especially in the diagnostic space—a lot of our recent challenges have been related to the pandemic. There’s little capacity for clinical studies beyond COVID-19, which delays our other projects. And of course, there are all the challenges of life outside of work during this time; people’s kids are home from school, there are deaths in the family, people get sick. Other medical treatments have to wait because hospitals are full. Meanwhile, Cepheid is growing quickly—that’s been true for years now—and keeping up with onboarding new people and projects takes its toll.
Regardless of the challenge, though, I think what’s helped most is maintaining our culture. Someone who just came on board can’t know how to do everything from the get-go. But you can create an environment where that person feels comfortable reaching out to a colleague who is already very good at whatever it is they need to learn. We’re all in this together, and I have never been in a situation where I didn’t get the support I needed here. When everyone is open and humble enough to admit what we don’t know, it’s so much easier. I think that’s how we’ve been able to accomplish so much and keep things moving forward every week.
I have a lot of ideas about how to move forward with everything we’ve learned from this time. How do you create a team environment when we’re not only global but increasingly remote and hybrid? I think we have a lot of new tools that can help us do our work better and more quickly. If we used avatars and VR, for example, how might that change the solutions we develop for patients? There are so many opportunities. And while time zone differences are tough, I love that I can talk with someone in South Africa about what’s happening there, or someone in the UK about a new NHS initiative.
Of course, it’s not just about technology. It’s the people behind the computers. When you move from a physical to a virtual environment, things like burnout can be more of an issue. So I’m thinking a lot about how to help my team build not just emotional intelligence, but emotional agility. Building soft skills is really the most interesting challenge. We do want our associates to be performers. But more than that, we want them to be good citizens of the company, and the world.
