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

“I have been considering loads about leadership models,” Sarah O’Leary, CEO of femtech firm Willow, tells Entrepreneur. “ There’s been loads of noise and information round, ‘We’d like extra masculine energy within the office.’ It makes you query as a pacesetter: What’s my type? How efficient is my type? I do not consider that we’d like 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. In line with the CEO, groups which have belief in one another — and of their leaders — usually tend to perform in a manner that is conducive to success.

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

Instilling belief inside workforce 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 staff return-to-office mandates. As a mom of two herself, O’Leary is especially cognizant of the on a regular basis hurdles workforce members who’re additionally dad and mom face, and she or he needs to assist them in any manner doable.

“ If my youngsters’ elementary faculty 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 are able to construct a tremendously profitable enterprise whereas additionally working in ways in which really feel genuine to our leadership and workforce.”

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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 assist dad and mom. To kick off its Mother’s Day marketing campaign this yr, the corporate announced a partnership with Canopie, a preventive maternal well being care platform, to donate a million hours of maternal psychological well being assist.

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

Previous to getting into the CEO function at Willow, O’Leary served as the corporate’s chief business officer and “liked” the work. O’Leary has mirrored loads over the previous yr on her determination to become CEO, and she or he says that ambition wasn’t her main motivator; as a substitute, she acknowledged that she was the correct 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 convey that along with our product groups. In some sense, [becoming CEO] has put me in a servant leader type 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 probably the most tough occasions.

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