Trust is Everything
I firmly believe that strong team building begins with trust building. As Chief Operating Officer at a global contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO), I have the privilege of overseeing five biopharmaceutical manufacturing sites and some 4000 team members. I view it as my duty to earn the trust of all those people from the start – because a culture of psychological safety lays the groundwork for success. It’s what enables people to thrive, innovate, and act with integrity.
Creating a “trusting space” where all employees can perform their best—and teams can be empowered to navigate through complexity and change—is crucial to a successful operation. When we’re all aligned under our guiding principles, which are built on trust, transparency, and ownership, people feel empowered to work diligently towards our important mission of getting life-saving medicines to patients quickly around the world.
I lead with a spirit of open communication and collaboration. This can’t happen as readily when leaders stay behind desks or closed doors. Rather, I adhere to the Japanese principle of “Gemba” or “Go and See.” This means getting out where the work happens—be it on the plant floor or at a customer location—where I actively engage with teams, learn about roadblocks, and work alongside my colleagues to help find solutions. Getting in the trenches creates an environment where everyone feels heard, and trusted.
Recently, I encouraged a team of employees at one of our facilities to identify and implement process improvements, something outside their regular scope of responsibilities. They successfully collaborated to streamline workflows and ultimately improved throughput by more than four times. The operational payoff of faster turnaround times was wonderful. But the boost I witnessed in employee pride, energy, and morale was truly rewarding.
As a leader, I make it a practice to be flexible, keep promises, and celebrate successes. This reinforces accountability and motivates every team member to contribute their best efforts. I also welcome diverse opinions, which encourages creativity and adaptability. Finally, I embrace my own vulnerability and draw from mentors and support networks, both internal and external, when I feel set back or stuck. I view this as a crucial component of being a leader because learning from our failures is the catalyst for incredible growth and resilience building.
When people feel trusted, they also trust themselves more. They become inspired to take the initiative and are often surprised and amazed by what they can achieve. As a leader, that means everything to me.
