Jeannette Bankes discusses the importance of accepting feedback for growth, agility

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Hello, I'm Jeannette Bankes, the president of the Global Surgical Franchise at Alcon. I have the pleasure of helping people see brilliantly in multiple dimensions. Alcon being a leader in the ophthalmic care around the world, we're able to bring technology development and new devices to meet unmet needs. I have the pleasure of leading an organization that contributes to 5.2 billion of sales globally and hope to bring a pipeline of technologies that meet your unmet needs for your patients.

Thank you, Jeannette, for being here, and welcome to our Women Ophthalmology Leadership series. Can you please share a pearl from your leadership experience?

Well, I will say I've had a great experience across diverse areas, not just ophthalmic or ophthalmology. I would say the one pearl throughout my career is really being able to adjust to the environment. As you think about my background, the diversity of different specialties, different cultures and companies, I think the pearl is, be resilient, but also be agile. You're going to come in to different companies, whether it even be all in ophthalmology, the culture of different companies is different, and being able to absorb the best of that company and contribute to the areas of development, I think people need to lean in and lead and figure out what they contribute optimistically, but where they need to evolve as a leader to be best in class for the company that they're working for.

So, agility is almost what you're highlighting, is that right?

It is. Flexibility and agility, I'll call it.

I like that. And it's not so easy to be agile all the time.

No, no.

Stretch.

Exactly.

Yes, yes! You might do it more often than you would like to, but we're good. We're agile.

That's great. So, Jeannette, I'm sure as you've moved up the ranks in leadership, and of course now you're the CEO of a huge company, I'm sure you've encountered some huge challenges. Can you share a challenge or two with us and how using your leadership skills, you've been able to come up with a solution?

I think this will really relate to everyone that's listening to this. We get feedback throughout our career. You women probably have as well. And sometimes, the person giving the feedback may be nervous about it, may not be able to articulate it to the depth that you really need to understand what the development area is you need. And so, challenging as we think about going through our 20s and 30s and 40s, you need to peel back the onion, because the person giving you the feedback cares about you. They care enough to give you the feedback and so I think the challenge throughout my career has been, "Do I really hear and listen to what people are asking me to adjust to be best for them and for myself?" So, the challenge to the audience is, peel the onion. If you get feedback that you don't understand, somebody's taking too high of a macro level in that feedback, ask for more details. Truly understand the root cause of what needs to change, either professionally, personally, to make you best in class, because motivation-wise, we all want to do our best. But if we don't understand the feedback, how do we act on it? Feedback is a gift. Understand down to the root most detail what it is that you can do better to be a better leader.

So, don't be afraid to peel the onion without crying!

Yes! That's a good analogy. Now, you know me well. I don't think I'm a crier, but I don't know if I've had the confidence early in my career to ask the questions like, "I don't understand." That's vulnerable. That's vulnerability at its finest. So, you really do have to say, be vulnerable. It's best for them and you because you're not going to make a difference or change if you don't truly understand the change that you need to make.

Yeah, receiving the feedback and understanding it, right? Those are the key points.

 Yes, Feedback is a gift, guys.  Don't be afraid of it.

Welcome the feedback.

Yes!

So, advice to your younger self?

Oh, I wish I could push back the clock and be my younger self, but if I had to give myself advice in my 20s and 30s, I would say, "Keep living your best life. Have a full life. Take the feedback." We talk about feedback. When you're early on in your career, and I'll stereotype, we're defensive, like, "I don't do that!" You will live in different environments. And I would say even the ophthalmic environment is evolving. As I sit here with two beautiful ladies, there's more women coming into our industry. Early on in my career, I was given some critical feedback by male counterparts, that at first, I got a little defensive about. Because I thought they were trying to make me be like them. And the reality is, the environment was a majority of them. And they cared enough to want me to succeed in that environment, and some of the things they were asking me to do was probably going to help me succeed. But I was a little bit rebel, and I didn't take the feedback, thinking they were trying to change who I was. And my earlier self would have said, "Relax. Take the male feedback, because they care about you and they're trying to make you successful in an environment and run with it. You'll be more relaxed and not be so defensive."

Yeah, great message. Thank you so much.

Jeannette, thank you so much for being here, for taking the time out to share your pearls of wisdom and leadership advice. We really appreciate it.
Well, thank you, ladies.

Thank you.

Thank you, guys.