Jennifer Smith on leading with 'confident humility'

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Hi everyone, I am Jennifer Smith. I am with Allergan and AbbVie Company. I have been with Allergan now for over 15 years, almost 16 and a half, but I've been in various roles. I've been representative, I was a trainer, a district manager for some time, and recently, my previous role was head of STRATCOM in cataract refractive surgery working with all of our national thought leaders, and really working on the, you know, pre-commercial launch plans for presbyopia. This year I've actually taken on a new role, which I'm very excited about, which is the National Director of Institutions and Academia, the education around that. And so, the focus right now is in glaucoma and our procedures. With that opportunity, we're expanding with all of our procedures and products within the next couple of years. We really get this team created and off the ground. And so, I'm really excited to say I've got a team of clinical specialists out there who are working really closely with our program directors, our fellows and residents, and it's a really fulfilling opportunity for me. So, I'm super excited, and thanks for having me.

Wonderful, I'm so glad. We're also glad to have you here with us, Jen. And so welcome to our "Women in Ophthalmology" Healio vlog series. Our first question for you this evening is, please share one or two leadership pearls from your experience with Allergan.

There's so many! I would say, and thanks for asking because this is my favorite topic. I'll tell you, I'm very passionate about it. I mean, just the opportunity to, I don't know, inspire and lead others to make a positive impact for the future. I mean, there's just, in my mind, really nothing more rewarding. I guess I would say that one area that's really helped me is, I would say I lead from a place of confident humility. And what I mean by that is that I'm confident in my abilities to learn from the successes, learn from the mistakes, the good and the bad, and really take it to a place that says, "Look, I don't have all the answers." And frankly, nor do I want to have all those answers. It's a large responsibility and we just don't, right? So it's an opportunity for us to be able to learn from each other, for sure. But I'll tell you that, and you could probably relate, I just feel like I've learned the most from my mistakes. I tend to not learn much from my successes and that might be a bad thing, but I would say that really, it's not the discoveries and it's more of the failures, and “my gosh, how did that happen and how do I prevent it from happening again?” That growth just happens naturally, and it really compounds. I'm not afraid to admit the failures. In fact, I mean, I just did it this morning with my team. I was like, "Oh my gosh, remember when I tried that? That did not work!" So, you know, I think for me, the authenticity of others is something I value, I really do. I love being able to relate with your true self. I find that people are more relatable when they feel like they can make mistakes, they have the freedom to fall and not be judged. And I mean, gosh, I certainly don't relate to those who seem very perfect. And so, I think it's important to A, admit failures, but also take steps to prevent that from happening in the future. I think that's also really important. So, humility, I guess, is probably the key, yeah.

 Yeah, I love that. Confident humility and lessons from your failures.

I think we all learn and remember our mistakes more than our successes. You're so right, Jen. And that's a perfect segway into my question for you. You've had an amazing career in ophthalmology. You've had so many roles as you described. I am sure along the way, Jen, you have encountered some hurdles, especially in the leadership kind of umbrella or overarching title. What have been, maybe you can share a single hurdle that you've come across and how have you overcome it?

That's a great question. Thank you for asking because there are plenty. I mean, we're, you know, people, and I think things are just going to happen. Situations happen, change happens, and the way we respond to it as individuals makes a big difference on the environment you're creating; that kind of thing. I would say, personally, I think the biggest challenges as a leader and in leadership is when you see this potential; this star power in someone and these capabilities, and they don't see it themselves. Oh my gosh, it can be so frustrating because, you're like, "Well, how can you not see what I see?" And how do you bring that out in them, right? That's the next question that's just as hard. And it just requires a level of investment and time. And so, when I think about those that have invested in me, how do you get forward without a support group? You can't, you know, you really need those that are advocating for you, whether you're there or not on your behalf, and just kind of keeping you in check. And that's the investment I'm speaking to. It's investing in those where they can see confidence, see some wins, understand what their strengths are to help leverage those and then just propel you from there. And I think probably one of the hardest lessons and the best lessons for me was when a colleague — I was in a training role a while back, and didn't have anything, you know, I was working with this colleague; it wasn't necessarily someone that had impacted me specifically, but she was really having a really tough time on a number of levels stemming from communication, and working with a manager. But all in all, she just really felt that there was zero self-worth in her career and contributions to that. And frankly, you know, I've seen that, I've seen her succeed. And so, it was an opportunity for me to just kind of stop. And I tend to lead with curiosity and ask a ton of questions. But just understand [and ask] “what is it? What's going on for you here?” And listen, it took about six months of just consistent coaching. And, you know, me calling her, "How's it going today? Did you try this approach? Did it fail? Let’s try something again." And she finally started — literally, it took that long — but she did finally get to this point where she's like, "Oh my gosh it worked. This approach worked." And so fast forward a year later, she was working for me, I took over her team as her manager. And not only was she a tremendous leader overall, but she was one of the most successful reps that I've ever come across. And so, I love that because it's an opportunity where she could've left the organization, you know, and gone on maybe a different path than she is now. And it's that investment in others, even if they don't impact you, it's really important. It comes back tenfold most of the time. But just knowing that there's an influence there that maybe can propel them to do better things, make positive impact, positive changes. For me, you know, that's the most rewarding. So, it is the most frustrating because it does take time, and let's be honest, we don't have a lot of time, right? We're balancing a lot of things. And so, it certainly can be an emotional, draining experience, but frankly it's probably one of the most rewarding.

I love that. I feel like that's, you know, along the lines of that phrase “support is a verb,” and that verb, that support that can take six months, but you keep going. That's really beautiful that you help shine that light and help others shine. So, thank you for that. So, what advice would you give to your 20-year younger self when you were, like, three years old?

Don't eat carbs! Just kidding, I'm saying that to my 40-year-old self actually right now, but at 20 years old, you can afford it. I'm really just joking. But I think I would say, and well, gosh, a number of things, right? Retrospect, hindsight's always 20/20 and you want to give yourself advice. I think what I would say, because I see it so much, so often, and I did it myself, was, you know, don't let your own perceived level of expertise get in the way of a future opportunity. And I guess what I mean by that is, you know, I think we are known as creatures that are the hardest on ourselves. The mirror can be very difficult, and we are the hardest [on our ourselves]. And I think what happens often, and I've seen in my reps, my friends and my colleagues, is this amazing opportunity comes up where you see this interest. You see an opportunity where you can flourish. And the first question, or the first thing you do is you stop and say, "I just don't think I'm ready for it." And that's really the number one inhibitor, I think, in professional and personal growth, is for you to stop and say, "Am I ready for this? This doesn't make sense for me." Because here's the thing, I would challenge you that you're never 100% ready for the next role, the next learning opportunity, the next challenge for you. And frankly, you shouldn't be because I would tell you that's the wrong job, right? If you're not being challenged or there's no growth opportunity for you, that probably isn't somewhere that you’ll remain and sustain success. And so, certainly I think it's an opportunity where, you know, hard work meets expertise; that's important, but go for it. If there's a window of opportunity, explore that. You may not get it, right? There might be someone who is more ready than you. That's okay. That's your chance to ask for feedback. "What can I do if I really want to pursue this? What can I do to get there? What are the areas of opportunity for me?” It creates a clear path for you. There's nothing more rich than that dialogue that you learned from. I certainly have gone for roles that I didn't get. And, you know, they are disappointing. And at the same time, again, one of the best learning opportunities I think you can have as an individual is to learn from that. And then I mean, what if you get it? Even better, right? So, you just don't know unless you go for it. And I think that's a common mistake that young people make, and I would just encourage those to go for it.

Yeah, I love it. It's like Wayne Gretzky's message, "You always miss all the shots you don't take."

That's exactly right.

Exactly.

And something else that you said that really resonated with me, Jen, is to ask for feedback and don't be afraid to hear, truly hear, what somebody is telling you. You know, maybe that's the reason you didn't get that job or that position, but hearing it, maybe you can work on that and then be ready for the next go around.

Yeah, I mean, it's not comfortable hearing that, right? Nobody wants to hear what you're doing wrong.

And what you could be doing better.

Right, you're not meeting expectations right now, here's why. I mean, I think it's hard. But listen, that is the one area, the people that succeed and those that are happiest, frankly, in their everyday lives are those that can take that and want to understand and want to do better, because we're not perfect. And I'm the worst, I mean, I can come across so differently than I intend to, and it's not for lack of trying. But certainly, it's an opportunity just to stop and go, "How can I be better?" Or "How can I approach that differently with you?" Those are just really fun conversations to have. Afterwards you can laugh about it, but in the moment it's not comfortable and probably what prohibits those from doing it in the first place. But if you want to succeed and you want, frankly, to have those around you enjoy your presence, that’s such a crucial thing to do.

Wonderful, thank you so much. We loved all those pearls and thank you for taking the time to share your experiences with us.

Oh, my goodness, ladies, Thank you so much. To be in the presence of you three, I mean, just friends in general, it just makes my heart warm, and I love what you're doing, this initiative, just empowering and elevating others, it just warms my heart. So, thank you for inviting me. I feel really honored. And good luck with the rest of the interviews.

 Thank you very much for your time.