Together We Win: Interview with Alcon Global Vision Care President Andy Pawson
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
I recently went one on one with Andy Pawson, the President and General Manager of the Global Vision Care Franchise at Alcon.
Adam: Thanks again for taking the time to share your advice. First things first, though; I am sure readers would love to learn more about you. How did you get here? What experiences, failures, setbacks or challenges have been most instrumental to your growth?
Andy: Prior to Alcon, I spent over 25 years in senior Marketing, Innovation & Commercial roles at Kimberly-Clark spanning a number of challenging emotive and Insight driven brands like Kleenex, Huggies, Kotex, Scott and Depend, across categories including Baby & Child Care, Incontinence Care, Intimate Care, Facial Care and Feminine Hygiene.
Prior to this my career started in Unilever, so I have spent my entire working life competing against fierce rivals such as P&G and J&J whom I have the upmost respect for. Above all - I’ve learned that winning means constantly raising the bar above the best that’s out there.
Working on categories where ‘Mom’ is queen as the user, shopper and decision maker was extremely formative to me – and made me truly understand the importance of diversity and inclusion.
When I started, the marketing organization was dominated by men, even in Feminine and Intimate hygiene, and I was very intentional about hiring and promoting more female leaders who could better connect and understand the categories and consumers we served. Sounds archaic and simple and gratefully things have changed. Today, diversity in my team is my first consideration.
Adam: What should all leaders understand about CSR?
Andy: My initial stimulus to engage in CSR as a Marketer more purposefully some years ago was an incredible book I read called ‘Goodvertising’ by Thomas Kolster. It was a powerful read with great examples on why and how to build brands by doing ‘good’ through creative advertising that cares. When I realized that driving growth, building powerful brands AND doing ‘good’ were not mutually exclusive the penny dropped for me as a Marketer. Since then the motivation to do good has moved beyond better commercial outcomes.
CSR should be an extension of a company’s foundational principles—what they believe, what they stand for, but most importantly, what they do – because it matters for all of our futures, now more than ever.
At Alcon, we’ve defined these principles as: To care for and delight our customers; to pursue and drive innovation; and to care for and inspire our people.
In this way, CSR is hardwired into our company’s DNA. When caring for associates and delighting customers is at the foundation of our work, then of course, we’re committed to being a responsible corporate citizen. Notwithstanding the fact that Employees, Customers and Shareholders demand it.
CSR has become even more important over the course of the past year. The pandemic really forced employers to step into more public leadership roles, and many employees began looking toward their employers as a source of stability and truth.
As a board member of the Alcon Foundation, I’m proud of Alcon’s support for organizations and efforts that focus on improving eye health and eye care services to underserved citizens in communities around the world. Good vision is essential to quality of life, and we will continue to lend our expertise to increasing access to the life-changing access of eye care.
Adam: What are your best tips for leaders on how to build more socially responsible companies?
Andy: Corporate citizenship requires significant reflection and organizational alignment; and it is a journey – not a destination.
Understand where you really are as a company and as a leader – be willing to be vulnerable, accept the learning journey and build your knowledge and expertise. Listen to the voice of the customer, the employee and your investors closely – then set out your strategy.
Don’t let where you are today diminish your ambition for the future. Setting a bold ambition far out. Not knowing how to achieve it can create anxiety, but it can also be inspiring and motivating and unleash innovation in how you get there.
Measure your progress – and eat the elephant in bite sized chunks whilst placing increased bets over time on the things that really move the needle.
At Alcon, we’re only two years away from our separation from Novartis. Now that we’re operating as an independent company, we’ve accepted that some of our ESG initiatives are more developed while others are still in the early stages. We have a strategy and we are making great progress.
Adam: How has CSR and the role of CSR leaders changed as a result of COVID? What are your best tips for other leaders on how to best respond to the moment we are in?
Andy: The pandemic has highlighted the needs of many in the communities in which we live and work. We want our neighbors to have the best possible quality of life. Many are hurting right now and suffer in silence. Make a difference close to home with those who have the greatest need immediately around you.
As a company and team, we’ve been strong supporters of the Tarrant Area Food Bank in Fort Worth (Alcon has been headquartered in Fort Worth since its founding 70+ years ago). The need is enormous and COVID-19 has only made the situation more challenging. So while we have our work cut out for us, we are leaning in.
The pandemic also has given us some time to consider how to improve our existing programs. For example, through the Alcon Foundation, we have been strong supporters of a children’s vision program that supports children from low-income families in Title 1 schools in Fort Worth.
Adam: In your experience, what are the defining qualities of an effective leader? How can leaders and aspiring leaders take their leadership skills to the next level?
Andy: Outside of the textbook response I am drawn to three areas that stand out at least for me in terms of ‘next level’ inspirational leadership. Curiosity, Vulnerability and Inclusion.
Never before have senior executives been exposed on multiple fronts to the challenge of ‘we don’t know what we don’t know’. The pace of change is relentless, agility is being re-defined, and uncomfortable conversations are around every corner.
From Diversity & Inclusion, Digital Transformation, Social Media, Politics in the workplace, Flexible working on steroids, Equity versus Equality, Corporate Social Responsibility or just the sheer pace of innovation and competitive intensity, it is challenging to be in a senior leader role now more than ever.
By being curious, admitting with vulnerability that you don’t have all the answers, engaging in ‘learning’, ‘listening’ and being ‘schooled again’ and being inclusive to seek the broadest and most complete perspectives of those around you - you are light-housing how the entire organization needs to behave and it will build trust and credibility from top to bottom.
Adam: What are your three best tips applicable to entrepreneurs, executives and civic leaders?
Andy: I’ll caveat these as being my personal views based on my experiences.
1. Don’t let ‘what’s the ROI’ get in the way of data and digital transformation. It’s a path to pain, and possibly extinction. Make it the third or fourth question, or if you are brave, don’t ask.
2. Double, triple, quadruple down in your understanding and immersion in diversity & inclusion. Sponsor and amplify Enterprise resource groups, provide a voice and listen intimately to all minority.
3. Set a high bar on talent and act on under-performers. The universal regret is not acting sooner. Everyone loses if you hold out including yourself, your team, your company and the individual themselves.
Adam: What is your best advice on building, leading and managing teams?
Andy: My philosophy in building a high-performing leadership team centers on many things, but the most important aspect for me is to invest big in time, energy and the best resources in building a healthy team dynamic. I mean proper time and resources. For a senior leadership team in my experience anything less than 3-4 days twice a year dedicated to building and improving the teamwork dynamic is falling short of a genuine commitment.
When investing time, use the best stimulus available to build trust and gain an intimate understanding of each other. Don’t solve business problems... solve interpersonal or team dynamic challenges. Treat everyone as an equal with no hierarchy and include your admin/P.A. as an equal. They have their pulse on the real team dynamic and they play a key role.
Use an external coach and stick with them so they can get to know your team intimately and coach them individually and collectively.
As a leader – be the most vulnerable, put the real you out there and create a safe environment to build intimacy and trust. For me everything starts from there.
Adam: What are your thoughts on the future of CSR?
Andy: I think CSR can only grow to a status of critical importance. CSR will become one of the key currencies used to value your company, your products and your employee brand.
Associates are already choosing to work for companies who have demonstrated a track record of good corporate citizenship. And customers are demanding corporate social responsibility from the manufacturers behind the products they use every day.
It’s why we continuously address our operational environmental footprint and product lifecycle issues, from upstream supply chain through downstream customer use and end-of-life phases for both B2B and B2C customers.
We want to create a sustainable, better and brighter future for the lives of people and the communities we serve.
Adam: What is the single best piece of advice you have ever received?
Andy: “Inclusion trumps outcomes.” I tell this story quite regularly. It’s a value and philosophy I came to understand several years ago, when I created and participated in an experiential learning program for my leadership team during a team development experience. “Equine assisted learning,” or teaching with horses, is a tool used to create awareness of our personal development needs based on interactions with animals and our non-verbal communication.
My task was to complete some challenging exercises with horses, something that I was far from being fully comfortable with having had some negative experience as a child, but I had to put on a brave face because I was the team leader. Another team member who had significant experience with the horses asked if I needed help, and I dismissed the offer out of pride and ego – choosing to do it all on my own.
I surpassed expectations and nailed the task with aplomb. I was so proud of myself as the applause rang out.
When asked for the team’s feedback by the moderator, words like “smart,” “impressive” and “confident” rang out about my performance.
But when she asked the individual whose offer of help was ignored, the sentiment was one of being ‘dismissed’, ‘rejected’ and ‘ignored’. ‘Here ends the lesson’ – the moderator said to me. Inclusion is often more important than the outcome.
It put my performance in perspective and was the biggest lesson I ever learned on the concept of “Together We Win.” I cannot—and should not—do everything on my own. I need my team as much as they need me.
Adam Mendler is the CEO of The Veloz Group, where he co-founded and oversees ventures across a wide variety of industries. Adam is also the creator and host of the business and leadership podcast Thirty Minute Mentors, where he goes one on one with America's most successful people - Fortune 500 CEOs, founders of household name companies, Hall of Fame and Olympic gold medal winning athletes, political and military leaders - for intimate half-hour conversations each week. Adam has written extensively on leadership, management, entrepreneurship, marketing and sales, having authored over 70 articles published in major media outlets including Forbes, Inc. and HuffPost, and has conducted more than 500 one on one interviews with America’s top leaders through his collective media projects. A top leadership speaker, Adam draws upon his insights building and leading businesses and interviewing hundreds of America's top leaders as a top keynote speaker to businesses, universities and non-profit organizations.
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