Woman to Woman: Wisdom from Two Women Leaders

By Marsha D. Link, PhD, Link Consulting

The previous Woman to Woman column explored “Leadership Leaps,” describing three ways women can enhance their leadership skills. This column shares the wisdom of two accomplished women who are leaders in their respective professional fields. Their experiences, backgrounds, and current contexts differ, but through individual interviews, they have shared their insights about their leadership journeys.

Marguerite McDonald, MD, is a clinical professor of ophthalmology at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York, an adjunct clinical professor of ophthalmology at Tulane University Health Sciences Center, and a cornea/refractive specialist with Ophthalmic Consultants of Long Island, Lynbrook, NY. She performed the world’s first excimer laser surgery (PRK) in New Orleans in 1988, has more than 1,200 peer- and non-peer-reviewed articles in the ophthalmic literature, and was the first woman president of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery and the International Society of Refractive Surgery (ISRS). She sits on the editorial board of many ophthalmic journals and publications. Currently, she is the medical editor of Refractive Surgery Outlook, the official newsletter of the ISRS. She is married, enjoys traveling, and is a member of OWL.

Camille Samuels, MBA, is a managing director of Versant Ventures, where she specializes in early-stage biotechnology investing. She brings 14 years of venture capital and operating experience to her portfolio companies. Prior to Versant, she was responsible for business development at Tularik Inc., which subsequently was acquired by Amgen. She worked in corporate development at Genzyme and Millennium Predictive Medicine and as a management consultant in healthcare and biotechnology at LEK Consulting. Ms. Samuels earned her bachelor’s degree in biology from Duke University, and her MBA from Harvard Business School, where she graduated as a Baker Scholar. The Aspen Institute has named Ms. Samuels a Henry Crown Fellow. She lives in San Francisco with her husband and sons, Luke, age 3, and Jake, age 1.

Please enjoy the excerpts from the interviews with these two outstanding women leaders.

What do you consider to be the critical elements of effective leadership?

Dr. McDonald: Effective communication is a key dimension of leadership. Dr. Sigmund Schultz, an important mentor to me, provided an example of outstanding communication. He communicated in an honest and kind way, analyzing each situation carefully. He also was committed to excellence, another important leadership quality. Effective leaders are those that share the glory when things go well and also generously acknowledge the contributions of others. When things do not go well effective leaders accept the blame, because, in the end, it is the boss who is responsible. Few people expect leaders to exhibit perfection; no one is perfect. Effective leaders create and positively manage the unique circumstances of diverse situations.

Ms. Samuels: Effective leaders are those that can recruit, motivate, and inspire people. They also have the capacity to create a vision and align others with that vision to produce positive outcomes. If leaders are passionate about their ideas, it is much easier to influence others. Leaders are guided by a moral compass, which is reflected through ethical actions and a willingness to look inward, especially when things go wrong rather than looking outward and assigning blame to others. Art Levinson exemplified this sort of leadership. He was chief executive officer of Genentech (makers of Lucentis) from the mid-1990s until its acquisition by Roche last year. Art maintained very high performance standards and believed that both the patient and the employee were the foundation of Genentech’s purpose. The result was the industry’s most productive drug engine, as well as a company that consistently ranked in the top 10 of Fortune’s top 100 places to work in America. When the e-mail went out to the company announcing that Roche was replacing Art with one of its own, employees spontaneously initiated a “Hearts for Art” rally to express their gratitude for his leadership.

What leadership dimensions are most natural for women to develop?

Dr. McDonald: Women excel at communication and can leverage this skill in developing their leadership talents. Women also are naturals [at] feeling and expressing empathy, a trait important in understanding and inspiring others. Women often are very good [about] acknowledging the contributions made by others, an important element of effective leadership I mentioned previously.

Ms. Samuels: Women are good “people-people.” Their introspective nature aids in analyzing situations and developing and maintaining accountability. This trait not only aids in self-examination, but also is helpful in understanding others, what motivates them, and inspires them.

What particular challenges do women face in developing and expressing leadership?

Dr. McDonald: Sometimes women’s communication style is a detriment. We apologize way more than is needed. I recall hearing a woman deliver a presentation at a professional meeting. Her opening remark was an apology for her slides -- the first in a series of apologies that peppered her presentation! Not only was this unnecessary, but it diminished the impact of her presentation. Another characteristic that is a challenge for us is that we often are overly shy [and] too passive. For example, if it is not obvious where one might find a mentor, we may not be assertive in seeking those who could give career assistance. Women need to take the lead in reaching out for guidance. Most people will be flattered that you asked for their help. Additionally, I have found some of my most valuable mentors in the most unlikely places. Besides my father (who was an orthopedic surgeon), Dr. Schultz (mentioned previously), my husband (Stephen Klyce, PhD), and other professional colleagues, one of my most important mentors was a night telephone operator at the Manhattan Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital, who taught me things that were not connected to my profession, but provided guidance that helped me navigate through life in other ways.

Ms. Samuels: One of the challenges women face is to develop their capacity to do the ‘unpopular’ thing or make a difficult decision. Sometimes we lose our courage, perhaps due to a fear that we will become unpopular or risk making others unhappy. Another challenge women face is developing skill in being direct versus indirect in communication. Women sometimes take on society’s expectation that women, more than men, need to communicate in a more indirect way. It’s hard to be indirect and be a great leader. Men, more than women, are better using humor to deflect difficult situations and diffuse tensions. Women might want to consider using humor more often. Another significant challenge for women is the shift that takes place when one changes from being a committed professional with an extensive network of colleagues to being a committed professional and a mother. This demands creating a different balance in life to embrace both work and family responsibilities.

What advice would you offer women to aspire to top leadership positions?

Dr. McDonald: Work hard! Be the best you can be. Commit yourself to excellence and reach out to others for the help you need. As recently as 15 years ago, when I was asked to chair the program committee of a prestigious professional organization, there was considerable doubt that a woman could do the job. Therefore, I was asked to be ‘co-chair’ with a man (my former student). My male co-chair was put in charge of the large, prestigious annual meeting, and I was put in charge of a very small, poorly attended, mid-summer meeting. My response to the situation was to create the best-ever program for this mid-summer meeting and to advertise it extensively. It drew an impressive number of attendees and made an even bigger profit for the organization than the large annual meeting. After the mid-summer event, when I attended a board meeting, I received a standing ovation for the success of the program. I share this story as a way of giving you courage to do the best you can, even if it means you have to work harder when there is reluctance to offer a woman the job! Look for ways to help others. Use your power, position, and authority to help others be the best they can be. People always remember those who helped them and they appreciate you and your efforts. In my career, I have found that the harder I work, the luckier I get!

Ms. Samuels: Love what you do! People like to be around people who are happy and show enthusiasm for their work, and life in general. Sometimes women spend too much time suffering in a job that is not a good fit. Resist the temptation to feel guilty if you want to move on to discover what you love. People excel as long as they are passionate about their work. Several things have been helpful to me in building my career. I have tried to sustain a genuine curiosity about ideas and people. I also have created a great network of people around me who help in a variety of ways. I strive to remain open to self-reflection so that I am aware of what I am doing and want to do that will keep me passionate about life. These are a few of the elements that have enhanced my own leadership development.

Here’s hoping you have gained as much from Dr. McDonald and Ms. Samuels as I did. A heart-felt thanks goes to each of these phenomenal women leaders who have shared their stories so graciously with the OWL membership. As always, your questions and comments are welcomed. Please feel free to contact me at marshalink@4link.biz or (949) 683-4632.