Marcy talks about her leadership philosophy, the importance of nurturing female talent, and the significance of role models in a woman’s career journey.
Chapter: Attracting female talent
About: Marcy Bliss is the visionary leader at the helm of Wedgewood Pharmacy, the largest compounding pharmacy in the United States devoted exclusively to animal health. She is responsible for the company’s overall performance. She is also a member of the board of directors and works with the owners, board, and management team to set and ensure the delivery of patient care, prescriber service, corporate vision, mission, strategy, structure, and long-term goals. The company’s brand is recognized by 99 percent of veterinarians in the United States. With a passion for innovation and a relentless commitment to excellence, Marcy has transformed the company into a pioneering force within the pharmaceutical industry.
What leadership traits should organizations nurture in their female talent?
Encourage women to lean into new challenges and opportunities—areas where junior talent might experience some level of insecurity. Markets, technology, and employee expectations, among other things, change constantly. One thing I had to learn as an emerging leader was to take tackle tough problems, even if I wasn’t quite sure how to deliver at first, and to enlist others to help. No one knows how to solve every challenge, but a good leader is determined anyway and creates a space where people can come together to navigate whatever obstacles they face.
“One thing I had to learn as an emerging leader was to tackle tough problems, even if I wasn’t quite sure how to deliver at first, and to enlist others to help.”
How can organizations ensure the long-term success of their female talent?
Provide opportunities for women to deliver impactful results—meaningful outcomes that create real business value. Then, set high expectations for delivering those results and reward extraordinary performance.
Could you share with us your leadership philosophy and what being a leader means to you?
Being a leader means having an opportunity to collaborate with a team to deliver results for stakeholders. Those stakeholders can be customers, investors, vendors, the community, and very importantly, employees. My leadership philosophy is to create a space where people can be their very best while relentlessly delivering business results. Oftentimes, this causes us all to grow.
“My leadership philosophy is to create a space where people can be their very best while relentlessly delivering business results.”
If you could give one piece of advice to women, what would it be?
Obsess about the numbers. Whatever part of the business you’re in, there are metrics that tell a story of performance or non-performance. Find out what those leading and lagging indicators are, and strive to create positive change. Measure trends constantly, and when you don’t have the data you need to develop strategies or make decisions, do more research.
What is your view on the importance of role models in a woman’s career journey?
Wedgewood Pharmacy was founder-owned for almost 20 years before I joined the company. It was owned by a husband and wife, and they were both role models for me. I’ll never forget what George told me when I asked why he surrounded himself with such strong, powerful women leaders, including his wife, Lucy. He said, “Because women are unstoppable. My experience is that men can be stopped. But if a woman wants something, she is going to do whatever it takes to get it.” Bless his soul for inspiring me and giving me permission to be unstoppable.
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