Pfizer's Gemma Mayman Just Might Be The Most Authentic Leader I've Interviewed Yet
Gemma and her son Caleb
Meh, I get it. Phrases like Authentic, Genuine, Transparent, and Sincere Leadership can seem like corporate jargon in today’s world. And, because of that assumption, you might be wondering if there’s any real ‘meat’ in this post—something that may significantly improve your leadership. Go ahead and ask, “Where’s the protein, Todd?”
Well, it’s coming. It’s not only authentic, but gritty. You’ll ‘chew’ on this post for a while. I promise. And, there’s a few surprises along the way.
“I often tell a story of baked beans and monkeys,” she told me over the phone. “Maybe it’s not the best story, but it works.”
“What?” I asked. “I’m a little lost. Baked beans? Monkeys? Huh?” I was confused. …and intrigued.
Let me rewind for a second. I had already heard glowing stories about Gemma Mayman, Global Rare Disease Commercial Lead at Pfizer. I had heard stories about all the cool—some may say revolutionary—things she was doing with her leadership team within the behemoth organization. In fact, when a friend of mine first told me about her, he actually challenged me (and my career) by saying, “Gemma WILL BE one of the most authentic leaders you’ve ever met.”
“C’mon!” I responded. “I’ve literally interviewed thousands of leaders. In fact, I’m actually tight friends with many of the leadership gurus. What’s Gemma Mayman, from Pfizer, going to say that makes her more genuine than…”
“Just trust me,” he interrupted. “This is different.”
Okay, I stopped talking. However, it took only seconds the phone with Gemma to learn my friend might be right. I was interviewing a leader at the largest pharmaceutical company in the world—and she was talking about baked beans, monkeys, and most importantly, “Becoming the Super-Hero you were always meant to become.”
Well, sign me up for a red cape, laser beams shooting out of my finger-tips, and those little brown-sugar-coated bacon chunks. I wanted to know more. This woman had my attention.
Mayman was born and raised in the small town of Wolverhampton in the United Kingdom. Yea, I never heard of it either. But, when she told me that, I could immediately relate—as no-one has heard of my home town either. “I was good at chemistry in high-school,” she told me. “But, I didn’t think much of it at the time. All I knew when I was young is that I wanted to travel the world. I wanted to visit and live in amazing places.”
So, that’s what Gemma did. She sought opportunities that allowed her to see this amazing world. She started by going to University at UBC in Vancouver, then moved to London, where her understanding of chemistry—mixed with marketing skills—continued to open doors. “I was lucky enough to meet some amazing people who opened doors for me within medical education and PR companies, I learned that I am much better at making complex science simple than I ever was at being in a lab….and that you can have a wonderful career doing just that!
Gemma then took on her next adventure when she was offered a role in the United States. Much to the surprise of everyone, Gemma and her long-term boyfriend quickly got married and decided to start married life in NYC—moving to the US on National Margarita Day.
“Umm…” I stuttered. “That’s cool. Margarita Day?” Obviously, Gemma was fun, too.
“NYC is the most perfect place for me” says Gemma as she explained why her once ‘temporary’ U.S. adventure is now in year 16. “It’s fast, it’s real, it’s forever changing, and I have made some of the best, most inspiring friends a girl could ever ask for….and of course the margarita’s are amazing.”
But let’s be honest, New York City is not an easy place to live, especially when most of your family is the other side of the world. “I have been told by some people that I am courageous” says Gemma. “Courageous to move to the other side of the world and bring up our son (Caleb) with no family around to help us, daring to find my own way in corporate America, and brave to be unashamedly me. People assume I’m never scared, but that is absolute nonsense. The truth is, fear and courage are not mutually exclusive and everyone feels both. Plus, I also didn’t always have the courage to be me.”
She paused as if a new idea had interrupted her thinking...
“Actually, the best piece of career advice I ever received was when I was encouraged to be vulnerable and acknowledge and celebrate my whole self. I was told by an amazing mentor at Pfizer to look inwards, focus on my strengths, accept my quirks (even my weird English ‘humour’), and use those to show up as the best version of me.”
Those words really stuck with her.
“It was the first time in my career I was told to not try and fit the mold, not try and be what I thought people and companies wanted or expected me to be. I got to be authentically me—tell stories my way, dress my way, and connect with people my way. I approached the world differently—asking not who I needed to become, but instead asking how my individuality I can grow and add value to the business and patients.”
This time I interrupted Gemma. “How can people learn that their differences create value?”
“I think we’re all the same—meaning we’re all different,” she responded. “But, that means we ALL want someone to tell us to just be ourselves, and create environments where we can be. That’s the magic. And, yet, it’s not magic at all. It’s simple. Give everyone the permission to be their true and whole selves at work and allow them to become the super-hero they were meant to be .”
“Whoa! What does super-hero mean?” I asked.
Okay, I get it. I know, this is longer than my average post on Forbes.com. But, I simply cannot resist. Why? Because my interview with Gemma Mayman kept getting better.
“The meaning of super-hero is easy,” replied Gemma. “We all know what it means, but we never think we’re it. We never think we’re the hero. But, that’s wrong….and I learned that from my son, Caleb.”
She continued, “The juggle-struggle is really hard at times—juggling being a mum, a wife, a good friend, and a career. It’s hard. I am far from perfect. And, I think everyone is living some form of that. But, we’re also all living as someone else’s hero. We just don’t always know it.”
“This was reinforced by my son Caleb,” added Gemma. “I was presenting at a school STEM event about the value of good health, and he introduced me this way, ‘This is my mum Gem. She works super hard to make people around the world feel better and be healthier. She has taught me that science is cool, and she always makes me feel better. She is my super-hero’. Those were words I didn’t expect to hear. At the time, I was struggling to understand if the authentic me was good enough to keep juggling all my roles.”
How can the Authentic Leader in you become someone’s hero?
- Be You First: “Change your thinking,” says Gemma. “As a leader, it’s your job to liberate people’s genius, energy, belonging, and joy—not change their thinking” She’s right. Your job, as a leader, is only focused on getting people to perform at their best. “I need to be me. And, the people who work with me don’t need to be me. They need be themselves. That’s where they will perform best.”
- Inspire More, Instruct Less: “We need less Bosses in this world,” she adds. “Of course you can give direction. But, if your direction is conflicting with who they are, at their core, then you’re wasting your time. Be a leader. Help people become the superhero they want to be. If their super-human power is becoming invisible? Help make it happen. If it is breathing fire, reading minds, or swinging from buildings with webs, help them become that hero. You hired people good at what they do. Inspire them to be great.”
- Have Real Conversations: “Humans are linguistic—it’s our power,” Gemma continues. “But, if people feel like they can’t say what they’re really thinking, then they’re not going to be their best. Language is our power—to communicate ideas, frustrations, concerns, and goals. Let ALL the words be acceptable. Those words—even the spirited ones—give insight into the superheroes that surround you."
- Feel Energy: “It’s not a secret,” she adds. “We all know when the energy is high. We know when it’s low. And, yet, so many people ignore it. Ask questions. If my son isn’t in a good mood, I know it. Why do we pretend that coworkers are different? You can feel energy. Address it. How? That’s probably the most important question. But, I’ll answer it next.”
- Be Curious About People, and Their Inspirations. “We’re all different, which makes us all the same,” adds Gemma. “Your job as a leader is to know how people are different, and what inspires them. Actively ask people to speak up at all levels. Don’t just encourage it. Ask ‘What are you excited/anxious about so that we can make this time the most useful for you?’ When people feel empowered to be themselves, live out their Core Values, and share their super-powers at work, they’ll become super-heroes.”
“What about the Monkeys and Baked Beans?” I asked. “You never gave me the full story.”
Gemma chuckled. “Next time?”
“Deal,” I said. Stay tuned for a follow-up.
