Become The Pharma Leader You Wish You Had
Pharma teams rarely move in straight lines. Projects go sideways as often as forward, decisions often depend on siloed functions with no overarching direction, and nearly every outcome relies on your ability to appease and influence the people around you.
If you want to step up, make progress, and lead more effectively, this episode will show you how – no matter your title.
Dan speaks to Tom O’Brien, cofounder of Sprintmodo, who breaks down what it really takes to lead effectively in pharma.
What you’ll hear in this episode:
- Why everyone in a high-performing team is expected to lead.
- The human leadership skills that make or break team performance.
- How to create ownership, accelerate pace, and cut through organisational friction.
- Practical approaches to stakeholder management across teams, agencies, customers and cross-functional partners.
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The pharma capability gap everyone sees but no one acknowledges
Pharma invests heavily in technology, platforms and strategic excellence. Yet the work that actually moves the needle depends on human leadership – the ability to align people, make decisions, and drive results. As cross-functional collaboration grows more complex and expectations rise, leadership skills are increasingly decisive.
Pharma’s high performers held back by the system around them
Many capable individuals are slowed by processes and unclear ownership. Work bounces between functions, decisions stall, and momentum falters. Busy teams can still move slowly when the system undermines clarity. Step into leadership here by creating alignment, removing friction, and owning outcomes. When managers act as enablers instead of blockers, pace returns, collaboration improves, and work stops feeling political.
Innovation requires less talking and more application
Pharma’s tendency for perfectionism and risk aversion get in the way of progress. Teams chase flawless alignment instead of learning early and failing fast. Becoming the leader you wish you had means embracing a new rhythm: start earlier, learn faster, embrace failure and focus relentlessly on outcomes.
Stakeholder Leadership Is Fundumental to a Successful Pharma Role
Managers in pharma don’t just lead teams; they lead ecosystems. Field colleagues, agencies, global partners, and cross-functional teams all require alignment. Without deliberate leadership, work fragments and reactive decisions dominate. When everyone takes initiative and leads, teams gain coherence, pace, and confidence. Mastering stakeholder leadership is now a defining marker of high performance.
Value is created by perspective, not information
Information is everywhere, and your customers can access it easily. If you’re in a customer-facing role, your currency has changed. You can no longer rely on providing information, you’ll need to bring perspective – the ability to interpret insights, challenge assumptions, and guide decisions. The reps who deliver the most impact are moving from information delivery to influencing decisions.
Tom teaches us that ownership accelerates performance and that leadership is defined by behaviour, not title. Pharma organisations that empower people to lead from where they are move faster, collaborate better, and deliver stronger outcomes.
Step up, own your influence, and become the pharma leader you wish you had. Listen now.
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