Growing up, you were probably used to going to the pharmacy for any number of needs. Maybe that was where you got your flu shot or had quick consultations. Maybe you went to pick up your favorite gummy vitamins and headache medicine. Maybe you even worked closely with pharmacists to find the best prescription drugs to treat illnesses. Regardless of what brought you there, it’s clear that pharmacies and pharmaceutical companies have greatly benefited your life in some way. Staying healthy is such a big priority that may not have been possible without the right medication.
People that work in pharmaceuticals are important, respected members of the medical community. Managing a pharma company can be a big undertaking that requires research, compassion, and investing in safe practices. If you’re taking on a role in this area, there are plenty of steps to take to make sure you’re running the best pharmaceutical practice that you can. Especially when not everyone knows or understands how medicine and health insurance works, the general industry of selling drugs requires caring individuals who can take the time to explain the entire process. As you’re working to grow and improve the pharmacy you manage, here are just a few tips to lead with your best foot forward.
Research new science and developments.
Thanks to expert research and new data coming out every day, the pharmaceutical world is constantly changing and evolving. You have the opportunity to get in on the ground level and participate in some of these ground-breaking research projects and developments. Many systems in the body are so complex that we may never stop learning new things about them. From pichia pastoris expression to other protein enrichment enzymes, you can develop new ways to improve high cell density or glycerol production. The possibilities are truly endless. Nobody knew yeast could be a high performer in the body until it was studied. Take the opportunity to research and get creative about your medication. Encourage your pharmaceutical reps to put in the same amount of work. It will be beneficial for the general industry overall as well.
Stay focused on the best care for patients.
It’s natural for patients to feel somewhat confused about their treatment plan or even frustrated at the complications medical processes can create. As a pharmaceutical manager, it’s your job to stay focused on providing the best care for the patients. Whether this is finding ways to develop new purification systems quicker or finding new expression systems that work more efficiently, try to put in the effort for your consumers like Roivant Sciences. Work to lower prices on life-saving vaccines and prescriptions, communicate openly with people who have questions, and protect the legality of your processes. With everything you do, from supervisors to technicians, remember to put the patients and customers as the number one priority.
Invest in safety and efficiency.
Creating these life-saving drugs usually takes place in big warehouses or specific labs. Those medications are then transported to the local pharmacies we know and love. If you’re working on the production side, make sure you’re watching out for occupation safety. This can mean anything from protecting your staff during purification processes or making sure you’re maintaining a safe commercial boiler repair environment. When trying to provide energy for a huge pharmaceutical company, you may want to invest in thermal energy that will work more effectively for your company. As these types of equipment lead in the fields for hospitals, industrial complexes, and power plants, you know you can trust bioreactors and commercial boilers. Do your part to energize your building with safe, efficient energy that will keep your production working and keep systems from deteriorating.
Organize your Objectives and Key Results (OKRs).
As with any company, it’s incredibly important to make sure everyone is aligned and working toward the same goals. Being in charge of a large staff of sales reps or research specialists means you need to set objectives and key results (OKRs) from workboard.com for everyone to stick to. These OKRs keep your staff outcome-focused and allow for a level of transparency and accountability throughout the organization. You want to align on your goals, so you can help as many people as efficiently possible.
Bring in and train the best people.
Working in pharmaceuticals requires people to wear a number of different hats. When it comes to a sales rep, they’re required to have a networking personality and to be willing to put themselves out there.
Other staff may be more technicians who want to work with biomass and OSHA training courses. These tasks may require a more detail-oriented, focused individual. No matter what side of staff you’re working with or hiring, you need to set strict protocol to decide who gets to join your team. You want people who will fit in with the culture you’re building and who you can rely on to help you reach those important goals. Make sure good ethics are at the forefront of what you do with your company. This goes for hiring and training all the new members of your staff.
Stay on track with time management.
In many areas of life, you’ll find that there’s always so much to do and so little time. That is true of the pharma world as well. As the manager, it’s your responsibility to manage everyone’s time, so no one goes home with extra work at the end of the day. You may also be on a time crunch depending on the needs of drug candidates or the production of certain elements of medicine. As a manager, you want to maintain that regulated schedule of work and deadlines. Prioritize what needs to be done, set a detailed schedule, and continue communicating with your team on what exactly needs to get done each day. Advocate for how much time each process needs to be done correctly while also remembering that you and your staff need time to breathe as well. It can be a difficult balancing act to figure out, but with practice, you can keep yourself and your team on the right track.
Improve your communication skills.
When it comes to drugs and clinical trials, the nuances, and specifics of what you do matter. Because of this, communication could not be more vital. Don’t be afraid to be very clear with your staff and your customers. There isn’t a lot of room for error in this line of work. One mix up could be detrimental to the health of your patients. Not only that, but open and honest communication leads to a collaborative feeling between your team and helps you finish projects more efficiently.
Lead with empathy and creativity.
For you, a day at the pharmacy is just another day on the job, but for your customers, they may be dealing with a life-changing diagnosis and the fear that brings. As the manager, lead by example and treat every customer and individual you encounter with empathy and kindness. You got into this profession to help people, so make sure you’re doing that in the best way possible. Find creative solutions to problems, help answer questions to ease their minds, and treat every customer like family. This will go a long way to motivating your team and helping your community overall.