Managing Change as a Team

What were you hoping to accomplish in GMP?

At the macro level, health care is going through tremendous change. We want to improve treatments, control costs, and also prevent disease. These challenges require a holistic and multidimensional approach; they'll only be solved if doctors, hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, governments, payers, and patients work jointly together on solutions. I came to GMP because I wanted to interact with people from different countries and other industries that also have gone through significant change. I was looking to learn how other executives have coped with change, what tools they used, and how they approached the challenge.

The program definitely helped address this—it far exceeded my expectations. GMP helps leaders understand and keep up with a world that's changing at mind-boggling speed.

Which aspects of the learning experience stand out?

The faculty members are thought leaders who are very effective at helping you think everything through. They taught cases in an amazing way. A case may be about one particular industry or setting, but I could always apply it to my own situation and my challenges.

The group interaction outside the classroom further stimulated more new ideas and presented an opportunity to try them out on other executives. I found GMP extremely helpful for thinking about the bigger issues we are facing in health care and how we can identify potential solutions.

What surprised you most about the program?

I was positively surprised at how much importance the program placed on values—and doing the right thing. When I looked at the schedule, I could see that we would learn about accounting, finance, markets, and customers—but I had no idea how much we'd talk about values and about being humble as leaders. We were all given time to reflect on ourselves and our values—the way we conduct business, who we want to be, and how we come across to others.

You almost didn't come back to campus for Module 4. What happened?

Historically, my company was not active in vaccines, but in 2011 we made a strategic decision to enter that arena by acquiring a company, and I took over technical development for our vaccine effort. When it became clear that we could contribute to a solution for the Ebola crisis, the challenge was how we could help the people in West Africa and prevent the spread of this disease as quickly as possible.

While I was attending GMP Module 2, the first on-campus module, the situation in Africa continued to develop, and we gained a better understanding of the magnitude of the global threat. By the time I finished Module 2 and got back to the office, it was quite clear that tremendous efforts were needed.

I called Sunil Gupta, GMP's faculty chair, and explained that I was torn about continuing in GMP, because I felt I needed to focus on helping to solve the Ebola crisis. Sunil listened to my concerns and said, "Dirk, just do the right thing. No matter what you decide, Harvard Business School will make it work." That was a big relief.

But the response of my colleagues at work was both surprising and amazing. They said, "Dirk, when you returned to work after Module 2, you were contributing on a different level. You were more positive, open, and able to step into our shoes and look at issues from different perspectives. You absolutely have to go back and finish GMP. We will step up and cover for you." So I came back and finished the program.

What were your biggest takeaways from the program?

We learned not to take ourselves too seriously as leaders. It is important to have a goal and to know where you want to go, but it is equally important not to overestimate yourself. No matter what you are trying to accomplish, it will be a team effort. GMP reinforced that the ability to facilitate teamwork is a critical part of success as a leader.

A few years ago, I had the opportunity to participate in a meeting with the conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and he said one thing I'll never forget. "Conductors are people with big egos and we think we make a big difference," he told me. "But it took me 30 years to understand that a conductor actually makes no music—none." I came back from GMP more dedicated to coaching, mentoring, and developing the leaders in my organization.