Heather, tell us about your career in the ophthalmic industry, where did you start, and what do you love most?
I joined VisionWeb six years ago as a Marketing Coordinator on a three-member marketing team. That was the start of my career in the optical industry. Since then, I've worked my way up to my current role as Director of Marketing, reporting to our CEO. I'm proud to say that I lead one of the most creative, energetic, and hardest working, teams in the industry. (We've grown a bit, with seven full-time employees, and a few of the best interns a company could ask for.)
I love that I've been able to join a company in a niche segment of the healthcare industry, but still find a way to apply the freshest marketing concepts in a meaningful way. I'm given the freedom to push the envelope, and every day is an accomplishment. We've taken VisionWeb from a company with a strategy reliant on one-way, outbound communication, to one that is actively engaged in social media and delivering content to the industry through eBooks and other platforms — using technology that is at the forefront of today's innovative marketing practices. It's not a small feat, but it's what gets me excited. I'm proud to say VisionWeb is practicing what it preaches — adopting innovative technology and making things more efficient. I'd like to think I played a role in that. I've also gotten to see VisionWeb grow from just our online ordering and claim filing solutions, to launching our cloud-based practice management and EHR solution, Uprise. I love seeing how much has changed over the past 8 years.
What has been your most valuable experience thus far?
Honestly, and I definitely didn't see it this way at the time, but having a manager that wasn't supportive turned out to be an incredibly valuable experience. So much of what I do, and particularly the strategy that I've put in place at VisionWeb, relies on having a team that feels appreciated. They have to be intensely creative, and know that I trust them to do their jobs. There was a time when our creativity was incredibly stifled. Our ideas weren't appreciated, and work was a chore. I always said that if I ever had the opportunity to take on that leadership role, I would do things differently. One day, that manager decided to part ways, and I was trusted to take over. I realized that I was afforded the opportunity to learn from that experience and create an environment where our team would thrive, and we really have.
Tell us about a time that "grace under fire" helped you in a tough or embarrassing situation.
Fortunately, most of my embarrassing moments have only happened in the presence of my team, and they give me a pass when there isn't a lot of grace involved! But when it comes to tough situations, there is none that I find more challenging than having to release someone. It's hard on a team like mine because we are so collaborative. Everyone gets to know each other very well, so when you have to release a team member, it's someone that you know a lot about, and feel a sense of responsibility for. On top of that, you risk upsetting the delicate balance of the team. What I've learned is that the biggest factor in how it impacts my team is how I handle it. So when those tough situations come up, I try to remember how I would want to be treated if I were sitting across the desk being released. I also consider how I would want my manager to talk to me if someone on my team were being released. Those are incredibly uncomfortable moments for me, but I dig deep and find a way to handle it with as much grace as possible.
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