Hack your mind: Three secrets for success

The pharmaceutical industry is at a critical juncture, as a recent employee Global Culture Report has unveiled alarming statistics that demand our immediate attention.¹ 51% of those surveyed reported that they felt their companies were slow to adopt new ideas, 39% felt the recognition they receive at work isn’t motivating and 48% said their work was exhausting. This shows up in the working day when companies aren’t innovating for their customers in a way that meets expectations. It means that we aren’t creating work environments that effectively motivate our teams or grow and engage in our career journeys the way we wish we could.

These statistics, while alarming, are not entirely surprising. The pharmaceutical industry, like many others, has been under immense pressure recently. The rapid pace of change and the constant need to innovate has led employees to either work tirelessly or respond by retreating into their comfort zone, leading to boredom or burnout. This situation underscores the urgent need for a shift in mindset. If we don’t transform our thinking and become comfortable with change, we risk falling short of our ambitions for the patients and customers we serve.

On the flip side, now more than ever, we have the knowledge and tools at our fingertips to optimise our ways of working and change our behaviours—all by hacking our own mindset. Each of these challenges highlighted by the Culture Report can be tackled and here’s how. Significant potential for improvement exists, and we are well-equipped to seize it.

Challenge 1: Pharmaceutical companies can be slow to adopt new ideas, impacting how we deliver against customer expectations 

Solid data is the backbone of any successful AI or analytics initiative. It ensures reliable insights and informed decision-making. However, many organisations are still at the initial stages of data maturity and struggling with foundational data quality. Without robust data, efforts to leverage advanced analytics and AI will fall short so this must become high priority.

Our customers are entitled to exceptional experiences, which is precisely what they demand. Although many pharmaceutical companies have devoted considerable time and resources to optimising omnichannel strategies and personalising interactions, they often fall short of delivering the experiences that our customers, as consumers, have come to expect.

The industry’s shortfall results from the lack of clarity as to which customer pain points to address, the slow speed of innovation to tackle these issues, and a minimal feedback loop to turn customer insights into action. It’s crucial to remember that customer feedback is not just a tool for understanding their needs, but a catalyst for change. Research indicates that while 95% of companies collect customer feedback, only 10% use it to enhance their services, and a mere 5% inform their customers about the improvements made.² Cracking this code is imperative.

Bridging the gap between receiving feedback and implementing change can seem daunting. However, we must confront this operational challenge head-on.

Consider the case of Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH), a renowned children’s hospital in the UK. They selected a critical area for operational improvement: patient safety during the transition from operating rooms to the intensive care unit (ICU). GOSH looked beyond healthcare to industries known for operational excellence and got creative by learning from Formula One pit stops to address this challenge. Formula One pit stops caught their attention—not just because they’re crucial for race success but also due to their precise teamwork under immense pressure. The analogy was clear: just as a pit stop team coordinates seamlessly to change tyres and refuel, GOSH needed a similar approach for patient handovers.

After studying GOSH’s existing process, the Formula 1 team proposed a new handover protocol. Their sophisticated procedures and coordinated teamwork aimed to swiftly and safely transfer patients, equipment, and information from the operating room to the ICU. The result? Improved patient safety and a remarkable reduction in error rates—from 30% to 10%.³

They focused on a critical pain point, brought in outside inspiration to innovate a solution at pace, and reported on the improvement—a winning recipe.

Challenge 2: Employees feel undervalued and demotivated day-to-day, impacting productivity and progress 

Employee motivation is a continual challenge. A sobering Gallup study revealed that only 15% of employees feel genuinely engaged in their workplace – across all sectors!⁴ This statistic underscores a global motivational crisis, not unique to the pharma industry, that we must address head-on if we aspire to transform our outcomes. 

We know well that motivation is the bedrock of success. But how do we best empower teams, foster success and ignite motivation?  

To better understand human motivation, let’s examine the case of our most personal objectives: New Year’s resolutions. Despite our best intentions, an astonishing 92% of resolutions fail by the end of the year. The primary culprit? The daunting scale of these goals. They often lack more manageable steps, leading us to fail by not dividing the journey into achievable milestones. 

Enter the Progress Principle—a concept explored by the Harvard Business Review.⁵ Various factors elevate emotions, motivation and perceptions throughout the day, but the act of making progress in meaningful work is paramount—the feeling of advancing bolsters long-term productivity. But the question remains: How do we make progress tangible? 

Looking again to successful models from other industries for inspiration, we find an unlikely muse: football. Despite being a low-scoring sport, elite football teams have utilised a predictive metric to improve their scoring chances. This metric, known as “expected goals,” has become integral to the sport. 

The “expected goals” metric is an influential instrument to hone tactics and concentrate on marginal improvements. It evaluates the influence of individual factors like shot type, the shooter’s perspective of the goal, the goalkeeper’s positioning and the angle of the shot. By analysing these elements, teams can pinpoint their strengths, acknowledge their weaknesses and ultimately boost their performance. This method teaches us the importance of focusing on incremental enhancements to realise broader ambitions. 

Many industries, including pharmaceutical, can adopt similar principles. Imagine if we could dissect the components that increase the likelihood of sales into smaller, quantifiable, and concrete objectives. While we might already monitor metrics, such as customer satisfaction, email open rates and proactive outreach in isolation, amalgamating these to establish a benchmark offers a more comprehensive view of performance. It represents a continuous evaluation for optimisation—a strategy to pinpoint marginal gains for continual improvement. 

Challenge 3: Work-related exhaustion leaves little room for personal growth and purposeful career development

The pressure-performance curve, known as the Yerkes–Dodson Law of 1907, illustrates the relationship between workplace pressure and performance. At one extreme of the bell curve lies the panic zone, where high-pressure results in poor performance, and at the other, the boredom zone, where very low pressure also leads to subpar outcomes.

Today, emphasis has been placed on ensuring that organisations protect employees from excessive pressure, promote work-life balance and prevent burnout. However, it’s equally true that workplace exhaustion and stress can stem from feeling trapped in endless routines, lacking autonomy and remaining in your comfort zone. Studies from Finland and Turkey have shown that chronic boredom can lead to high levels of stress, anxiety and depression.

According to the British Heart Foundation, a staggering 55% of individuals adhere strictly to the same daily routine. Such unvarying routines can be mentally exhausting, leading to a sense of monotony and stagnation.

The “2% Mindset Theory” suggests that 98% of people operate within their comfort zones, held back by fear. While the comfort zone offers security and familiarity, it also hinders learning and development opportunities. By sticking to the known and shying away from new challenges, individuals forfeit the chance to acquire new skills, expand their knowledge and progress in their careers.

To address this, we must acknowledge a fundamental truth: personal growth starts from within. Without personal engagement and continuous evolution, how can we inspire our teams and drive innovation for our customers? It’s a cycle that begins with us.

What if you take a moment to reflect on your past week? How often have you heard or said “No!” or “But” in response to your own or others’ ideas? This is demotivation in action. Breaking free from this pattern is essential. Negative self-talk, excuses, and fear of failure hold us back.

Forbes recommends a method for staying receptive and venturing beyond your comfort zone: say “Yes” more often.⁷ This may sound exceptionally simple, but it requires a significant mindset shift from viewing every interaction as a decision-making and control exercise to viewing interactions as learning opportunities. Saying ‘Yes’ improves listening skills, spurs innovation and creativity, and will empower 100% of your teams.

¹ Global Culture Report | O.C.TANNER
² 7 Types of Customer Experience Projects | Gartner
³ Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children: Ferrari’s Formula One Handovers and Handovers from Surgery to Intensive Care | Sower, Victor E.; Duffy, Jo Ann; Kohers, Gerald
⁴ State of the Global Workplace | Gallup
⁵ The Power of Small Wins | Harvard Business Review
⁶ BHF reveal that the majority of Brits are tuck in their comfort zone and daily routines | British Heart Foundation
⁷ The Power Of Yes: Why The Yes Mindset Leads To Innovation And Creates Great Leaders | Forbes