This article is part of a blog series celebrating International Women’s Day and highlighting the incredible female members of our executive leadership team. Within it, they share insights about their own careers and what it means to them to make an impact in their positions. We could not be more grateful for their dedication and passion for making Wellbox even better.
Cole has over 15 years of experience in developing, implementing, and measuring programs that support strategic corporate initiatives and more than 10 years of leadership in marketing communications. She is responsible for developing the strategies and leading the teams focused on brand engagement, patient engagement, and practice engagement. Prior to joining Wellbox, she led the marketing arm of a Philadelphia-based marketing communications firm called Zer0 to 5ive. While at Zer0 to 5ive, Cole worked with technology companies nationwide to create their brands, develop their go-to-market strategies, and launch new products into the marketplace.
The first few months of the pandemic were rocky, to say the least! I think one of the things that are most important in life is setting firm boundaries and maintaining consistency around those boundaries.
Since first having children, I have dedicated two hours every evening to family time. We eat dinner and do bedtime together during that time. Then, if there is more work to do, I can get back to it once my kids are asleep. It is a two-hour window that cannot be touched, and I think that’s important to maintaining balance in a society where we are always available and always “online.”
Early in my career, I had the fortune to work closely with a female sales executive at a business consulting firm. Largely a male-dominated company and field, we were two of a handful of women in the entire company.
One of the most valuable lessons she taught me was how much more you can accomplish when you work as a team. I have seen across many different companies that departments can often work as silos towards their own goals, which means they do not step back to look at the big picture or think through how their decisions negatively impact other’s goals.
Cross-departmental collaboration, where we all work together to meet all our goals, can be more challenging but in terms of outcomes, it is always worth the effort.
Over the course of my career, I have had amazing and inspirational leaders of both genders. I have also seen examples of what I do not want to be as a leader from both genders.
From my perspective, it is less about the differences between how men and women lead and more about the emotional intelligence and leadership style of that particular person.
For me, it is managing the inflection points between growth. This can happen when I realize I am ready for the next step of my career or that I need a new challenge to maintain my trajectory and growth but the company I am at is either not able to support it or not the place I need to be to achieve my goal.
Making the decision to leave a company you enjoy can be very difficult, but it is sometimes the only way to achieve your own goals. This happened to me once and I found it very challenging to recognize it and make the “right decision” for myself. Sometimes you have to take risks and hope for the best!
In everything you do, always do your best. Be confident in your contributions; do not sell yourself short. Being a parent makes you a STRONGER person and a better leader. Always leverage what you have learned to expand into new areas. Know where you want your career to go and make a plan to get there!
When we celebrated Wellbox’s five-year anniversary, we reached out to our incredible leadership team to share our history and the progress we’ve made. Read their responses here.
We are truly lucky to have such an amazing leader like Cole on our team. Her tireless commitment and passion for Wellbox truly make all the difference, and we would not be where we are today without her. Thank you for everything you do, Cole!
Share to© 2024 Wellbox Inc. All rights reserved | Privacy | Terms of Use
