March 16, 2024 • 23 mins
Dive into the fascinating journey of Emma Press, Vice President, Legal, Asia RLM, ANZ & Japan at Medtronic.
Emma has a lot to share about handling tough situations at work, managing her career and family life, and effectively setting boundaries.
She also shares her arsenal of interesting and effective decision-making tools; ensuring her every decision aligns with the Medtronic mindset of ‘Delivering Results…the Right Way’.
Emma is committed to promoting diversity and inclusion, especially by supporting and coaching young women in their careers. Apart from work, she enjoys sailing, journalism, and storytelling. Listen in as she discusses her vision for a fairer future where every voice is heard, valued, and celebrated.
In this episode, we cover-
00.07 – 01.37: About Emma Press
01.38 – 02.42: The Questionolgist
02.43 – 05.27: Delivering results...the right way!
05.28 – 08.33: Navigating sticky situations
08.34 – 10.22: Approaching decision-making responsibly
10.23 – 13.22: Elevating diversity & inclusivity
13.23 – 15.24: Take charge of your happiness
15.25 – 16.53: Importance of setting boundaries
16.54 – 20.08: Journalism, storytelling & Coaching
20.09 – 22.41: Oh, the Places You’ll Go!
22.42 – 23.06: Lessons learnt
Where to find our speaker and host
Emma Press: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emma-press-1a161430/
Masooma Pathre: https://www.linkedin.com/in/masooma-sandeep-76b5427/
The article mentioned by Emma:
The Making of a Corporate Athlete – by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz (Harvard Business Review)
Book Recommendations by Emma:
Oh, the Places You’ll Go! – by Dr. Suess
Time Wise: Productivity Secrets of the World's Most Successful People – by Amantha Imber
See the full transcript via link here
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:08):
Hello, and welcome to Medtronic Talks Asia.
I am Masooma, your host,
and today I have my second guest on the show,
Emma Press.
Emma is the Vice President for Legal for Asia RLM
ANZ, and Japan for Medtronic.
So, let’s welcome Emma Press.
Hi, Emma. Good to have you here.
Hi, Masooma. Thank you for the invitation.
Early morning in the Singapore office.
(00:30):
Thank you for joining us and I am really
glad to have this chat with you. Where we kind of
explore leadership styles and try to understand
a little more about our leaders in Asia RLM.
So, Emma,
you’re a Legal & Compliance leader in APAC
as well as, you’re a certified coach.
(00:50):
I know you a little bit more because I
resonate with your personality so much,
which is quite similar to mine,
but let’s listen a little bit more
about you for our listeners.
Of course, looking forward to this discussion.
So, tell us more about your background, and a
little bit of introduction about yourself.
Sure.
(01:10):
I am a wife and mother to 4
children aged between 22 and 14.
I love sports. I play tennis, golf, and skiing,
and recently I have gone back to
sailing on Sydney Harbour-
Wow.
on Tuesday nights,
which is great fun and a sport that
(01:32):
you’re focused on and can’t think about work while
you’re out there racing in the harbor.
My background is, that originally I wanted to be a
journalist, so I love stories and storytelling.
I love asking questions.
I consider myself a ‘questionologist’.
A friend’s father encouraged
(01:54):
me to consider studying law.
I did a lot of debating in school and a lot of
negotiations with my parents during my teenage
years. So, they saw the skills
I have potentially for law.
I went into private practice and I spent 15
years as a Litigator in large law firms
in Australia and London,
(02:16):
and then, I had the opportunity to
a corporate role with another
life science multinational company.
I was there for nearly 11 years, before
moving to Medtronic 6 years ago.
Wow, what a journey!
And you wanted to be a journalist.
Yeah.
And what a combination of storytelling and law.
(02:37):
The facts but maybe in a better style.
Yeah, relatable.
Thanks for sharing that with us.
I am going to come back to sailing a little
later into our podcast. As a Legal Counsel,
how are you and your team cultivating this mindset
of delivering the results the right way?
I think that’s so important,
(02:58):
particularly in the industry we operate in.
How are you making each one of your team
members accountable, and also,
the employees of Medtronic at large
accountable to operate at higher standards
of ethics? How are you doing that?
Yeah,
I think if we take the first part of that
mindset, delivering results, in my team
(03:21):
it means that we’re really having to be
focused on making sure we’re spending our
resources where it’s going to add value.
Making sure we’re aligning the work we are
doing with the business goals and objectives
and focusing on where there are really unacceptable risks.
So, we’re hoping to move the
(03:42):
boat faster in a sustainable way
and then on the ‘right way’ piece,
there are so many elements to that.
Part of it is making sure we’re strong business
partners and we’re delivering results the right way.
In that, we’re developing our understanding
of the business. That we’re solution-focused.
(04:05):
We’re strong collaborators. We build those
strong trustful relationships.
So, I see that as all of the partnering in
the right way. As well as, of course, we
have to be ethical role models.
You know, act with integrity all the time
because the business looks to
(04:26):
us to be the gold standard.
With our stakeholders,
with our business and functional colleagues,
I think it starts with building
those trustful relationships,
making sure we’re approachable, so that no one
feels concerned to come to us with questions or
issues that they can do that in a safe way.
(04:48):
It’s building the understanding and knowledge
within the business to empower them to make those
decisions the right way and really making them
think long-term around the decisions they are
making to ensure they are sustainable
for the long term.
And that we can continue to deliver results
over the long term in the right way.
(05:10):
Thank you very much for that.
I think,
while the Legal and
Compliance team does that,
I think, it’s so innate to each one
of us to have that integrity in us,
so thanks to your team to kind of keep reminding
us the right way of doing things.
I want to shift to something
(05:31):
more individual.
In our everyday work,
we sometimes come across a crossroad of maybe
what is right and what is wrong.
It’s a sticky situation.
I mean,
something which is way easy to do,
not the right thing to do.
How do you suggest that each one of
(05:53):
us can navigate a situation like this?
Yeah.
I think navigating sticky situations
should be on my business card.
But yes, I mean
we do come across those shaky situations, where
it is not black and white. And we have
to exercise good judgment.
I mean there’s a whole
lot of tools out there,
so people should think about what works for them.
(06:15):
But, there’s the newspaper test.
So,
imagine you go ahead with your decision and
it’s on the front of the newspapers next day,
how does that make you feel?
Can you live with that?
What are the implications of the people outside
the organization becoming aware?
There’s the friends and family test.
You explain the situation to your partner,
your children, your neighbour.
(06:37):
How do you think that would make them feel?
How would that make you feel?
Then, there’s the gut test.
Does this feel a bit wrong?
A bit uncomfortable?
And if you are then, the steps you can take.
And finally, there’s the sleep-on-it test.
So, just let it percolate for a day or two before
you make that decision. And of course,
(06:59):
we have our formal channels,
so you can reach out to your manager,
or your one-over manager
can reach out to anyone in the Legal
& Compliance team, HR.
And then we have our amazing, anonymous, voice
your concern line.
So, anyone can raise a concern anytime.
Very happy to do it with their name
(07:20):
if they feel comfortable. But if not,
it will be seriously considered
even if it’s anonymous. So, these are a few ideas.
Oh, that’s so amazing. I like the way you put it
the newspaper test – so true,
you know. And I think whatever you say
in your personal life
also.
Many times you really want to say something
(07:42):
but you better sleep over it.
And then you speak to your partner, or someone
in the family maybe the next day,
after you kind of, you know, sleep over the topic.
The gut, I think,
is something that comes very
naturally to many people.
Thanks for slicing that for us.
I personally like the newspaper one – coming
(08:03):
from Communications.
What is going to be the headline tomorrow
and is it going to be comfortable
for the organization?
There is one final tool that Medtronic has,
which is called navigating the gray.
And it’s a series of really good questions.
You can find it in our
Compass code of conduct. Oh, that’s nice.
So, I got that printed out in my office, just to
(08:25):
remind me of those questions I can ask
myself in order to make a decision.
I think that’s a good tool.
I will also go and check it out and
maybe have it on my desk at home.
So, Emma, I move to my next question now.
Many times,
as a leader, we need to make decisions.
Do a lot of problem-solving.
(08:45):
It is sometimes people-related,
stakeholder-related, customer-related,
or even simple processes within the organization.
How do you think a leader should approach problem-
solving and decision-making responsibly?
I think there’s no silver bullet.
There’s no one way.
It depends on the nature of the decision.
Certainly, analysis paralysis will
(09:08):
create more issues for us.
So, we need to be able to make decisions.
Sometimes,
they have big ramifications and big risks,
and in those situations,
I think we need to think about the right
decision framework. And there are many available.
You can download lots of tools about how to go
through the process of making a good decision,
(09:31):
gathering the facts that you need,
and thinking of all the what-ifs
I don’t take this action.
What are the resources and time required?
Then what I think is really important
is that we do good documentation.
If it’s a critical decision and is high risk,
then we need to make sure that we document
(09:51):
how we came to that decision.
Because we’re all humans, we’re all fallible,
mistakes can be made.
But if we have made them with reasonable analysis
and with good intent and we have documented that,
then that protects our employees
and protects Medtronic.
Thanks for that.
I think it takes me back to your
(10:12):
tool of navigating the gray.
I think that’s another thing a leader can
go back to and look at, as you also do,
to really kind of use that
tool to make a decision.
Moving on, you know, every year
Medtronic has this Global Inclusion,
Diversity, and Equity (GIDE) award.
And I know personally that you were a
(10:33):
recipient of the FY22 GIDE award.
Congratulations on that.
Thank you very much for strongly driving
the D&I agenda within Medtronic.
How do you advocate the whole agenda
of D&I within your team?
I think it’s part of everything I do.
The way I operate,
(10:54):
I am passionate about building a strong culture,
one in which our employees feel comfortable
to be their true selves.
We spend a lot of time at work,
so let’s make sure it’s an environment where
we can have fun and enjoy what we are doing
and we feel we can do our best possible work.
(11:14):
I think we’re blessed to be working in a multinational
company which allows us to work across cultures.
So, making sure we elevate those diverse teams
we have in a global company and make them
feel very included so that we get the
benefit of that diverse team.
(11:34):
I think these are the three cornerstones in I, D&E.
We have to focus on a growth mindset,
so we need our employees to be open-minded.
And to be curious to try new things,
and not be afraid to fail.
Because that’s the way we learn.
If you think about a toddler,
they don’t go from crawling to
walking without falling over.
So, the same applies when we’re trying new things
(11:56):
and we are out of our comfort zone.
The second element is inclusivity.
Making sure everyone’s voice can be heard,
being very thoughtful about how
you operate with your team
and the final element is psychological safety.
To reach that high-performing team, where everyone can
(12:16):
be candid about their views, their concerns,
their ideas. To me,
this is important because one, part of
my role is to build an ethical culture
and so I want everyone to feel they
can speak up about their concerns early.
So, we need those elements
to optimize that.
The second is one of Medtronic’s key strategies,
(12:38):
to build growth through innovation.
So, we need our employees from every level
to be sharing ideas, to be iterating,
to be making mistakes, and improving things.
So, I think that’s all part of
that ecosystem of I, D&E.
Thank you
very much for that.
You actually touched upon a really important
three cornerstones, which I actually built
(13:01):
the environment for a team.
And also brings a lot of success to the team.
Because, if you’re talking
about diversity of thoughts,
being inclusive to those ideas, you leading
a pretty much culturally diverse team,
I think that becomes so much more important to
really have that kind of cohesiveness
(13:22):
within the team.
You are actually playing a lot of
roles per se, you know, like you have a big team,
sponsoring young talents,
and you’re also supporting the D&I agenda,
also driving the D&I agenda.
Busy with the kind of stuff
that we do at Medtronic.
What is your advice to people who would like to
(13:43):
pursue their passion outside of what
they are doing as a regular work?
Yeah,
I think, thinking about what makes you feel
fulfilled in life and what brings you happiness,
in that may change over time,
so being really self-aware about that. And then
setting up your own personal operating mechanisms
(14:05):
and boundaries you need, in order to
make that happiness goal is important.
Like,
We all have to be the masters of our own destiny,
no one’s going to step in and do that for you.
So, I think, spending time self-reflecting, knowing where
you are in your life, and what you need to
(14:25):
feel fulfilled is important. And self-care is critical.
So, it’s really important that we all understand
what helps us to rest and renew
and for some that might be running a marathon,
for others that might be doing Yoga or pottery,
you know, we are all very different, which is wonderful.
But we need to connect with what we need for self-care
(14:46):
and then make sure that you build that
into your day, your week, your year.
Because, actually,
rest and renewal allow us to
be high-performing at work.
I had a bit of an a-ha! moment when I read a
really old article from the Harvard Business Review,
called The Corporate Athlete.
(15:09):
And it was really showing the science that you
can’t really just work long hours and work
harder and achieve better results.
You actually do need to give your body and mind
that rest and renewal in order
to be a high performer.
That’s so true
and I think something that really
really puts so much of an onus on you,
(15:33):
I wonder where you get the time for sailing.
Oh, I did put those boundaries in place,
so you know, Tuesday afternoons and evenings are my time
but I am happy to do a late call another night.
Of course, I have a bit of flexibility,
if it’s a critical thing then I make other arrangements.
My kids are older now.
(15:54):
I couldn’t have done this job when they were
little because what made me happy at that time was
to be around to tuck them in and read them a story.
Your career isn’t linear, it changes.
Right now, I am feeling passionate
about what I am doing at work.
Perhaps my balance looks different
than it did when my kids were toddlers.
(16:14):
No, but it is amazing,
what you rightly mentioned,
you know, going back to relaxing,
renewing, it’s so essential,
and many times, I think we just forget that and
then we keep it for the end of the year
for the last two weeks of the year
after working for almost 300-plus days
(16:37):
and then we believe that our body can
really manage those 300 days and the next 50 days
are going to be magical to renew us for the
next 300 days. But as you rightly mentioned,
it’s very essential to have those breaks in
between and do what you love to do.
So that brings me to this question, you
actually wanted to be a journalist –
do you plan to explore that
(16:59):
at some point in time?
I don’t know, I mean, on my wishlist
is writing a book or you know poetry or changing
careers isn’t on there
but I do like the opportunity to
post on Yammer from time to time.
So, I do write articles from
(17:19):
time to time on Yammer.
I try to get that creative storytelling out
through the way I train, and the messages that I send.
In the past,
I have done Compliance training through
film festival themes or {inaudible} tours.
I think there’s a way to use creativity
(17:42):
even in Legal & Compliance.
No,
I remember, in one of your presentations where you used
Formula 1 in Singapore to really talk
to people about ethics and compliance.
And
I think storytelling into something which can be so,
I don’t want to call it dry,
and I don't want to be,
but then we all know the
(18:03):
legal aspect can be very–
Yes, we have a brand issue.
Okay.
I was trying to find the word but thanks for that.
I think with true storytelling,
there are some unique ways to
get the message across.
I think in these current times, where everybody
is looking for that emotional connection,
their personal story,
I think that really works so well.
(18:25):
You also touched upon something you do,
I think coaching.
You are a certified coach. How did you go
about that? I would like to know more.
How are you kind of utilizing that now?
I have always done a lot of mentoring
throughout my career.
Very passionate about developing our junior
(18:48):
female talent in the organization.
I got the opportunity to join one
of Medtronic’s signature programs,
which is the Coaching Certification Course–Oh, yes.
that Medtronic runs. It’s an amazing course
and I was fortunate to do it
just before Covid hit.
We did it face-to-face with a cohort of
(19:08):
about 24 like-minded employees from Medtronic, who
came from all different functions
and businesses around the world.
It’s a six months program
and you have to coach for 50 hours.
You go through an exam to get qualified
(19:28):
and then having done that course,
we give back to Medtronic by coaching some of our
high-potential talent for at least 2 years.
I have gone through my 2 years and
I find it a really rewarding thing to do,
so I continue to coach
and I am now coaching in our Barrier Breakers
I, D&E Leadership course for Vice President.
(19:52):
Oh, wow.
That’s a pretty fun group to work with.
Yes, yes. And sometimes, you could feel
that group could be so uptight
but it’s so amazing to see–
Nope. They’re all life-learners.
All open and curious. Wanting to
do better.
Good. I mean
you did touch upon,
you know, maybe you’ll write a book sometime.
(20:13):
But now, I have a question,
is there any book or podcast –
I know you listen to a lot of podcasts –
a book or podcast that has inspired you
and you keep going back to the podcast or the book
from time to time and is there anything like that?
Well, I was trying to be an overachiever,
so I will share two books.
No worries.
My podcasts at the moment are mainly on compliance
(20:35):
topics.
So, the first book that has always resonated with
me is, Oh the Place You’ll Go! by
Dr. Suess. It’s the story about the journey of life
and it’s all about the adventure and getting stuck
in the waiting space, where you’re procrastinating.
(20:59):
Trying to make decisions, it’s not easy.
I think that really resonates
with how I approach life.
The journey is the joy
and some of that is difficult.
It’s not about, of course,
we need to have goals and work towards something.
But actually, it’s the journey that’s wonderful
and we need to embrace that with an open
(21:22):
mind about things that we may come across.
They may be challenges or opportunities,
so I love that book, and it’s quite fun.
Okay. So, it’s a children’s book by Dr. Suess.
The other book is very practical
and connects to our talk on boundaries
is called Time Wise,
(21:43):
and it’s a book of tips from leading CEOs about
how they make the most of their day.
Very practical tips, like putting a rubber band
around your phone, just to make you more self-aware
about every time you touch it.
Or create a to-don’t list.
Prepare yourself for when you get requested.
(22:04):
You decided you are going to add value,
so you’ve already got the response, and you’re not
put on a spot. Some great tips in that book.
Oh, great. Thank you very much.
I am really going to look for these books.
Add them to my list of readings.
Thank you very much, Emma,
for really sharing your thoughts today with us.
(22:25):
Covering various aspects
and I think the tips that you spoke about are
not just something that can help
us in our professional life
but I really resonate with them from
a personal perspective also.
So, really glad to have you here today with us.
With that,
we come to the end of our second
episode of MedtronicTalks Asia.
It was amazing to hear Emma’s views on doing
(22:48):
things the right way. And also, as a leader,
how she tries to balance it out between
her passion and her daily work.
With that,
I am really looking forward to bringing
you the next episode.
Hello, and welcome to Medtronic Talks Asia.
I am Masooma, your host,
and today I have my second guest on the show,
Emma Press.
Emma is the Vice President for Legal for Asia RLM
ANZ, and Japan for Medtronic.
So, let’s welcome Emma Press.
Hi, Emma. Good to have you here.
Hi, Masooma. Thank you for the invitation.
Early morning in the Singapore office.
(00:30):
Thank you for joining us and I am really
glad to have this chat with you. Where we kind of
explore leadership styles and try to understand
a little more about our leaders in Asia RLM.
So, Emma,
you’re a Legal & Compliance leader in APAC
as well as, you’re a certified coach.
(00:50):
I know you a little bit more because I
resonate with your personality so much,
which is quite similar to mine,
but let’s listen a little bit more
about you for our listeners.
Of course, looking forward to this discussion.
So, tell us more about your background, and a
little bit of introduction about yourself.
Sure.
(01:10):
I am a wife and mother to 4
children aged between 22 and 14.
I love sports. I play tennis, golf, and skiing,
and recently I have gone back to
sailing on Sydney Harbour-
Wow.
on Tuesday nights,
which is great fun and a sport that
(01:32):
you’re focused on and can’t think about work while
you’re out there racing in the harbor.
My background is, that originally I wanted to be a
journalist, so I love stories and storytelling.
I love asking questions.
I consider myself a ‘questionologist’.
A friend’s father encouraged
(01:54):
me to consider studying law.
I did a lot of debating in school and a lot of
negotiations with my parents during my teenage
years. So, they saw the skills
I have potentially for law.
I went into private practice and I spent 15
years as a Litigator in large law firms
in Australia and London,
(02:16):
and then, I had the opportunity to
a corporate role with another
life science multinational company.
I was there for nearly 11 years, before
moving to Medtronic 6 years ago.
Wow, what a journey!
And you wanted to be a journalist.
Yeah.
And what a combination of storytelling and law.
(02:37):
The facts but maybe in a better style.
Yeah, relatable.
Thanks for sharing that with us.
I am going to come back to sailing a little
later into our podcast. As a Legal Counsel,
how are you and your team cultivating this mindset
of delivering the results the right way?
I think that’s so important,
(02:58):
particularly in the industry we operate in.
How are you making each one of your team
members accountable, and also,
the employees of Medtronic at large
accountable to operate at higher standards
of ethics? How are you doing that?
Yeah,
I think if we take the first part of that
mindset, delivering results, in my team
(03:21):
it means that we’re really having to be
focused on making sure we’re spending our
resources where it’s going to add value.
Making sure we’re aligning the work we are
doing with the business goals and objectives
and focusing on where there are really unacceptable risks.
So, we’re hoping to move the
(03:42):
boat faster in a sustainable way
and then on the ‘right way’ piece,
there are so many elements to that.
Part of it is making sure we’re strong business
partners and we’re delivering results the right way.
In that, we’re developing our understanding
of the business. That we’re solution-focused.
(04:05):
We’re strong collaborators. We build those
strong trustful relationships.
So, I see that as all of the partnering in
the right way. As well as, of course, we
have to be ethical role models.
You know, act with integrity all the time
because the business looks to
(04:26):
us to be the gold standard.
With our stakeholders,
with our business and functional colleagues,
I think it starts with building
those trustful relationships,
making sure we’re approachable, so that no one
feels concerned to come to us with questions or
issues that they can do that in a safe way.
(04:48):
It’s building the understanding and knowledge
within the business to empower them to make those
decisions the right way and really making them
think long-term around the decisions they are
making to ensure they are sustainable
for the long term.
And that we can continue to deliver results
over the long term in the right way.
(05:10):
Thank you very much for that.
I think,
while the Legal and
Compliance team does that,
I think, it’s so innate to each one
of us to have that integrity in us,
so thanks to your team to kind of keep reminding
us the right way of doing things.
I want to shift to something
(05:31):
more individual.
In our everyday work,
we sometimes come across a crossroad of maybe
what is right and what is wrong.
It’s a sticky situation.
I mean,
something which is way easy to do,
not the right thing to do.
How do you suggest that each one of
(05:53):
us can navigate a situation like this?
Yeah.
I think navigating sticky situations
should be on my business card.
But yes, I mean
we do come across those shaky situations, where
it is not black and white. And we have
to exercise good judgment.
I mean there’s a whole
lot of tools out there,
so people should think about what works for them.
(06:15):
But, there’s the newspaper test.
So,
imagine you go ahead with your decision and
it’s on the front of the newspapers next day,
how does that make you feel?
Can you live with that?
What are the implications of the people outside
the organization becoming aware?
There’s the friends and family test.
You explain the situation to your partner,
your children, your neighbour.
(06:37):
How do you think that would make them feel?
How would that make you feel?
Then, there’s the gut test.
Does this feel a bit wrong?
A bit uncomfortable?
And if you are then, the steps you can take.
And finally, there’s the sleep-on-it test.
So, just let it percolate for a day or two before
you make that decision. And of course,
(06:59):
we have our formal channels,
so you can reach out to your manager,
or your one-over manager
can reach out to anyone in the Legal
& Compliance team, HR.
And then we have our amazing, anonymous, voice
your concern line.
So, anyone can raise a concern anytime.
Very happy to do it with their name
(07:20):
if they feel comfortable. But if not,
it will be seriously considered
even if it’s anonymous. So, these are a few ideas.
Oh, that’s so amazing. I like the way you put it
the newspaper test – so true,
you know. And I think whatever you say
in your personal life
also.
Many times you really want to say something
(07:42):
but you better sleep over it.
And then you speak to your partner, or someone
in the family maybe the next day,
after you kind of, you know, sleep over the topic.
The gut, I think,
is something that comes very
naturally to many people.
Thanks for slicing that for us.
I personally like the newspaper one – coming
(08:03):
from Communications.
What is going to be the headline tomorrow
and is it going to be comfortable
for the organization?
There is one final tool that Medtronic has,
which is called navigating the gray.
And it’s a series of really good questions.
You can find it in our
Compass code of conduct. Oh, that’s nice.
So, I got that printed out in my office, just to
(08:25):
remind me of those questions I can ask
myself in order to make a decision.
I think that’s a good tool.
I will also go and check it out and
maybe have it on my desk at home.
So, Emma, I move to my next question now.
Many times,
as a leader, we need to make decisions.
Do a lot of problem-solving.
(08:45):
It is sometimes people-related,
stakeholder-related, customer-related,
or even simple processes within the organization.
How do you think a leader should approach problem-
solving and decision-making responsibly?
I think there’s no silver bullet.
There’s no one way.
It depends on the nature of the decision.
Certainly, analysis paralysis will
(09:08):
create more issues for us.
So, we need to be able to make decisions.
Sometimes,
they have big ramifications and big risks,
and in those situations,
I think we need to think about the right
decision framework. And there are many available.
You can download lots of tools about how to go
through the process of making a good decision,
(09:31):
gathering the facts that you need,
and thinking of all the what-ifs
I don’t take this action.
What are the resources and time required?
Then what I think is really important
is that we do good documentation.
If it’s a critical decision and is high risk,
then we need to make sure that we document
(09:51):
how we came to that decision.
Because we’re all humans, we’re all fallible,
mistakes can be made.
But if we have made them with reasonable analysis
and with good intent and we have documented that,
then that protects our employees
and protects Medtronic.
Thanks for that.
I think it takes me back to your
(10:12):
tool of navigating the gray.
I think that’s another thing a leader can
go back to and look at, as you also do,
to really kind of use that
tool to make a decision.
Moving on, you know, every year
Medtronic has this Global Inclusion,
Diversity, and Equity (GIDE) award.
And I know personally that you were a
(10:33):
recipient of the FY22 GIDE award.
Congratulations on that.
Thank you very much for strongly driving
the D&I agenda within Medtronic.
How do you advocate the whole agenda
of D&I within your team?
I think it’s part of everything I do.
The way I operate,
(10:54):
I am passionate about building a strong culture,
one in which our employees feel comfortable
to be their true selves.
We spend a lot of time at work,
so let’s make sure it’s an environment where
we can have fun and enjoy what we are doing
and we feel we can do our best possible work.
(11:14):
I think we’re blessed to be working in a multinational
company which allows us to work across cultures.
So, making sure we elevate those diverse teams
we have in a global company and make them
feel very included so that we get the
benefit of that diverse team.
(11:34):
I think these are the three cornerstones in I, D&E.
We have to focus on a growth mindset,
so we need our employees to be open-minded.
And to be curious to try new things,
and not be afraid to fail.
Because that’s the way we learn.
If you think about a toddler,
they don’t go from crawling to
walking without falling over.
So, the same applies when we’re trying new things
(11:56):
and we are out of our comfort zone.
The second element is inclusivity.
Making sure everyone’s voice can be heard,
being very thoughtful about how
you operate with your team
and the final element is psychological safety.
To reach that high-performing team, where everyone can
(12:16):
be candid about their views, their concerns,
their ideas. To me,
this is important because one, part of
my role is to build an ethical culture
and so I want everyone to feel they
can speak up about their concerns early.
So, we need those elements
to optimize that.
The second is one of Medtronic’s key strategies,
(12:38):
to build growth through innovation.
So, we need our employees from every level
to be sharing ideas, to be iterating,
to be making mistakes, and improving things.
So, I think that’s all part of
that ecosystem of I, D&E.
Thank you
very much for that.
You actually touched upon a really important
three cornerstones, which I actually built
(13:01):
the environment for a team.
And also brings a lot of success to the team.
Because, if you’re talking
about diversity of thoughts,
being inclusive to those ideas, you leading
a pretty much culturally diverse team,
I think that becomes so much more important to
really have that kind of cohesiveness
(13:22):
within the team.
You are actually playing a lot of
roles per se, you know, like you have a big team,
sponsoring young talents,
and you’re also supporting the D&I agenda,
also driving the D&I agenda.
Busy with the kind of stuff
that we do at Medtronic.
What is your advice to people who would like to
(13:43):
pursue their passion outside of what
they are doing as a regular work?
Yeah,
I think, thinking about what makes you feel
fulfilled in life and what brings you happiness,
in that may change over time,
so being really self-aware about that. And then
setting up your own personal operating mechanisms
(14:05):
and boundaries you need, in order to
make that happiness goal is important.
Like,
We all have to be the masters of our own destiny,
no one’s going to step in and do that for you.
So, I think, spending time self-reflecting, knowing where
you are in your life, and what you need to
(14:25):
feel fulfilled is important. And self-care is critical.
So, it’s really important that we all understand
what helps us to rest and renew
and for some that might be running a marathon,
for others that might be doing Yoga or pottery,
you know, we are all very different, which is wonderful.
But we need to connect with what we need for self-care
(14:46):
and then make sure that you build that
into your day, your week, your year.
Because, actually,
rest and renewal allow us to
be high-performing at work.
I had a bit of an a-ha! moment when I read a
really old article from the Harvard Business Review,
called The Corporate Athlete.
(15:09):
And it was really showing the science that you
can’t really just work long hours and work
harder and achieve better results.
You actually do need to give your body and mind
that rest and renewal in order
to be a high performer.
That’s so true
and I think something that really
really puts so much of an onus on you,
(15:33):
I wonder where you get the time for sailing.
Oh, I did put those boundaries in place,
so you know, Tuesday afternoons and evenings are my time
but I am happy to do a late call another night.
Of course, I have a bit of flexibility,
if it’s a critical thing then I make other arrangements.
My kids are older now.
(15:54):
I couldn’t have done this job when they were
little because what made me happy at that time was
to be around to tuck them in and read them a story.
Your career isn’t linear, it changes.
Right now, I am feeling passionate
about what I am doing at work.
Perhaps my balance looks different
than it did when my kids were toddlers.
(16:14):
No, but it is amazing,
what you rightly mentioned,
you know, going back to relaxing,
renewing, it’s so essential,
and many times, I think we just forget that and
then we keep it for the end of the year
for the last two weeks of the year
after working for almost 300-plus days
(16:37):
and then we believe that our body can
really manage those 300 days and the next 50 days
are going to be magical to renew us for the
next 300 days. But as you rightly mentioned,
it’s very essential to have those breaks in
between and do what you love to do.
So that brings me to this question, you
actually wanted to be a journalist –
do you plan to explore that
(16:59):
at some point in time?
I don’t know, I mean, on my wishlist
is writing a book or you know poetry or changing
careers isn’t on there
but I do like the opportunity to
post on Yammer from time to time.
So, I do write articles from
(17:19):
time to time on Yammer.
I try to get that creative storytelling out
through the way I train, and the messages that I send.
In the past,
I have done Compliance training through
film festival themes or {inaudible} tours.
I think there’s a way to use creativity
(17:42):
even in Legal & Compliance.
No,
I remember, in one of your presentations where you used
Formula 1 in Singapore to really talk
to people about ethics and compliance.
And
I think storytelling into something which can be so,
I don’t want to call it dry,
and I don't want to be,
but then we all know the
(18:03):
legal aspect can be very–
Yes, we have a brand issue.
Okay.
I was trying to find the word but thanks for that.
I think with true storytelling,
there are some unique ways to
get the message across.
I think in these current times, where everybody
is looking for that emotional connection,
their personal story,
I think that really works so well.
(18:25):
You also touched upon something you do,
I think coaching.
You are a certified coach. How did you go
about that? I would like to know more.
How are you kind of utilizing that now?
I have always done a lot of mentoring
throughout my career.
Very passionate about developing our junior
(18:48):
female talent in the organization.
I got the opportunity to join one
of Medtronic’s signature programs,
which is the Coaching Certification Course–Oh, yes.
that Medtronic runs. It’s an amazing course
and I was fortunate to do it
just before Covid hit.
We did it face-to-face with a cohort of
(19:08):
about 24 like-minded employees from Medtronic, who
came from all different functions
and businesses around the world.
It’s a six months program
and you have to coach for 50 hours.
You go through an exam to get qualified
(19:28):
and then having done that course,
we give back to Medtronic by coaching some of our
high-potential talent for at least 2 years.
I have gone through my 2 years and
I find it a really rewarding thing to do,
so I continue to coach
and I am now coaching in our Barrier Breakers
I, D&E Leadership course for Vice President.
(19:52):
Oh, wow.
That’s a pretty fun group to work with.
Yes, yes. And sometimes, you could feel
that group could be so uptight
but it’s so amazing to see–
Nope. They’re all life-learners.
All open and curious. Wanting to
do better.
Good. I mean
you did touch upon,
you know, maybe you’ll write a book sometime.
(20:13):
But now, I have a question,
is there any book or podcast –
I know you listen to a lot of podcasts –
a book or podcast that has inspired you
and you keep going back to the podcast or the book
from time to time and is there anything like that?
Well, I was trying to be an overachiever,
so I will share two books.
No worries.
My podcasts at the moment are mainly on compliance
(20:35):
topics.
So, the first book that has always resonated with
me is, Oh the Place You’ll Go! by
Dr. Suess. It’s the story about the journey of life
and it’s all about the adventure and getting stuck
in the waiting space, where you’re procrastinating.
(20:59):
Trying to make decisions, it’s not easy.
I think that really resonates
with how I approach life.
The journey is the joy
and some of that is difficult.
It’s not about, of course,
we need to have goals and work towards something.
But actually, it’s the journey that’s wonderful
and we need to embrace that with an open
(21:22):
mind about things that we may come across.
They may be challenges or opportunities,
so I love that book, and it’s quite fun.
Okay. So, it’s a children’s book by Dr. Suess.
The other book is very practical
and connects to our talk on boundaries
is called Time Wise,
(21:43):
and it’s a book of tips from leading CEOs about
how they make the most of their day.
Very practical tips, like putting a rubber band
around your phone, just to make you more self-aware
about every time you touch it.
Or create a to-don’t list.
Prepare yourself for when you get requested.
(22:04):
You decided you are going to add value,
so you’ve already got the response, and you’re not
put on a spot. Some great tips in that book.
Oh, great. Thank you very much.
I am really going to look for these books.
Add them to my list of readings.
Thank you very much, Emma,
for really sharing your thoughts today with us.
(22:25):
Covering various aspects
and I think the tips that you spoke about are
not just something that can help
us in our professional life
but I really resonate with them from
a personal perspective also.
So, really glad to have you here today with us.
With that,
we come to the end of our second
episode of MedtronicTalks Asia.
It was amazing to hear Emma’s views on doing
(22:48):
things the right way. And also, as a leader,
how she tries to balance it out between
her passion and her daily work.
With that,
I am really looking forward to bringing
you the next episode.
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