Adding members to a team is always a process requiring care and attention, but new leadership hires have especially big stakes. Onboarding for a leader isn’t only about making sure the new employee is aware of policies and understands practices; it also includes trust-building and finding ways forward for the organization as a whole.
Recently, a McKinsey study backed up this difference in leadership onboarding. The stakes are high; nine out of ten teams whose leadership transition went smoothly had a much higher likelihood of meeting their three-year performance goals than teams whose leadership transitions were unsuccessful.
Don Lane, new vice president of global brand marketing at Workhuman, understands the stakes, and is determined to find his place in the new role through building trust.
“My first order of business is to shut my mouth and listen to my new colleagues, who are exceptional at what they do and have incredible passion for Workhuman’s mission of spreading the importance of recognition in the workplace,” he said.
Joining a new team also comes with excitement and brand new possibilities. John Carey, recently named managing director of North America at SOPHiA GENETICS, has lots of energy for his new position.
“What makes my role thrilling is that the company continues to push boundaries, bringing truly innovative products to market,” he said.
These companies just made big hires, and the new leaders are making the most of the transition period.
SOPHiA GENETICS is a healthcare technology company dedicated to the practice of data-driven medicine as the standard of care and for life sciences research.
Tell us a little bit about yourself.
I joined SOPHiA GENETICS at the beginning of 2024 as their managing director for North America. For the previous 15 years, I served in various sales roles in the diagnostics industry for some of the biggest names in the space, most recently leading the US sales efforts of a specialty diagnostics company.
What was so fascinating to me about SOPHiA GENETICS was the novel way the company was built around democratizing and simplifying the complex data inherent in most diagnostic results. This is especially powerful as it pertains to next-generation sequencing (NGS), an ever-growing testing specialty primarily serving oncology and rare diseases.
This space is rapidly growing, and SOPHiA GENETICS is in a unique position to serve healthcare systems with their multitude of solutions. Once I got to know the company and the team here a bit more, I quickly realized SOPHiA GENETICS would be a major player in the NGS space, taking an active role in how the future is written for both cancer diagnostics and therapies.
Cancer touches so many of our loved ones, mine included. I simply had to join the movement that SOPHiA GENETICS is leading!
Beyond onboarding and getting up to speed on the internal workings of your new team, what's your first order of business in your new role?
While impressive progress has been made, our market presence in North America is still in its relatively early stages. Many healthcare systems have either not heard much about SOPHiA GENETICS or have not yet signed on to partner with us on our vision for the future.
In joining SOPHiA GENETICS, my primary focus is expanding our presence in North American health systems, growing the sales team and ensuring every NGS lab knows who we are. Everyone here at SOPHiA GENETICS has an incredible passion for what we do and takes a truly collaborative approach to all our mission-driven initiatives.
What makes my role thrilling is that the company continues to push boundaries, bringing truly innovative products to market. Our longer-term driver to move to a fully integrated multimodal data platform is pinned with short-term development.
"What makes my role thrilling is that the company continues to push boundaries, bringing truly innovative products to market.”
This includes launching our MSK-Access Liquid Biopsy product, a true testament to the company’s creative thinking in furthering the field of precision medicine. We worked with one of the top cancer centers in the world, Memorial Sloan Kettering, to create a way to bring their world-class cancer testing system to organizations all around the globe.
Workhuman is a SaaS HR solutions company helping companies meet today’s biggest human capital challenges.
Tell us a little bit about yourself.
I joined Workhuman as vice president of global brand marketing. I began my career at the global advertising agency Arnold Worldwide in Boston, leading accounts for some of the world’s most iconic brands, including Volkswagen, ESPN, Volvo and Titleist.
After Arnold, I shifted to the brand side, including stints as senior vice president of brand and creative for DraftKings, chief marketing officer of Saucony, vice president of the Truly Brand for Boston Beer Company and head of brand marketing and strategy for Chewy.
My background includes oversight of global, full-funnel marketing campaigns that combine brand and retail (including e-commerce) activities powered by world-class creative. I was recruited by Workhuman to lead the brand, creative, digital/web, content, and paid media teams.
I was brought in to refine our brand strategy and up-level how we communicate who we are across every channel and in markets across the globe as we continue on our mission to make work more human.
Beyond onboarding and getting up to speed on the internal workings of your new team, what's your first order of business in your new role?
My first order of business is to shut my mouth and listen to my new colleagues, who are exceptional at what they do and have incredible passion for Workhuman’s mission of spreading the importance of recognition in the workplace.
I have a lot to learn and want to be most informed before shaping our strategy and go-to-market communications. Now that I am earning the trust of my team and cross-functional partners, I’m leading the development of a refined brand strategy that will distinguish Workhuman and make it a household name.
"Now that I am earning the trust of my team and cross-functional partners, I’m leading the development of a refined brand strategy that will distinguish Workhuman and make it a household name.”
Once our strategy is finalized, we will create a global brand narrative that will cascade across paid media, organic content, Workhuman.com and our cornerstone events, including Workhuman Live, Spotlight and Forum.
I’m also excited to help Workhuman harness the enormous potential of AI to supplement the human moments and creativity that will always be at the core of what we do.
