Nicolas:
In HR, okay, of course. So obviously the road to becoming a CHRO of Edwards Lifesciences now is usually not a straight path. Sometimes it takes turns and things like that and so tell us a little bit about the one or two experiences and or people who might've shaped you and were influential in your career through the years.
Ryan:
Absolutely, well let me preface this by saying today I am not the CHRO of Edwards Lifesciences my boss is.
Nicolas:
Okay.
Ryan:
But we will be spinning out a billion-dollar portfolio that will be a new publicly traded organization in the critical care monitoring space. So predictive analytics, hemodynamic monitoring, things that allow when patients come into the hospital or the alternate care setting, we are making sure that they're being monitored so tragic scenarios don't happen that we can't see. So that's being built all this year in preparation for my taking over as CHRO of this new billion-dollar organization.
Nicolas:
So that's a big challenge but yeah, just going back to again, a critical moment or an experience and or a person or two who might've shaped you and helped you be where you're now.
Ryan:
Yeah, so the first person that I would outline is a lady named Kristen Mulholland, and she is a senior executive in HR with Johnson & Johnson. She's probably one of the top leaders I've ever worked for or on behalf of and why that is, not only is she just a fantastic lady, but I recall very vividly coming into Johnson & Johnson and not being very astute on how you collaborate, being open to feedback. I thought I knew it all.
And I was the same way as a people leader. I was an absolute train wreck as a people leader early on in my career, but I got cross with her one time and instead of casting me aside or exiting me from the company, she took me under her wing and she said, "Look, I'm going to work very closely with you to make sure that what just happened doesn't happen again." And it was that moment that she did exactly that and she lived into her word and it set me on a very different trajectory, Nicolas one that I'll forever be indebted to her. And I've told her this many a times, but she is a leader unlike many that I've had the opportunity to work for. So that's one person that has certainly shaped me.
She and a number of people within Johnson & Johnson, just a fabulous organization, really helped me to think about what I wanted to do long-term and more importantly, how I wanted to do it. And then the other person that I would call out right now is Christine McCauley, who is my current Edwards CHRO and why? Because she just has given me opportunities. She's challenged me to think in different ways. She was the one that came to me with this new opportunity and said, "Look, Ryan, this is next for you and this is what's really going to shape you for the next phase of your career. You need to do this, you need to think critically about this and I did, and that's when I accepted the job.
Nicolas:
So that is really exciting, and how are you preparing yourself for that next role?
Ryan:
So right now we're just in building mode. How I'm preparing myself as I'm trying to talk to as many people as I can. Steve is one of them, and just based on what he does, the coaching that he gives me, he was one of the people that interviewed me, and then he and I quickly created a relationship and now I'm not afraid to go to him-
Nicolas:
So from all these conversations you've been having with people, and also if we were to ask people who work with you, what would they say your superpowers are?
Ryan:
My ability to lead people in a servant way, waking up every day, getting out of bed, and recognizing that above all the things that I'm responsible for, the number one accountability that I have is leading my team, being there for them, developing them, leading from the back, putting them out front. And I, not only do I enjoy doing that thoroughly, it's just so interesting when you have such a different mindset of, boy, I want to achieve, I want the credit, I want to be the person that's recognized and then changing that mindset to no longer really wanting that but wanting that for your people and recognizing that what I get by way of their success is very, very fulfilling.
Nicolas:
And that is the ultimate, you mentioned servant leadership, right? It is the ultimate satisfaction that we get from us being leaders, right? It is to see your team thrive and people that you're mentoring thrive and grow and then have better opportunities and promotions and things like that.
Ryan:
There's no question about it and I also think about it in the context of the businesses that I support and the leaders that we're trying to groom there and just think about if you have ever in your career Nicolas reported to somebody that was not a strong leader. Now all of a sudden for you as you grow in your career, the reality is you're not going to be much of a strong leader because you didn't learn the right way to do it. And so what I often tell my business leaders is pay attention to this. Make sure you're understanding what it means to be an amazing leader because you are fostering and shaping the next generation of leaders. So if you do a poor job, they're going to be a poor leader. Vicious cycle.
I fundamentally believe that you can learn just as much from a poor leader as you can from a great leader. So, while you work for that poor leader, make mental notes, all right, of what you don't want to do in the future.
Nicolas:
Shifting a bit to some of the big trends and affecting not only your business at Edwards, but also the profession. What would be the top three kinds of micro or big trends that are happening in the world, I guess, or the U.S, the industry that are again affecting how human resource executives need to think about talent and the function and their businesses?
Ryan:
Well, I think about human resources in business in kind of three buckets. I think about it in the context of talent, culture and capabilities. If I think about talent upfront, one of the things that just never ceases to amaze me is that leaders are having a really tough time with these up and coming generations because what's important to them is very different than maybe what was important to us and certainly what was important to those that came before us, whether it was our parents working in business or what have you. And so what we're really trying to do is figure out, hey, what does it mean to be a human centered leader? And the other piece that comes into this is COVID.
So the dynamic of leadership has fundamentally changed, in my opinion Nicolas, because leading before COVID and leading after COVID in my mind are very, very different animals. And what I found is in the business world or in the companies that are, the company that I work for today, we haven't equipped our leaders with the ability to lead, even the ones that were fantastic servant leaders throughout now find themselves questioning, "Man, do I know what I need to know to be an effective leader?" Because things like whether it is geography where somebody actually does their work, whether it's mental health, whether it's the effects of what's happening in the world, be it political, be it from COVID and how people want to operate now. You see some people that are on your succession plans that are saying, "Hey, look, I know I had aspirations to be X, Y, and Z before, but I'm going to opt out. I might work for another couple years. I want to enjoy my life scared about what might come." So those are some of the things that we're navigating right now, and they aren't easy.
Nicolas:
So, what is required for good leadership now?
Ryan:
We certainly don't have it all figured out, but we have what I consider to be one of the best in the business in running our talent management and learning organization and her name's Gina Codd, and what she has done with her team is said, "Boy, let's take a step back and figure out what are the things that leaders need today." So they're meeting with leaders and saying, "Hey," even the best leaders, "what do you feel like you have in your toolkit today? What do you feel like you're on your heels with?" And let us start to formulate an approach that allows us to take that more broadly across the globe.
And the biggest one I think is mental health. And these are not doctors or psychologists, they're business leaders. And they're saying in many respects, boy, I don't know how to deal with somebody that comes into my office who's having a full-on panic attack because of whether it's long COVID or something that happened because of that or their new reality. What do I do, Ryan? What do I do? And so what we're trying to do is build a program whereby we can take leaders through these kinds of learning programs that say, "Hey, here's how you need to think differently about leadership in the 21st century, because it's here and it's upon us." And we don't know that that's going to necessarily be the answer or not, but we got to do something.
Nicolas:
So, you're basically emphasizing the need for other skillsets like this, empathy, building trust, influence and listening, which are more important for, make a leader well rounded and successful.
Ryan:
Yeah, I mean empathy and trust to me in the new age of leadership are probably two of the most important things. And again, I just think about it in my own shoes and what I believe helps me to be the leader I want to be for my people, which is, I trust you implicitly. Am I going to follow you around or make sure you are where you say you are? Absolutely not. Do you have responsibilities outside of your professional environment that you need to take care of and be present for? Absolutely, that's not going to change. What I also emphasize with my business leaders and my team is the more you're confident in the personal side of your life, the more I'm going to get out of you on the professional side. And you know what? They just appreciate that and they will go through a brick wall because I give them that space and I understand that everybody's got a story and everybody's dealing with something. And so give them the space to deal with those kinds of things and then man, what you get on the other side of that's unbelievable.
Nicolas:
So, what other things are you doing to help the HR function add value or position the organization to shape your strategy?
Ryan:
So, one of the things that I give my boss a ton of credit for is she's taking Edwards Lifesciences globally and the HR function through this transformation, which is how do you get the questions for 20 to 25,000 employees answered at the tip of their fingers? So, whether it's technology, whether it's HR solutions, somebody being able to chat or pick up the phone and get what they need right then right there, because that's the most important thing. How do you serve your population. So now I know anytime I have a question about my paycheck, or I've got a problem with my boss or whatever, they know how to get that and they're efficient in doing so. And then allowing others to elevate up people like myself or my team or some of my peers teams to say, "How do we think strategically about advancing the business through human capital strategy? That's not where Edwards was before, that's where she's taking us. And that is a monumental task that takes a lot of change management and a lot of acceptance from the executives and then into the organization. But once you get there, boy, you just have a very different looking HR organization, and I'm really excited about what that's going to mean.
Nicolas:
So, one of the ways the HR organization is helping the businesses is by transforming itself with system technology, what other ways? You mentioned talent and culture earlier as also two very important and critical roles that human resources play in a business. So, I think we unpack a little bit about talent. What about culture?
Ryan:
So, all of the things that I just told you, Nicolas allow the leaders to really see HR showing up to help shape culture, to help shape talent, to help shape capabilities in a way that maybe they hadn't before. And it's funny, it never ceases to amaze me when leaders are like, "Oh, wow, I didn't know I should expect that from you, Ryan, or from your team." That's the best compliment that I can give or get, sorry and that to me is the real difference maker for what HR, at least at Edwards Lifesciences is going to look like in the future. And we believe that's going to behoove the business in a big way because what we're doing, just like they are, is trying to serve patients around the world with structural heart disease because it's debilitating, and the mortality rates are high and it's incredibly undertreated. That's where I want to play and that's where I want to focus. In order to do that, trying to find the right talent and having them operate in a culture where they're excited to get out of bed every day and be a part of that, that to me is the secret sauce.
Nicolas:
Given the nature of the business you're in, aligning with purpose is probably not difficult, but how do you use purpose to engage and motivate this next generation, how important it is for the next generations to align to something that is high purpose like that?
Ryan:
Yeah, it's interesting because I feel like that was a lot tougher in our generations back in –
Nicolas:
I totally agree by the way, when I started working, it was, I think you said you started in sales, right? It's like, I needed a job, graduated from college, I needed a job. You were like, all right, it pays the bill.
Ryan:
That's right.
Nicolas:
And now you're right, even my kids, they're like, they want to go work for a company that is actually having impact, right?
Ryan:
Absolutely, and so I don't think we, the generation that kind of is in the leadership roles today have to worry as much about that because what I see on college campuses or what I see with candidates coming in or the people that we're able to attract because of what we're doing for patients on a global scale, people are like, "That's what I want to be a part of." And my message to them, that those that are earlier in their career is like, don't settle for something that doesn't align with something that you genuinely believe in. And so that's the beautiful thing about healthcare and the beautiful thing about patients and in our marketing to the outside world, it's like, let us show you what it is that we're doing for patients. Let us listen to this patient and what their life was like before and now, and you can just see their eyes transform and that's really special about Edwards Lifesciences and what we're doing.
Nicolas:
So, what we're going to do next, let's do a lightning round of quick questions, quick answers, and then we may come back to some of them and try to unpack them. Make sense?
Ryan:
Okay, sounds good.
Nicolas:
So here's the first one. Favorite podcast?
Ryan:
Favorite podcast? Anything by Jocko Willink, so he's a former Navy SEAL.
Nicolas:
I listened to him.
Ryan:
And I had an opportunity to bring him in to speak to my leaders when I was with Johnson & Johnson. So, I have a picture in his book and he's just, this unfettered.
Nicolas:
He's still in good shape and everything.
Ryan:
Oh, I mean, he's fantastic and he's in San Diego, so yeah, anything by him, he's great. I don't know what it is and then I'm reading a book by David Goggins. David Goggins is a navy SEAL and had a really tough upbringing and he's got a book called "Can't Hurt Me" and my new CEO that I'll be reporting to, she gave me that book, and I can't put it down.
Nicolas:
What is it about the book that –
Ryan:
It's leadership, it talks about resilience, but he does it in a way that tells his story and says, "Hey, look, if I can overcome this, there's nothing you shouldn't be able to overcome. Here's how you need to think about it. Here's how I thought about it." It's a fascinating book. I'm going to meet that guy one day, I don't know when.
Nicolas:
Exactly. So, our next question is, what are some of the three challenges facing CEOs today?
Ryan:
Facing CEOs? I would say, it's a really good question. I would say one of the biggest is I don't know that they put culture up as high as it should be in the realm of importance to an organization. That would be one thing. The second thing that, and the CEO of Edwards Lifesciences is the president, former president of, that I supported and the reason I came to Edwards Lifesciences, so he's a new CEO, and I watch him, and I think he does this masterfully, but continuing to be able to find ways to connect not just at the very top of the house, but through the organization.
And I was just so impressed to see what he did after he took the reins from one of the top CEOs in the world, Mike Solem in MedTech. But what Bernard Zovighian did was he traveled the world and met over 90% of the total population. There's not many people that are going to make that commitment to their employees so they can get to know him on a different level. Big deal. So that's the second one. And then the third one is, how do you, I think one of the biggest things is how do you build a resilient workforce? Because today, whether it's the political landscape, whether it is the civil unrest, there's so much-
Nicolas:
Inflation going up and down and access to capital, all kinds of things.
Ryan:
That's right, the markets and the uncertainty and how people are feeling and then on the heels of the pandemic, being able to find ways that make your company resilient. So no matter what happens, we're good, we're ready, we know what we're going to do, and boy, I think Edwards Lifesciences did it better than anybody. Why? Because they didn't lay anybody off. They still paid bonuses. They made a conscious decision when everybody else was slashing budgets and salaries. A lot of our peers took 20% salary hits to all their employees to make sure that they could stay afloat.
Nicolas:
Well, that's culture.
Ryan:
That's right.
Nicolas:
And that servant leadership mentality that you were talking earlier.
Ryan:
Yeah and what I loved most about what our company did was they took a step back and they said, "Look, if we do all those things, guess who suffers?" Patients suffer.
Nicolas:
Well that is the purpose and the impact, right? So, you keep the patient and what to do in the forefront and everything else happens.
Ryan:
No question about it.
Nicolas:
So next question. What are the top three things you look for when hiring someone?
Ryan:
I look for accountability. I look for if it's a leader, empathy and trust. When I'm interviewing leaders, and maybe I'm giving away my secrets, but one of the things that I absolutely look for in somebody's leadership philosophy is how do you think about building trust? And how are you empathetic to the people that you're leading so you can get the most out of them and engage them so they will follow you? And then the third thing is purpose and I know it might sound cliche.
So, when I'm interviewing somebody, Nicolas, I'll ask them like, "Hey, get you out of bed in the morning." And for me, I don't know if this is right or wrong, but if somebody says, "Boy, you know what, Ryan, I love finance so much and I just can't wait to get to work and do that." That's okay, that's an okay answer, especially if you're looking for a finance professional. But in what we do, what I really am looking to hear is, I know what Edwards does for patients. I want to be a part of that. Why? Because this is making the world a better place, or they're super passionate about the sustainability or things that mean something to people, so it is, to your point, more than just about a job where you collect a paycheck. Because I feel like if you can harness the power and find those kinds of people, what you get as a byproduct of that is just exponentially more than somebody who's just looking to do a job.
Nicolas:
That's where you find, I find when you find people or leaders who have the combination of building trust and empathy and purpose, that's where you find high performance.
Ryan:
Yeah, and it doesn't mean that you can't be a shrewd business leader that is fantastic at the X's and O's and knows how to drive top line revenue and net income, but at the end of the day, getting people to see that vision and all row in the same direction.
Nicolas:
So what do you think is the biggest difference between a good and an outstanding HR leader?
Ryan:
A good HR leader has strong depth and knowledge in the HR function and knows how to teach that. A great HR leader knows the business just as well as anybody that's sitting around that leadership team table. What I try to do, I invest a lot of time, nights and weekends to learning my business. So today I have responsibility for one business unit that is, it's all about the mitral and the tricuspid valves, the left and the right side of the heart. I hope and I need to know just as much about the external market, as much about our therapies, as much about our business as the CFO, as the president of the business and I pride myself on that. To me, HR, they're business leaders first with a specialty in talent, in HR, talent, culture, capability.
Nicolas:
That is a very consistent answer with what we heard from your peers this week.
Ryan:
But that just doesn't happen. I mean, I think a lot of people can say, "Oh, that's what I want to do." You got to step in and do that, you just got to step. There's one way to get to the seat at the table, know that business. When somebody walks into a leadership team, they can sit there for an hour and not point out who the HR person is. That to me is the litmus test.
Nicolas:
You deal with a lot of people, problems in your business. How do you stay positive and energized?
Ryan:
Yeah, I mean, mentally, the self-care I get up every morning at five and go to the gym and just clear my mind and I'm a better person because that, again, it's not physical anymore for me. I'm too old for it to be physical, but it is so much mental. But I get a lot of energy from what it is that we do every day. And I get a lot of energy from now seeing my team just thrill the business leaders with what it is that they do, and I get to see them get recognized. I had one last night that got recognized by the Orange County, the big HR organization. This is an external organization that's recognizing one of my people. I couldn't be there and I'm so sad about it. And then internally, I had somebody a number of weeks ago that got recognized by the total company. That to me, that's where it's at and so that's what gives me energy now. And it's just so interesting to me how that dynamic changes.
It's kind of like becoming a parent. When it's just you and your spouse and it's all about you guys, and you only have to think about you and then you have a kid and it's nothing about you. It's all about your new kid.
Nicolas:
Well, our listeners can see this because we're not filming this, but I can see the energy not just in your voice, but also in your face and your body language when you're talking about what you guys do and the impact that it has on patients and others. So last question is, what kind of pearls of wisdom would you have for HR managers and leaders who want to have a career in human resources?
Ryan:
This one's a little bit of a hard one because I moved physically, geographically, moved four times in 10 years, different countries to get the experiences to hopefully make me better at what I'm ultimately going to be doing. And I think there's a lot to be said for not being afraid to lean into that and I know it's not a reality that everybody can live into. So, I get that there's a lot of personal things in that regard. But if you have the opportunity to do so, the biggest thing I would say is don't be afraid of the unknown and lean in and take a chance.
I remember vividly, I wasn't a very good undergraduate student for a number of different reasons, but then I wanted to go back to business school, and I was so scared because I had two young, young kids, a wife, and I knew it was going to be two years of being away from them on weekends and nights and all of this. But I remember somebody just said, "Hey, put your shoulder into it. Get through it because what you'll learn and what you'll get just by way of osmosis from all those other business leaders that are going through it with you will be unbelievable." And it is. But a lot of times people are like, "Ooh, it's just going to be too much time." Or, "I shouldn't take that new job because I don't know if I'm going to be good at it." So, I would just say, take a risk, take a chance.
Nicolas:
Well, Ryan, thank you so much for being with us today.
Ryan:
Thanks, Nicolas.