Leading with Heart: Dana Medema of Philips On The Power of Authentic Women’s Leadership

In today’s dynamic world, the concept of leadership is continuously evolving. While traditional leadership models have often been male-dominated, there is a growing recognition of the unique strengths and perspectives that women bring to these roles. This series aims to explore how women can become more effective leaders by authentically embracing their femininity and innate strengths, rather than conforming to traditional male leadership styles. In this series, we are talking to successful women leaders, coaches, authors, and experts who can provide insights and personal stories on how embracing their inherent feminine qualities has enhanced their leadership abilities. As part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Dana Medema.

An experienced business leader, wife and mother herself, Dana Medema, Philips Personal Health SVP, aims to improve health & wellness by providing meaningful preventative health solutions that can help make it easier for people to stay in control of their personal health journey. Dana has served as the head of Philips North America Personal Health business for the past two years, playing a key role in driving growth and entrepreneurship in the marketplace across three personal health sectors: Oral Healthcare, Mother & Child/Women’s Health and Grooming & Beauty. She is accountable for driving revenue, margin and profit and leading the strategic direction for Philips largest Personal Health region ($1.2 billion in sales). Under her leadership, the Philips Personal Health North America team is expanding its efforts to address health equity and improve access to preventative health solutions. With her 20+ years of experience in the consumer packaged goods industry, Dana has a proven track record of driving organizational progress, developing talent, accelerating business results, and spearheading innovation in personal health & wellness.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series. Before we dive into our discussion about authentic, feminine leadership, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you share with us the backstory about what brought you to your specific career path?

Let me start by saying that I’m not the typical global business leader. I grew up in a relatively small town in Eastern Washington State, I’m a woman of color (half black/half white), and I was adopted by my parents, neither of whom went to college, so I didn’t have this obvious path set out for me. However, I knew that I always wanted to run a business. When I was young, I used to set up a penny shop in my bedroom to sell items to my sister. When I went away to college, I continued down that path by getting into business school at the University of Washington. Like a typical college student, I really had no idea about the exact industry or job that I wanted but I knew I wanted to work in international business (the name for global back then). My career started in a management trainee program for a global transportation company, and while I didn’t know the industry, I liked the idea of working in a global organization. From there, I relocated to the NY/NJ area with that company. It was in New York that I met a woman who worked in brand management at Kraft. The idea of running a business within a larger business appealed to me, so I followed her advice to get an MBA. Between my first and second years at The Wharton School, I completed a summer internship at an American multinational consumer products company, which launched the next phase of my career. I’ve spent over 20 years in the FMCG (Fast Moving Consumer Packaged Goods) world, and have worked in both North America and Europe, with experience in commercial and innovation roles leading global, regional and local teams.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career?

Before my daughter turned three-years old, I was offered a job in Europe. Luckily, my husband was able to make this move work. The opportunity to work in Europe , was an amazing growth experience, both personally and professionally. What we initially thought was going to be a two-three year assignment turned into an eight year journey across three European cities, Geneva, Basil & Hamburg. I learned three things while living and working in Europe — patience, flexibility and humility. I don’t want to paint my expat journey as some glamours European vacation., because managing two careers across two countries was difficult; and balancing family life without a strong local safety net made it all the more challenging, yet extremely fulfilling.

What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?

What I love about my company is that our work can save people’s lives. What initially drew me to Philips was its brand purpose: to improve the lives of over 2.5B people per year by 2030, including 400M in underserved communities. Philips is a leading health technology company with leadership positions in diagnostic imaging & image guided therapy, but people don’t always know the Personal Health business, brands like Philips Avent, Philips Sonicare and Philips Norelco. I am often asked how the Personal Health division fits with the B2B Health Systems side of the business. I am quick to remind people that that the mouth is the gateway to the body, thus Oral Health Care plays a critical role in preventative health. We have also received letters from people that have undergone facial surgeries thanking us for providing tools they can use while recovering. Lastly, the work that we are doing with our Pregnancy+ app to improve access to information and care is helping to address maternal health.

You are a successful business leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?

1 . Empowering. The word “empowerment” is used in abundance, but in my current role, I work with my leadership team to provide clarity on our brand priorities and expectations. I trust them 100% to lead & manage their teams. Winning is a team sport, not an individual feat.

2 . Integrity. Business results don’t always go the way you want them to go, but I’ve built my reputation on transparency and authenticity. I’ve been in the turn-around business role a few times, and I’ve been brave enough to tell people what they need to hear in order to inspire great results.

3 . Empathy. I differentiate empathy versus compassion. Due to my background as a mom, wife, woman of color, expat, etc., I challenge myself to walk in others’ shoes, whether an employee, consumer or customer. his practice has allowed me to stay grounded and put people first.

Leadership often entails making difficult decisions or hard choices between two apparently good paths. Can you share a story with us about a hard decision or choice you had to make as a leader? I’m curious to understand how these challenges have shaped your leadership.

A large part of my time is spent on Coaching & Feedback and Talent Development. Delivering difficult feedback can be challenging, however, I always approach this with the mindset that “clarity is kindness”. I don’t want any teams I work with to be surprised by feedback in an annual review. When it comes to talent development, you are tasked with making decisions about roles, locations, etc., so you need to make decisions objectively. The key is to ensure you have not only shown objectivity and thoughtfulness, but you’re providing the resources to support the employee in making a decision. For example, if you’re asking an employee to move outside their home country, there is a lot for the employee to consider beyond the professional opportunity.

Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview. Can you share a personal experience where embracing your unique leadership style, which might not align with traditional expectations, led to a significant positive impact in your organization or team?

I consider myself an optimist, and I also have quite a bit of energy. While “cheerleader” might not be the right word, I certainly consider myself one, both for my company and my team. I’ve led several businesses that required either a performance turn-arounds or acceleration of innovation. The old school thinking here is that the leader knows best and they instantly command the room. In my opinion, this approach doesn’t work, and will likely lower employee morale. Yes, there may be a few quick wins with a “top down” managerial style, but there is always a risk of increased employee turnover. I like to conduct listening sessions and ask three simple questions: 1) What’s working? 2) What’s not working and why? and 3) What is one thing that we should be doing right now to accelerate growth? Going into a situation with an open mind coupled with a dose of optimism and energy results in excellent turn-around.

In your journey as a leader, how have you balanced demonstrating resilience, often seen as a masculine trait, with showing vulnerability, which is equally powerful, but typically feminine? Can you give an example where this balance created a meaningful difference?

This question makes me smile. Women are the role models of resilience. In Melinda Gates’ “The Moment of Lift”, she talks about the unequal balance of unpaid work. I, like many working women, are juggling many pieces of the puzzle, between kids, home, finances, health, etc., all while delivering at work. The fact that we are expected to manage all of these things forces us to prioritize organization and management in the office, because we simply don’t have the time to focus on aspects that don’t drive impact. That said, I find women are also less afraid to ask for help because we have no choice. I remember when I was pregnant, a friend of mine told me that the whole “superwomen” cliche is played out, so my husband was hands on from the start.

As a woman in leadership, how have you navigated and challenged gender stereotypes, especially in situations where traditional male-dominated approaches are the norm? What strategies have you employed to remain authentic to your style?

Early on in my career, I followed a more conservative approach to my style of dress, communication and work relationships. My Gen-X friends and I got leadership guidance that encouraged us to “act like a man.” I now applaud the brave female leaders who challenged this norm and paved the way for more of us to show up as our authentic selves. I’m now empowered to be creative with my communication style, flexing my humorous side or energy levels, depending on the situation!

How do you utilize emotional intelligence and active listening to create an inclusive environment in your team or organization? Could you share a specific instance where these qualities particularly enhanced team dynamics or performance?”

When I joined Philips, it was a period of major transition and advancement. In my business unit, we had some burning platforms in Supply Chain. While supply chain is not my area of expertise, I took the time to really get to know the team and understand the issues. When you’re new to a role, it’s important to get to know people closest to the business. Once you allow all voices to be heard, you can really accelerate employee engagement, accountability and growth.

What role has mentorship played in developing your authentic leadership style, and how do you communicate authentically to inspire and empower both your mentors and mentees?

I believe in having both a peer mentor and senior level mentors. Peer mentors are likely interacting with you day-to-day, so they can give you valuable feedback on what they see working or not working. Cross-functional peer mentors are also great because they are generally very transparent about your operations and end-to-end business impact. Senior level mentors can help accelerate your leadership growth and career aspirations. One of my very close senior level mentors passed away recently (unexpectedly) and I’ll always remember what he taught me about the power of leading from behind. He once told me once that his goal was to make himself obsolete as our leader because then he knew that he was doing something right, and he could trust his team to lead without him.

Based on your experience and research, can you please share “5 Ways Leading Authentically As A Woman Will Affect Your Leadership”?

1 . Humility. To lead authentically allows you to practice humility. I’ve learned to openly share my leadership experiences including failures. My advice to anyone reading is to keep yourself open to learning and remain coachable.

2 . Purpose & Values. To lead authentically means that you are likely led by your purpose & values. In my years of experience, my personal values include integrity, empathy, optimism, excellence and resilience. If my team doesn’t see me showing up this way, then I implore them to say something. Sharing your values allows people to understand what is important to you.

3 . Vulnerability. To lead authentically requires you to embrace being vulnerable. My experience in moving to new countries and new companies required me to spend time listening, understanding and asking a lot of questions. I did this very publicly so people could see that its ok not to know, but not ok to not ask.

4 . Trust. To lead authentically allows you to accelerate trust and build deeper connections with your team. I don’t golf, so I’m not going to build connections on the golf course. I look to share my personal story with others to help find areas of connection, ultimately helping me bond with my team and strengthening our trust in each other.

5 . Mental Agility. To lead authentically allows you to remain mentally agile and open to ideas that differ from your own. Especially when considering talent development, I avoid falling into the trap of creating a talent pool with the same background and leadership style. I like to focus on the different skills and leadership styles that we need to challenge each other and drive diverse thinking.

6. (adding a #6). Empathy. To lead authentically allows you to practice empathy. I’ve experienced being held to a higher standard in comparison to a male colleague. I’ve experienced not having my voice heard only to have a male colleague say the same thing and be recognized for it. This is why I try to make room for unheard voices in the room and make space at the table.

Are there potential pitfalls or challenges associated with being an empathetic leader? How can these be addressed?

There is sometimes a perception that empathy equates to softness, but I disagree. I believe empathy is a smart tool when trying to understand the feelings of another. Attracting, building and retaining talent is imperative of any leader. If you don’t take the time to understand what is important to individual employees, then how do you know how to motivate them? If you don’t take the time to understand a personal challenge that an employee is facing, then how do you help them navigate the challenge? The next generation of leaders are demanding empathetic leadership.

You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

I am passionate about the movement to improve women’s health especially maternal health. I want to be part of the movement to improve maternal mortality especially among African American women in the U.S.

When I was pregnant with my daughter, I delivered two weeks early from my due date. When we arrived on our 2nd trip to the hospital, I was getting the “1st time mom brush off.” While I ultimately had a nurse that advocated for my safety, it was difficult for me to find my voice in the moment. Little did we know, the umbilical cord was wrapped around my daughter’s neck. I think back and am thankful to have had healthcare providers that looked like me and advocated for me. I also realized the importance of trusting yourself that something is not right.

I believe it is essential to empower moms and protect their health and safety by equipping them with knowledge and access to care. I’m excited to work at a company that can make an impact in this space. For example, we are leveraging our Pregnancy+ app to provide valuable information to moms by meeting them where they want to get information. We are also in our 2nd year of our partnership with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), to provide valuable content to the Medicaid population on the resources available to them. We saw an 88.4% increase in awareness of state resources among those using the app.

Philips is also addressing access to care. In Kenya, for example, we are able to accelerate our program to bring our portable ultrasound device, Philips Lumify, to underserved communities via the support of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Leveraging AI powered algorithms, we can put this tool into the hands of midwives. This expands access to maternal health and addresses the worldwide shortage of healthcare workers.

I’m proud to play a small role in improving maternal and infant health and hope to make bigger impacts in the future.

How can our readers further follow you online?

LinkedIn and USA.Philps.com

Thank you for the time you spent sharing these fantastic insights. We wish you only continued success in your great work!

About The Interviewer: Pirie is a TedX speaker, author and a Life Empowerment Coach. She is a co-host of Own your Throne podcast, inspiring women in the 2nd chapter of their lives. With over 20 years in front of the camera, Pirie Grossman understands the power of storytelling. After success in commercials and acting. She spent 10 years reporting for E! Entertainment Television, Entertainment Tonight, also hosted ABC’s “Every Woman”. Her work off-camera capitalizes on her strength, producing, bringing people together for unique experiences. She produced a Children’s Day of Compassion during the Dalai Lama’s visit here in 2005. 10,000 children attended, sharing ideas about compassion with His Holiness. From 2006–2009, Pirie Co-chaired the Special Olympics World Winter Games, in Idaho, welcoming 3,000 athletes from over 150 countries. She founded Destiny Productions to create Wellness Festivals and is an Advisory Board member of the Sun Valley Wellness Board.In February 2017, Pirie produced, “Love is Louder”, a Brain Health Summit, bringing in Kevin Hines, noted suicide survivor to Sun Valley who spoke to school kids about suicide. Sun Valley is in the top 5% highest suicide rate per capita in the Northwest, prompting a community initiative with St. Luke’s and other stake holders, to begin healing. She lives in Sun Valley with her two children, serves on the Board of Community School. She has her Master’s degree in Spiritual Psychology from the University of Santa Monica and is an Executive Life Empowerment Coach, where she helps people meet their dreams and goals! The difference between a dream and a goal is that a goal is a dream with a date on it!