Three Lessons Learned At Henry Schein

One month ago, I concluded 13 transformative years as Henry Schein’s Chief Global Communications Officer. Here are three lessons from my tenure that may serve you in navigating the intersection of culture, leadership, and communications.

𝟭.  𝗟𝗢𝗟 – 𝗟𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻, 𝗢𝗯𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻.

Henry Schein’s legendary Chairman and CEO, Stanley Bergman, drilled that into me on day one. New hires often want to make a big splash right away without really taking time to understand what makes an organization click. That’s a mistake. You can’t make lasting change before knowing what changes will last.

𝟮.  𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁 (𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱).

Every large organization can suffer from the misconception that emailing or posting information constitutes communications. It does not. The best way to deliver a message is in person, eye to eye, heart to heart, through the enduring power of human connection. This is done especially well at Henry Schein’s distribution centers, where leaders can’t rely on inboxes to reach teams on a warehouse floor. The result, not so ironically, is more personal and effective communications.  

𝟯. 𝗪𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝘃𝗲𝘀.

At Henry Schein, we don’t have “employees.” We are Team Schein Members, or TSMs. Early on, I slipped up and the verboten word “employee” slipped out. Another executive shot me a look – 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥. In organizations driven by purpose, words are not semantics; they are signals that reinforce behavior. And when challenges eventually come, having a deep culture of teamwork is the best way to persevere.

As I step into my new role as founder of gcomms.org, I now have the opportunity (and responsibility) to take my own advice. If you have wisdom of your own to share, I’m ready to listen and learn.

No acronym needed.