In my virtual podcasts and live video conferencing on negotiating pharma industry change, I’m mindful of an irony. On one hand, the industry offers a wide range of innovative pain management solutions, with more coming every day. But on the other hand, there are few – if any – pain management techniques to help pharma sales reps manage the rapid changes around them. I am not being flippant.
Change Hurts
Change is hard and in the pharmaceutical industry it can be constant, and to use a semi-medical expression, gut wrenching.
Back in October 2017, pharmaceutical industry expert Campbell Macpherson, writing for Pharmaceutical Market Europe shared a point that I have been preaching for years, “Emotion trumps logic every time. Change fails when leaders fail to take their people with them on the journey… If you want your change to be successful, you will have to help your people find their emotional triggers.”
I have spent a career getting organizations through change faster and with less pain. What causes this pain to pharma sales, marketing and R&D functions? It is “fear.”
In addressing the elements of change to those in the pharma industry I have learned that people aren’t “generally” afraid of change, they are specifically afraid of what change will do to them.
What are those pharma industry change fears? There are five fears, including a fear over a lack of competence; security fears; fears over a loss of relationships; fears over their new sense of direction; and fears over territory.
Change Fears Can Be Overcome
Pharma industry change fears can be overwhelming if we allow them to send us the wrong messages.
If you fear you are no longer competent, you will lose confidence.
We are all fearful of losing the relationships we’ve established, but it doesn’t mean we are powerless to develop new connections. It is frightening to leave the familiar and strike off on our own again.
As change takes hold, we may ask ourselves. “Is what I done for the last so may years without value?” What is this new direction they are talking about?
What about territory? I don’t mean it in terms of a channel or geography. We all want to stake out an organizational territory, a credibility, and “a place in the hierarchy.” Will change take it away from us?
And by the way, change should not automatically imply merger or down-sizing. Pharma change fears can be every bit as frightening as a sudden and huge burst of future success.
Managing pharma industry change is a topic we should embrace, not avoid. As a change speaker, nothing pleases me more than to lead pharma sales teams through these periods of opportunity and challenge.
I am pleased to attach links to two testimonial letters and a client list of industry reps who have heard me speak:
Mike Hourigan, Pharmaceutical Industry Change Management Speaker helps pharma sales reps manage the fears and challenges of change. Mike offers virtual podcasts, live video conferencing and in-person events. For more information on Mike Hourigan, Pharma Change Management speaker call: (704) 875-3030 or by filling out the form below.
