Inspirational Women in STEM and Tech: Merck KGaA’s Renee Connolly On The 5 Leadership Lessons She Learned From Her Experience
An Interview With Candice Georgiadis
Be both reliable and surprising. When you’ve been at a company for a long time, most of your colleagues will assume that they basically know what they’re going to get from you. A better idea: Keep them on their toes. As admirable as consistency is, don’t forget to surprise yourself — and others — every now and then. If you don’t usually make much of an impact at meetings, for example, practice speaking out and taking a stance. Getting out of your comfort zone can ensure you keep things interesting, maximize your growth and are not taken for granted.
As a part of our series about “Lessons From Inspirational Women in STEM and Tech,” we had the pleasure of interviewing Renee Connolly.
Renee Connolly is Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer and Head of Innovation HR Engagement & Inclusion for Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany. In this current role, Renee drives the strategic advancement and cultural implementation of the company’s global DE&I efforts at an enterprise level. A journalist by education, working mom by choice, and change-maker by nature, Renee enjoys contributing to organizations focused on building better communities, supporting early-in-career women professionals, nurturing cultures where everyone belongs to bring greatness to their work and encouraging the next generation of scientists, engineers and data analysts. Today, Renee is a board member for the International Women’s Forum — Massachusetts, American Cancer Society’s New England Region, Massachusetts Conference for Women and Home for Little Wanderers.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
My original plan was to host a talkshow, hence the background in journalism. But like many, life’s circumstances — in my case, the unfortunate loss of my mom when I was only a senior in college — shed light on a world of “simplifying science” for general audiences to understand. I dedicated my career to putting my curiosity to work and have carried my communications competency and love for community involvement to joining the fields of public relations, corporate social responsibility and now diversity, equity and inclusion. I learned that I am deeply committed to “greatness” and bringing out the best in a person, in a company, in my team and in myself. The work I do both in the office and in the charity area provides me with the capacity to ensure I am staying true to my commitment to simplify science so that we can all not only share in the amazing advancements that are driving human progress but have a broader sense of understanding.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began at your company?
I have always been taught that anything is possible if you put your mind to it. One of my most precious moments was when we brought together a well-known children’s choir with our company’s orchestra (yes, a company orchestra — one of the few) in celebration of our 350th anniversary and they performed together in front of hundreds of people. It was one of those WOW moments. A person told me always treat every experience, every person, every event like it is “opening night.” Well, that was literally an opening night, and to all who said it couldn’t be done — we did it!
It has been said that our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
I had a sign hanging in my office that someone gave me early in my career which said, “mistakes are welcome, we can’t learn without them.” For me, it is calculating the risk and empowering people to fly — but knowing when the “caution lights” are on and they need a wing person to balance and support. Based on my experience, I don’t pounce on a mistake that one of my team members makes. I ask clarifying questions and give them space to share their thought process and use follow-up questions to help them connect the dots and understand the ‘why’ behind the mistake and what we can collectively learn from it. I instituted “MISS” meetings as part of my monthly updates with the teams where we review what the “miss” was in the execution, or the creation — it’s kind of funny now that they joke and say — ‘we don’t want a “miss”’ — so they have them before the meetings or programs even start!
What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?
I know it is cliché, but my company stands out because of the people — that’s why I have journeyed through various responsibilities for nearly 20 years here. We have individuals whose rich experiences and differences weave a tapestry of individualism, support and common mission that I embrace every day. I am a relationship person and the other day I received one of the nicest notes from a person who is now on my team. Following the public announcement of a promotion of a colleague who I am super proud of, she texted me and said, “Renee I just wanted to let you know how heartwarming it was to see you so genuinely pleased and excited about the new appointment. You looked so proud, and it reinforced to me how much you love to see people succeed. Thank you.” That sums it up: I love to see others succeed and be a part of their journey and nurture them — and I’m proud to work with many people who share this same cause.
Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?
We are in the midst of launching a proprietary enterprise-wide program called Inclusive Leaders Workshop (ILW) to all our people managers around the globe. This workshop is facilitated by one of more than 100 volunteer employees who embrace inclusion, with the goal of fostering discussions around six real-life company “case studies” and having a conversation on how we can be more inclusive colleagues and build a culture of greater belonging. I love it because the discussions are rich in insights — and seeing the light bulb go off for even the simplest of things is very rewarding. We are on a journey in the DE&I space no matter where you are in a company or in the world and that journey is a mind-shifting exercise for people to see things they may not have seen or considered before.
Ok super. Thank you for all that. Let’s now shift to the main focus of our interview. Are you currently satisfied with the status quo regarding women in STEM? What specific changes do you think are needed to change the status quo?
The short answer is no, but I am encouraged by the progress. I think we need to look at STEM with multiple lenses — those of data analytics and bench science and engineering — and continue to help young students see opportunity for them. This is why I love our Curiosity Cube®, which is a shipping container that has been retrofitted as a mobile science lab. We take “the Cube” to schools in underserved communities across the U.S. and Europe as a vehicle for sparking interest in science. My nine-year-old daughter has been telling me she wants to go into some sort of service job when she get older, then the other day out of the blue she said “mom, I want to be an engineer.” I asked why the switch. We had been renovating our kitchen and she saw the plans and it sparked an interest in architecture. I think the lesson is the consciousness of every exposure matters so we need to have meaningful exposure to the sciences and technology that grabs their interest and then keeps them engaged. Helping the next generation see practical application is key.
In your opinion, what are the biggest challenges faced by women in STEM or Tech that aren’t typically faced by their male counterparts? What would you suggest to address this?
There are challenges at various levels, but perhaps a delineating factor is the support or executive sponsorship of women in STEM. In a sector that has not traditionally seen women in roles at all levels, we need to engage more effectively both men and women throughout their development journeys, giving them exposure to the training required to grow in their STEM field as well as providing opportunities for people in other roles and functions to make a career pivot in a STEM field. We must both nurture and lead by example in this space. I am proud that we have appointed Laura Matz as our Chief Technology Officer and she is bringing new thinking about our approach to recruiting, training and embedding a technology mindset in our everyday business.
What are the “myths” that you would like to dispel about being a woman in STEM or Tech. Can you explain what you mean?
One myth that I want to dispel is that, as a woman, you’re here to be a sponge and not to lead the conversations. You can do both — and you should do both! As a communicator at heart, I am the first to admit that I don’t come from a scientific background and likely not the STEM expert at any given table. But I am an expert In what I do, and that’s what I’ve earned to have my seat at that table. It’s something I’ve seen in the DE&I space as well. There are so many perspectives to listen and learn from. Having the mindset of continuous learning is so critical to making progress In this space. But It’s also important to take a stand and lead the discussion where you know you offer expertise and a perspective that others need to learn from. Also important is to remember that give-and-take is a two-way street — and sometimes you have to be strong about reminding people why you’ve earned your place.
What are your “5 Leadership Lessons I Learned From My Experience as a Woman in STEM or Tech” and why. (Please share a story or example for each.)
- Be both reliable and surprising. When you’ve been at a company for a long time, most of your colleagues will assume that they basically know what they’re going to get from you. A better idea: Keep them on their toes. As admirable as consistency is, don’t forget to surprise yourself — and others — every now and then. If you don’t usually make much of an impact at meetings, for example, practice speaking out and taking a stance. Getting out of your comfort zone can ensure you keep things interesting, maximize your growth and are not taken for granted.
- Let go of the idea that everyone must like you. If you’re an authentic person, what people see is what they get with you. When you stop trying to toggle back and forth between several different versions of yourself to please various audiences, it’s possible you will be somewhat polarizing. There will be people who both love you and hate you. The trick is to become okay with that. By being authentic, people may not like you, but they will trust that what you say is the honest truth.
- Believe that anything is possible. Be the person in your company who believes that there is no mountain that’s too big to climb with the right resources, the right thinking and the right people. The best way to do this is to nurture an inclusive environment where everyone is given the opportunity to excel, not only within the company but within their careers.
- Make yourself proud. Consider your actions when you’re all alone, when no one’s there to catch you doing something right and to praise you. Make sure you respect yourself when no one’s watching just as much as you do when you’re commanding a boardroom full of executives. That is what true character is: how you show up when no one is watching.
- Leave a mark. When I think about the legacy my father continues to create, I can see so clearly that it’s focused on the power of humility, the importance of hard work and the benefits of unconditional love and family. It’s a worthwhile exercise to think about what you want your own legacy to be. If it’s not something you can accomplish solely through your career or your relationships, seek out other ways to make an impact. For example, find a nonprofit where you can give your time, talent and treasure to a cause that aligns with your life’s purpose.
What advice would you give to other women leaders to help their team to thrive?
Forget leading and try guiding instead. To guide a team through a veritable mountain of changes and obstacles, consider ways you can help walk alongside them instead of in front of them, lightening their load where you can and reminding them often of the end goal. Anticipating that there will be twists and turns along the way, learn to read your employees well enough that you can discern whether it’s time to encourage them to take a breather or to drive them further.
What advice would you give to other women leaders about the best way to manage a large team?
In my experience, a “mountain guide” style of leadership is just as effective in a corporate setting (where tasks can sometimes feel simply insurmountable) as it is along a snowy mountain path. It’s a leadership style that balances creativity and empathy with boundless drive. To help your employees reach their highest potential:
- Make it about them. While it can be tempting for leaders to reflect fondly on their own career paths, this has little bearing on how your employees can or will perform. Keep your focus on your direct reports’ improvement versus your own story. By all means, use relevant teaching stories, but make them brief and be sure to connect the dots between the story you’re telling and your employee’s situation.
- Listen up. When an employee says something isn’t working, listen carefully so you can provide relevant feedback and finetune your understanding of each person’s expertise and personality. This will help you to more easily create an environment where everyone can bring their best thinking to the table, dividing and conquering here and working together as a team there.
- Be a confidence creator. Treat everyone with respect regardless of where they are in the corporate ‘food chain.’ Listen carefully and be intentional. Invest in understanding their interests and passions and helping them along. If you pull out the best in people, you can drive them to believe they can achieve the impossible — and that gives them the resilience to keep learning, keep growing and keep tasking risks to advance their career.
When guided by this sort of leader, employees often don’t even realize they’re being led until they turn around to find they’ve achieved new heights — both in their career and for the company.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
I’m most grateful for my husband who has celebrated every career milestone by my side and has been a true partner in terms of how we manage our family and household. And I’m grateful to my children because they’ve always appreciated the passion I have for my work and also have been my biggest cheerleaders. We tease that I am the CMO in our household — meaning Chief Mom Officer — my proudest job.
How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?
Growing up, I disliked math and science. I would have even told you I “hated” it, much to my engineer father’s chagrin. Now that I work for a top life science company, I have come to love what science can do to impact people’s lives.
When I reflect on my aversion to math and science during those formative years, I attribute it to feeling discouraged very early on. Because I didn’t easily understand certain concepts, I simply thought I wasn’t good at these subjects.
With this in mind, with the partnership of an amazing team we spearheaded an initiative at our company to provide our youth with hands-on learning opportunities across different disciplines and make science more interesting and exciting to them. I also challenged my team to focus our efforts on schools with large concentrations of low-income students. The outcome of this effort was to launch a mobile science lab — The Curiosity Cube® — that could bring the experience of science to children around the U.S.
My favorite thing to observe is the change in a child’s demeanor from the beginning of an experiment, when they’re clearly feeling apprehensive and tentative, to when they realize, “I can do this!” You can see their confidence building right before your eyes. For those who really love math and science, this confidence might materialize within the first five minutes. But for someone like me, who preferred reading and history, it might not happen until the last five minutes. No matter when it happens, if we can get a child just that much more excited for science class the next day, I truly believe it can have a domino effect.
Since launching The Curiosity Cube in 2017, we’ve visited more than 300 communities across the U.S. and Canada and just launched our inaugural tour in Europe. And what I find most gratifying is that 95% of students said their understanding of science improved after visiting The Cube.
You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire 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. 🙂
For me, it would be to establish a “pro bono” corporate pipeline. Sometimes money is the answer — but oftentimes I think donating our skills is an even better contribution to a good cause. When you’re gifted at something that can help elevate a meaningful mission, your expertise can go a long way for smaller nonprofits and grassroots community initiatives. I think that’s important to incorporate in large corporations or teams where you have the people resources to not just “do well” but “do good” by extending a helping hand to others.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
You get what you give. I have seen it play out in my own life and career and really believe that you must put forth what you hope to receive from others. I have a stand for myself this year especially — “I am a treasured magnet” — which helps me to instill confidence in myself and those I encounter to reinforce the magic is in the relationship.
We are very blessed that very prominent leaders read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them 🙂
Well, my family and I are huge America football fans so top of my list if I was bringing them with me would be someone who is making a difference not just because of their athletic skills but also their off-the-field work to help local causes and communities. However, in recent weeks as I have watched the passing of the “Queen of England,” I must admit that I would have loved to have a private meeting with her. By what has been portrayed she was an amazingly resilient woman who was far beyond her age and time in the mature impact she brought to tradition. I could have listened for hours to her stories of what she endured and how she pushed forward.
Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.
Inspirational Women in STEM and Tech: Merck KGaA’s Renee Connolly On The 5 Leadership Lessons She… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.