Lindsay Stautzenberger, PharmD, MBA, Senior Medical Science Liaison, Sanofi*
*The views expressed in this article belong to me, the author, and not my employer or affiliates.
As far back as I can remember, the dichotomy between the “practical/productive” and the “creative mind” has been a longstanding internal conflict. Despite identifying as a creative with a passion for music and art, I often felt the need to sequester these aspects from my practical work and career decisions.
This conflict manifested early on during a 6th-grade career aptitude test, where results pointed me toward seemingly mundane jobs, leading me to believe that practicality and creativity were mutually exclusive. Influenced by practical-minded parents and teachers I set aside any aspirations of being a creative professional and instead settled into a financially secure path as a pharmacist. To be clear, I have no regrets in this decision, as I have always been fascinated with chemistry, immunology and the intricacies of medicine and this path has opened opportunities for me that I never could have imagined.
Only recently, however, in my role as a Medical Science Liaison (MSL) have I embraced the idea that creativity and productivity can coexist, proving to be a game-changer.
In Part 1 of this two-part series, I aim to explore the essence of creativity, its significance in the MSL role, and practical ways to harness and enhance it. Part 2 will explore “Productivity in Practice” and discuss ways to consciously improve productivity in the MSL role using real world tools/examples.
What is Creativity?
Creativity is the magical ability to make something out of nothing. Miriam Webster defines “create” as “to bring into existence” and “to produce through imaginative skill”. The importance of creativity in the workplace has been extensively discussed in business literature and is not a novel concept (simply perform a web search using the terms “creativity” and “business” to generate many results).
Creativity is a force that propels progress – it drives innovation and novel solutions. But creativity in our daily work as an MSL can also increase productivity by allowing us to overcome roadblocks and stagnation. When we allow ourselves the freedom to think creatively, we open doors to fresh perspectives, ingenious solutions, and efficient processes. Creativity fuels productivity by breaking the monotony and injecting enthusiasm into our work.
Creativity in the MSL Role
The MSL role demands more than just scientific expertise. In a field driven by advancements and breakthroughs, innovation becomes a necessity. Embracing creativity not only allows MSLs to bring fresh insights from interactions, which fosters meaningful collaborations with key stakeholders, but also allows us to contemplate novel ways of working, leading to improved performance.
Examples where creativity is integral to the MSL role and Medical Affairs
- Communicating complex scientific information – MSLs must tailor their message according to the audience and specific needs of the stakeholder
- Developing innovative engagement strategies – “thinking outside the box” (of course remaining within the guardrails of regulatory and legal rules) to generate novel ways to communicate with HCPs. For example- virtual or group educational events, gamified educational materials
- Conversations with HCPs – searching for clues within a conversation to creates further questions or discuss certain data that stimulates the production of valuable insights
- Creating and implementing medical strategy – analyzing the clinical landscape and conceptualizing opportunities and strategy for messaging to providers and stakeholders
- Creativity in leadership – leaders can embrace and foster creativity within their teams by cultivating an environment where novel ideas flourish, driving organizational growth and adaptation
How to boost creativity
Cultivating a creative mindset involves training the ‘creative mind muscle’. Like athletes engaging in cross-training to develop well-rounded physical fitness, individuals seeking to boost creativity should explore a range of tools and exercises. The goal is to stretch and strengthen the ‘creative mind muscle’, enabling it to adapt, innovate, and overcome mental obstacles with agility.
- Pick up a creative hobby – Personally, I love street photography. I roam the streets looking for light, color, and unique human and inanimate inspiration, allowing my creative mind to play. Any creative activity can serve as a cross-training activity – painting, DJing, even baking or cooking.
- Mind Mapping / Vision Boards– By visually organizing thoughts and ideas, these exercises stimulate creative thinking and help the mind identify connections between concepts, generating innovative solutions to complex problems. Tools could be a simple pen and blank paper or utilizing one of the many available software applications for these exercises.
- Role Reversal – Role reversal exercises allow visualization of challenges from different vantage points. Exercises like “mock interactions” can be used in practice HCP conversations or when working cross-functionally between internal teams. By temporarily assuming the perspective of stakeholders or even competitors, MSLs can gain valuable insights that fuel creative problem-solving.
- Schedule Creative Time – To prioritize creative thinking, one must allow and allocate time to undertake it. The 70/30 rule, often attributed to creativity, suggests that we should spend 70% of our time on tried-and-tested methods, while the remaining 30% should be allocated to exploring innovative ideas and approaches. Put time on your calendar (20 min a week, for example) to brainstorm new ideas. Even if the session does not produce an immediate solution, the act of allowing space to think/create strengthens your creative muscle.
Since embracing the realization that creativity and productivity can indeed coexist, the way I see my work as an MSL has been transformed. Creative exercises are not only personally fulfilling but have allowed me to improve my productivity in this role and counterbalance the need to constantly “produce”. By allowing ourselves the freedom to think creatively, we open doors to fresh perspectives, ingenious solutions, and efficient processes.
However valuable creativity and brilliant ideas are, without productivity, those ideas remain just that – ideas. Part 2 of this series will explore “Productivity in Practice” and discuss ways to consciously improve productivity in the MSL role using real world tools/examples.
About the author:
Lindsay Stautzenberger, PharmD, MBA
Lindsay is a Senior MSL at Sanofi. She started her career as a clinical pharmacist in pediatric oncology before transitioning into industry where she has held a variety of roles ranging from pharmacy consultant, business operations project manager, senior manager of professional services and currently in Medical Affairs at Sanofi in the Immunology/GI/Respiratory Therapeutic Areas.
She is a “professional amateur” photographer who loves spending time with her family, music, art, tennis and travel.
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