Unleash Your Medical Affairs Potential: The Power of Prioritisation
I don’t have time to work on “strategy” or think strategically. Hands up if this sounds familiar?
“I have so many competing priorities I don’t have time to think about the strategy” was the conversation in one of my client coaching sessions this week.
I have a lot of empathy for Medical Affairs leads in this position, and there are many who experience this frustration. Whether you work on multiple products or therapy areas, or you hold responsibility for Medical Review and sign off, there never seems to be enough time in the day. Your Medical strategy doesn’t usually have a deadline attached so carving out time to think about it usually falls down the priority list.
This is where many Medical Affairs Advisors or Medical Affairs Managers come up against problems.
The importance of carving out time for strategic thinking
If you don’t carve out time to do that strategic thinking and planning, time to review your objectives and your insights, then you are going to stay stuck under that relentless wave of tasks. It seems counter-intuitive to take time out when you are busy yet it can be a game changer. Here’s why:
Taking time out to focus on your strategy allows you to:
Get clear on your objectives, your why!
Focus on the value add tasks - which ones bring you closer to your objective.
Clearly communicate what you are working on and why with your colleagues.
Keeps you on track, and not distracted by other ideas and projects that pop up along the way.
The clarity on your priorities, the key tasks you need to focus on to achieve your objectives is the key to delivering impact. It allows you to focus on the right tasks to achieve your goals without distraction from non value add activities.
What about competing priorities?
Being clear on your priorities is one thing but what happens when your cross-functional team members have a never-ending list of priorities they need your support with? Even if you come up for air, another wave of tasks will knock you back down. A scenario I was very familiar with as a Medical Manager. You become a master of managing multiple projects. It doesn’t have to be like that though. Ask yourself if this is you doing your best work?
If you are in this position it’s worth asking yourself a couple of questions:
Is the work my colleagues want me to do more important or a greater priority than what I need to work on?
Do they know what else I am working on?
If your answer to the first question is Yes, then ask yourself why is it a priority? An urgent deadline shouldn’t be the deciding factor. It should be because it is the greatest priority for the cross-functional team to achieve their objectives.
If your answer is No, then ask yourself are you clear on your priorities? Do you confidently and clearly communicate them to your colleagues? Often the frustrations in cross-functional brand teams is due to a breakdown in communications. Even in teams where everyone gets on well it can be challenging when it comes to discussion on priorities. This is where being clear on your strategic priorities, what you are doing and why is critical. Not only does it allow you to prioritise your work, it also allows you to explain to your colleagues what you are prioritising and why. The only way to achieve this clarity is to make time for strategic planning.
The impact of communicating your priorities on cross-functional interactions
This approach was a game changer for me. Once I was clear on my strategy, I was clear on my priorities and how they aligned with the overall brand strategy. I was also able to communicate this clearly with the rest of my team. It meant my marketing colleagues and the business unit manager were also clear on where the Medical priorities fitted into the bigger picture. Did we always agree on key priorities straight off? Of course not! What it meant was that we were equipped to have an open conversation about it and articulate what was most important and why. The outcome - we quickly learned to work together to prioritise cross-functionally. After all the Medical and Marketing strategies were aligned.
The other piece that supported this change was regular communication of what I was working on with my colleagues. I sat down on a weekly basis with the brand managers and we shared our respective priorities. Rather than this being a burden, the advantage was this time gave them oversight on my capacity and gave me oversight on what was coming up and where they would need my support. The result? Much more focused, impactful work and a much more manageable workload!
It’s why I encourage both Medical Affairs and brand teams to get clear on their objectives and priorities and to communicate and connect with clarity with their colleagues. I’ve worked with brand teams who were struggling, purely because they weren’t communicating clearly enough. It’s not about reporting to a different function, or bemoaning your workload, it’s about making your colleagues aware of what is realistic.
One Medical Strategy lead who attended a two day Strategy workshop I ran told me that this approach has been a game changer for her. In all her years in Medical Affairs she never received a proper onboarding in any role. Getting clear on her objectives and how to build an effective Medical Strategy has been instrumental in boosting her confidence. Conversations with her brand team have shifted to where they are clearer on what she is doing and why, making prioritisation so much easier.
How to carve out time for your Medical Strategy
Knowing the impact that working on your Medical Strategy will bring is the first step in allowing yourself to create that time. Create a recurring date in your diary that is non-negotiable. If you can take time away from your desk whether you book a room in the office or go to a local coffee shop the change of scene can be great to spark fresh thinking!
One Medical Affairs Lead I spoke to said she does it on a monthly basis to make sure it happens.
Put the time in to review your current strategy every month - are you on track, what needs to adapt or change. This reaps rewards, you will be able to anticipate challenges as they come up and amend your strategy and tactics so that constantly stay relevant.
Despite busy schedules, it's crucial to carve out time for strategic planning to:
Clarify Objectives: Understand the "why" behind your work.
Prioritise Tasks: Focus on high-impact activities that align with goals.
Communicate Effectively: Share your priorities with colleagues to avoid misunderstandings.
Stay Focused: Avoid distractions and maintain a clear direction.
By investing time in strategy, Medical Affairs professionals can improve efficiency, enhance collaboration, and ultimately deliver greater impact.
At Wolf Medical we specialise in supporting Medical Affairs teams with getting clear on their Medical Strategy so they can deliver visible impact. We can support you in a variety of ways, through training, coaching and consultancy.
If you or your team want to master strategy for 2025 then email at info@WolfMedical.ie us for information on our Mastering Medical Affairs Strategy Course running in January. Get ready to revolutionise your results in 2025.
