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Skot Waldron:
Hello, everybody. Welcome to another episode of Unlocked, where we talk about unlocking the potential of people in order to unlock our organizations and ultimately humanity. And this is an fun show today. There is a woman that I'm going to interview that is the queen of networking. Sherry is going to talk to us a little bit about what she's doing right now, just one thing that she's doing out of the 20, but she's going to talk a little bit about that and how that applies to leadership, how that applies to culture, how that applies to marketing, how that applies to gaining influence. There's a lot to unpack around the central idea of what she's involved with right now. Attitudinal behaviors, how do we unlock those attitudinal behaviors to gain influence with others? And so, it's a really good discussion. I had a lot of fun. Sherry's really easy to talk to, and she has a lot going on. So, let's get started with the interview. You ready? Let's go.
Welcome to the show, Cheryl. It's great to see you, and I am excited to talk about this. This. That's a teaser, that's our teaser. Right? We're going to talk about this, so nobody really knows at this point. So, thanks for being on the show.
Sherry Fox:
You're welcome, Skot. And please do call me Sherry. I forgot to change the name.
SKOT WALDRON:
Oh.
SHERRY FOX:
I'll do that now.
SKOT WALDRON:
Cheryl, is that what your mother calls you?
SHERRY FOX:
Cheryl's my real name, but I always go by Sherry. Like the wine. Good context.
SKOT WALDRON:
Okay. You got it. You got it. Sherry. It's on. So, you talk a lot about leveraging data, technology, insight to transform healthcare. So, I'm going to immediately come at you, and I'm going to say, well, shouldn't everything we do be measured by technology, insights, and data? What's different about your approach? Why do you think in that way, and why do you lead with that?
SHERRY FOX:
That's an interesting question. Technically and theoretically, yes, everything should be driven by data, insights, and technology, but I haven't seen, at least in the healthcare industry, people putting all those three things together, at least not as yet. I think a lot of companies focus on either the data or the insights or the technology, but it's the integration or intersection of all three of those things that really make the difference and understanding that so that you can better understand your customer and create unique customer experiences to unlock the potential of your marketplace is really the secret that we're going after.
SKOT WALDRON:
And I like what you did there. That was very nice.
SHERRY FOX:
Of course you did.
SKOT WALDRON:
Very well done. Very well done. I'll pay you for every time you say unlock.
SHERRY FOX:
Okay. I'm checking it off.
SKOT WALDRON:
Yeah. There you go. There you go. Tally marks. Well, that's cool. I like that. I like that thinking of, "Hold on. Instead of just thinking about these individual, why don't we think about them together and think about what that means for the future of healthcare?" And you are, I assume, doing that right now with Global Vaccine Advisors, right? At Global Vaccination Advise... Is it Vaccination Advisors?
SHERRY FOX:
Vaccination. Yep. Yep.
SKOT WALDRON:
Global Vaccination Advisers, you're putting this into practice.
SHERRY FOX:
Exactly.
SKOT WALDRON:
Tell me about that. How are you doing that? Tell us about Global Vaccination Advisers, what that is, and what it means for us right now.
SHERRY FOX:
So, basically what we're seeing... And COVID is on everybody's mind right now, and especially with the vaccines out now, COVID vaccination is on everyone's mind. So, first and foremost, the challenges, how and where can I get my vaccine? And I, by the way, just had my second dose today, on the anniversary of the actual pandemic, so it's very fortuitous we're doing this interview today. And that's rightly so, people are worried about how to get it, how to access it. Those are the people that want to be vaccinated. And that's fantastic. But what we're concerned about in Global Vaccination Advisors are the people that may not want to be vaccinated for whatever reason and everyone has their reasons. And some have to do with science, and some has to do with safety and some have to do with misinformation. And there's all kinds of things. But what we need to do is unlock the attitudinal and emotional drivers and barriers to vaccination.
So, understanding why some people want to be vaccinated and why others want to be vaccinated at a very visceral, emotional, and attitudinal level will enable us to then craft messaging that's very targeted and personalized to various population segments. That's where the data comes in. So, we're going to use data to segment populations, then interview them, getting the insights about why they are driven to get vaccinated or why they have a barrier to vaccination, and use those insights and, through technology, deliver that targeted messaging, whether that tech be social media, whether it be big media platforms, whatever it is, but they have to be trusted communication channels. So, by understanding all of that, we can, again, unlock the drivers and the barriers, understand people a little bit better, and then meet them where they are to do the right thing, to get vaccinated, and get back to that new normal that everybody wants to get back to.
SKOT WALDRON:
Okay. Very cool. Yeah. I'm going to not have any money left over by the time this interview is over. I'll be paying you present unlock, but that's-
SHERRY FOX:
Okay.
SKOT WALDRON:
I love how you just intertwined those three things. I get exactly what you're talking about now. That's a great example of how you're using those three in order to create change and what you're doing. Right? I don't care what industry you're in, you can learn from those insights and understand how you can use the data to segment, use the insights from qualitative analysis, and use that to leverage the technology in the correct way. Instead of just focusing on the technology, because everybody says, "Hey, we need to use this technology," it's like, "Well, that's cool. The technology's there, but how are we going to use it to be the most effective in what we do?" Right?
SHERRY FOX:
A great example of that is artificial intelligence, and you're right about all industries, so this is even beyond healthcare. Everybody is saying, "Ooh, artificial intelligence, it's this shiny new toy." And then they say, "Oh, we have to get AI into our company and into what we're doing." And then they start looking around and saying, "Okay, but how exactly are we going to use that AI?" And what's important when you think about AI as a technology is understanding what you want the AI to do. So, it's not just about getting in AI, it's about figuring out how you're going to apply the AI to transform your business, so whether that's understanding your customers better, understanding your employees better, or discovering new drug molecules, even, you have to understand what your end application is in order to effectively apply the right AI tools to do what it is you want to do. So, that's another aspect of what we're working on.
SKOT WALDRON:
Good point. How are you using collaboration to move this forward?
SHERRY FOX:
So, obviously, everybody is talking about COVID and COVID vaccination, and many firms and many organizations are already doing a lot to encourage vaccination. You've already seen the public service announcements. Just this morning, the former presidents and First Ladies were on a PSA encouraging people to get vaccinated. What has to happen, though, is to bring all of these disparate efforts together into a united effort and ensure that we're getting to those, like I said, underlying attitudinal and emotional drivers that will unlock the true reasons for or against vaccination.
Using those drivers and barriers, we can leverage those things that are driving vaccination and overcome barriers to vaccination so that the messaging that's put out there is very targeted to what people are feeling. So, not just saying, "Oh, it's safe. Oh, the science is there. Oh, it's been tested. All the former presidents are getting it." It's, "What is it that you were missing, you as a person are missing? What is it that you want to get back to? What is it that getting vaccinated will bring to you?" And by understanding that, we will be able to solve the problem and maximize vaccination as much as we can.
SKOT WALDRON:
So, you're talking a lot about the emotional drivers of things. Right?
SHERRY FOX:
Yes.
SKOT WALDRON:
As a brand strategist and talking a lot to individuals, whether... I spent a lot of time through my career doing the external marketing, branding, design world, but now I've shifted a lot to internal. What that means is an internal brand. How do we develop an internal brand worth following? How do we develop a leadership brand worth following? Right? How do you develop a culture brand worth following? And so, a lot of those things we think we can just check off boxes, we think it's like, "Oh, let's just get this celebrity," or, "Hey, let's just say this thing," because this is what we have to do. Right? Check box, check box, check box. Get the president, get the First Lady to say something.
SKOT WALDRON:
But really, there's going to be a barrier there to gaining influence with individuals, and everybody's going to have that wall up. What do you have to do to bring down that wall? Or how'd that person feel safe enough to bring down their own wall? And you're talking about a lot about emotional triggers. Right? So, yes, we purchase things with our mind, but ultimately we make decisions with our heart and how that's going to drive. Is that what you believe?
SHERRY FOX:
Yes. It's that connection between brain, heart, and gut, even, that really drives human behavior. And as a fellow brand strategist for all of my career, you really do have to understand those underlying motivators to understand any behavior, be it buying behavior, choice behavior, social behavior, and then ultimately vaccination behavior. So, yes, I completely agree that you really have to look at all three and really drill into the person and become very person-centric. As you say, developing personal brands, understanding where each person's coming from, and meeting them where they are to really help them realize what it is they need to achieve what they want to achieve.
SKOT WALDRON:
So, we're talking about this. In essence, we're trying to sell an idea, we're trying to sell a thing. Right? And every company is dealing with this. Right? A service, a product, an idea, whatever it is. And we have to gain influence with that individual in order to have that happen in order to create that transaction. Right? And I'm talking very non-touchy feely right now about what this is. So, we talk about that in this light, but leaders are doing that every day. Right? Leaders and managers, and even employees are trying to sell something, whether it's them in an interview, whether it's an idea to their upper management, whether it's, "I'm selling this vision to my team." So, what can we learn about what you're doing? What insights do you have from what you're doing that we could apply to also leadership?
SHERRY FOX:
So, I guess the answer to that really lies in, again, putting yourself in the other person's shoes and walking in their shoes and understanding their perspective, and then you meet them where they are. So, it requires a lot of listening, it requires a lot of playing back what you think the person needs, and it's coming up with the value proposition that tells them what's in it for them. Right? What are they going to get out of a relationship, an engagement with you, a collaboration or partnership with you? And that's in any relationship. That could be an employer/employee relationship, that could be in a client/customer relationship, a doctor/patient relationship, any relationship.
And it's really about that mutual empathy, mutual understanding, and respect for each other that you're really going to be able to form those partnerships and really take the whole engagement to the next level. And I've been really finding that in much of the work I've been doing since I started future health strategies and consulting and taking on different engagements. It's been really rewarding to form those really close relationships, and leading to all kinds of innovation and creative ideas that are really energizing. It's the what's in it for them, and how can you get them as energized as you are about a certain idea? What's feeding their energy, what's feeding your energy, and find that common ground.
SKOT WALDRON:
Brilliant. Meeting them where they are. And how do we know where they are? We need to listen. Right? We need to be interested before interesting. That's really interesting to know that your perspective aligns really well with the whole leadership thing and also selling ideas and working with the vaccination world like you are and tackling that problem. Because you can't just push, push, push your ideas, push your ideas on somebody, push your ideas on somebody, and then complain that nobody's adopting your ideas. Right? We see that all the time. Right? It's like someone coming in and just, "We're going to do this. Here we go. Here it is. Get it done. I'll see you later." And it's like, "Whoa, what? What just happened there?" And then they wonder why there's no compliance or why there's no engagement, I guess, afterwards. And so, I can see that happening a lot. And I think there's aspects of the vaccination initiative that are taken... feeling both ends of that.
SHERRY FOX:
It's funny, I was just talking to a relatively new industry colleague that I just connected with, and I was saying to her, "You have this knack for turning people around, even after they're trying to blow you off," because I actually did try to blow her off in our first phone call. And we ended up, instead, something she said to me made me pivot 180 degrees, and now we're actually partnering and talking about an expanded partnership for the future. And I said, "How exactly are you doing that?" And she said, "You know what it is? It's having people think that it's their idea."
So, whatever she did, and I don't know how she did it. I'll have to introduce her and you'll have to have her on your program, too. However she did it, it's making people that something is their idea, but it's really your idea, but you make them think it's their idea. So, rather than be deceptive, though, it's empathetic. It's so aligned with them that you understand what their need is and have them think they came up with the idea that you're then aligned with. So, I thought that was brilliant. I thought that was brilliant, and I'm working on that, on how to collaborate with people in that way. I think it's a great way to find common ground.
SKOT WALDRON:
It is. It is a great way to do it. And there's advantages to that, for sure. Right? And psychological advantages and just unifying advantages on both sides that help us gain common ground in that world. So, I'm going to read this list of things you're involved with. Okay? Because I can't remember them.
SHERRY FOX:
Okay.
SKOT WALDRON:
Business growth advisory, you do insight consulting, clinical trial services, you have Global Vaccination Advisors that you're working on, you have a business focus on an older market, older individuals in the market, et cetera. Okay? I'm just going to say, you're kind of doing a lot of different things. Right? And even before this interview, you have been on a rampage referring me out, sharing my content, connecting me with people that I just talked to this week. Awesome. So grateful. How do you leverage your network with all these things you're doing to get things done?
SHERRY FOX:
So, that's exactly it. It's all about the network. So, all of these ideas and all of these initiatives have grown from the extensive network I've been doing since beginning last year, shortly after the pandemic started. And I've always been an innovator, I've always been energized by thinking up new ideas, new products, new services, and it almost seems that everyone I talk to or reconnect with, there's either a business idea or there's another connection I can make. And I've always been that way. I've been referred to in my industry as the Queen of Networking. And there was another gentleman that also was a very good networker, and he used to call himself the King of Networking, so we joked we were the King and Queen of Networking.
But I really think it's all about leveraging your network and being open to new ideas and new things, and trying new and different ways of approaching things. You need to stay in touch with people, you need to nurture your network, and you need to be giving. I'm a firm believer in what goes around, comes around and paying it forward. So, you do something for someone else and without any expectation that you're going to get something back from them, but eventually, in the scheme of things, it's going to come back to you somehow. Maybe through another person, maybe through another connection, but it's all going to come together at some point. I'm really excited. Recently, I've joined a nonprofit board that's developing STEM education for high schools. I didn't even put that on the list.
SKOT WALDRON:
Yeah, I was about to say, "Oh, we didn't even mention that one." All right.
SHERRY FOX:
Because I didn't have enough to do, so I have to think of new things to do. But really excited. And just in talking to the other board members and brainstorming, we came up with the idea of approaching pharma and biotech to support this nonprofit, and to actually sponsor their future talent pipeline by investing in talent. And now we're looking to access our various networks to make those connections and really look to invest in the future talent in the healthcare system, because it's dwindling, as we know. I don't know, if you're open to the possibilities, the possibilities come to you. I'm a firm believer in that, being open to the possibilities and seeing the possibilities, and keeping up with those network connections.
SKOT WALDRON:
Just being open. Right? Like you said, having our doors open, because we don't know what's going to walk through, and having that exposure will at least give us an opportunity to say yes or no to that thing. We don't have to say yes to everything, but it's the opportunity that presents itself that wouldn't have been there if we were closed off to begin with.
SHERRY FOX:
Exactly. Another great example of unlocking potential.
SKOT WALDRON:
Unlock it. Unlock it, girl. You got it. I love it. I love it. Hey, what would you say, what's the advice that you would give to these future leaders you're talking about? What's the advice you would give them as they move forward through their careers, as they move forward through building teams and their businesses, and even as personal brands, what's the advice you give them?
SHERRY FOX:
So, to the point you just made about maybe not saying yes to everything, one of my adages has been, you've got to let go in order to grow. So, it's about bringing junior people along, bringing mentoring, coaching, bringing people along with you, helping them to grow their careers, making connections for them, making introductions for them, and helping them to see how they can tap into their own potential, unlock their potential, to really grow in their careers and continue to move forward and develop into the next generation leadership that we're going to need. So, let go in order to grow, don't say yes to everything, but then again, no is not in my vocabulary so that's sort of a contradiction. So, if I'm not saying yes, I might say, "And we can do it this way instead. And here's another solution."
And I think, also, be open to collaboration. Another watch word I use is there are no competitors, only potential collaborators, so I think that's another thing to keep in mind. Rather than be very closed, again, being open to the opportunity, open to where the collaborations are, where you can utilize others to move forward your own initiatives and agenda. I think that's really important, too. And it's really been useful in everything we're doing. I mean, Global Vaccination Advisers is basically a passion project of mine. We have no funding, we have no money, and we're just doing it out of the goodness of our heart and the goodness of other people who are volunteering with us. So, lots of people are coming together to rally behind it, and we're hoping that as the word gets out, we'll get a lot more support.
SKOT WALDRON:
So, what can people do to get involved? What's the next step for Global Vaccination Advisors and how people can help?
SHERRY FOX:
So, the biggest thing we need to do is access all of the things that have been done already and get them brought together in one place. So, we're actively working on doing that and seeing what initiatives are already underway. We want to make sure we're incorporating that attitudinal and emotional spin on things to make sure that data being collected is taking that spin. We're actually running a pilot project with Seton Hall University. I'll give them a shout out here. The student team has been phenomenal and putting together some preliminary insights on those attitudinal and emotional drivers.
We are also working collaboration with the Vanguard Forum for Leadership to launch a series of podcasts on vaccination, and we're going to be having a bunch of speakers and guests to speak on various topics. So, anyone who's interested in speaking, supporting, sponsoring, we're doing a call for action to the world, basically. And anything that your company or organization's currently doing, obviously we're looking for funding, so all funding offers are welcome. And any way anyone would like to get involved, we're welcome to all comers. We're not excluding anyone, and the more the merrier, as far as we're concerned in getting this done.
SKOT WALDRON:
Very cool. Sherry, I feel like we have gotten a twinkle-sized bite of your brain into this interview and that's it like. I feel like there's so much more in there based on your experience and where you've been and who you know. I Would just love to sit there and talk to you about the people you know. Your network has to be insane. So, I appreciate you being here and talking with us about this topic. And good luck on what you're doing. If there's anybody, I can connect you with, let me know, I'm here. Search my network. Let me know. I'd love to connect you with people that can help you move any initiatives you're doing forward.
SHERRY FOX:
I am sure we will be keeping in touch, Skot, and I so appreciate you having me on today and the opportunity to talk about some of these really exciting and interesting things that are going on. And imparting, I would encourage everyone who's listening, get that vaccination as soon as you are able. Max vacs.
SKOT WALDRON:
All right, good job. I will put all the show notes in here, people can click those and get in touch with you. And thanks again for being here.
SHERRY FOX:
Sounds great. Thank you so much, Skot.
SKOT WALDRON:
... in order to grow. How many of us need to hear that advice? Let go in order to grow. We hold on too tightly to an idea, to a concept, to a process, and we aren't opening ourselves up for that opportunity that Sherry was speaking about. We need to open ourselves up, let the opportunity in, decide what we want to do with that, empower ourselves with opportunities to go forward. Another, no competitors, only collaborators. That's an interesting thought. How many of us should adopt that thought of shoving everything away because we're afraid, because we're afraid of competition, afraid of losing something, being vulnerable? Open ourselves up to the opportunity of collaboration. Good stuff. I love it. The Queen of Innovation.
SKOT WALDRON:
There was a lot to unpack, again, in this interview, and I hope that you got some tidbits out of this that you can apply to you as a leader, to you as an individual, and to you as an organization. So, thanks a lot again, Sherry, for being on the show. If y'all want to find out more about me, you can go to Skotwaldron.com. You can go to my YouTube channel where all these interviews are posted. Like, subscribe, share, comment, do all those things. I really appreciate you. I appreciate Sherry. And we'll see you next time on Unlocked.
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