When a company brings on a new senior leader, first-day jitters can be expected for both the newcomer and seasoned employees. It’s impossible to know how well a team will mesh with a fresh hire — especially if that fresh hire is suddenly calling all the shots.
When RealSelf announced its new chief marketing officer, Hailey Sullivan, it would have been natural for the marketing team to feel a little nervous. But a quick look at Sullivan’s resume would assure anyone she knows what she’s doing. After all, she touts degrees from Yale and Columbia Business School, and honed her marketing chops at Mattel and MGA Entertainment.
But experience aside, Sullivan brings something else to the table: her commitment to building teams that are as empathetic and kind as they are hardworking.
“It’s imperative that we understand the people who choose to join us and work shoulder-to-shoulder with us,” Sullivan said. “The more we understand and empathize with each other, the better we work together.”
To learn more about Sullivan and what she has planned for her new team, Built In Seattle connected with the marketing leader. She filled us in on her experience and her bold vision for her tenure at RealSelf.
RealSelf is a beauty and healthtech company that aims to connect consumers seeking elective cosmetic procedures with trusted board-certified doctors.
Tell us a little bit about yourself. What position are you stepping into?
I recently joined RealSelf as the CMO, and I could not be more excited to join such a purposeful company.
I’m actually new to the beauty category. What I’m bringing to RealSelf is my background in brand development and marketing success from 11 years in the children’s entertainment and toys industry. I’ve had the privilege to manage some of the world’s most iconic brands, that were likely part of your childhood and are currently a memorable part of kids’ lives today. At first glance, these industries may seem disparate, but at the heart of both is the consumer.
When I was in toys, my job was to find ways to build meaningful connections with the kid, the parent and the family, as well as finding ways for my brands to be a seminal partner in kids’ holistic development. At RealSelf, the core job remains the same: to find ways to build meaningful connections with the consumers and be a pivotal partner at every point in their journey to realize their most confident and real selves.
We will leverage our entire platform, community and ecosystem of providers and partner brands to achieve this noble mission. I’m honored to help lead this effort.
I bring my authentic self to work each day and try to provide an environment where everyone feels safe to do so, too.”
How would you describe your leadership style, and how do you hope to apply this in your new role?
In terms of leadership style, each day I strive to be an “empathetic leader.” I choose both of those words carefully.
As a leader, I believe my job is not only to help set marketing strategy and direction, but also to make tough calls and have tough conversations. This part is hard and not necessarily the fun part of the job, but it’s critical to successful leadership. I always make the commitment to my teams that I invite all perspectives, feedback and pushback. When I make a decision, I will always explain it and give context.
The second part of my leadership style revolves around empathy. I constantly say that people run businesses and run the world. People operate RealSelf. And it’s imperative that we understand the people who choose to join us and work shoulder-to-shoulder with us. The more we understand and empathize with each other, the better we work together.
I love getting to know my teams — what excites them, what makes them tick, what they want to develop and why they choose RealSelf. Building this type of team culture starts with me being vulnerable. And so I bring my authentic self to work each day and try to provide an environment where everyone feels safe to do so, too.
