Don’t Make This ONE Mistake If You Want a Long Career in Medical Devices
What if a single misstep today could close doors on your career tomorrow?
In this episode of Secrets in Medical Device Sales, The Girls of Grit delve into a crucial topic that can make or break careers: burning bridges. They discuss the long-lasting impact of our actions and how seemingly small decisions can have a ripple effect in the close-knit world of medical device sales.
They share personal anecdotes about professional relationships, offering insights into the importance of maintaining a solid reputation, even in challenging situations.
Whether it's handling tricky interactions with managers or navigating exits from companies, this episode highlights why choosing your words and actions wisely is essential for future career success.
Join the conversation to uncover the secret behind turning critical moments into opportunities for growth rather than regret.
Episode Chapter Markers
00:00 Introduction
01:43 The Importance of Not Burning Bridges
03:55 Real-Life Consequences of Burning Bridges
06:01 A Cautionary Tale from the Skies
08:01 Building Bridges: Strategies for Success
15:59 Professional Exit Strategies
19:13 Staying Connected: The Power of Networking
20:57 Choose Your Sparks Wisely
Must-Hear Insights and Key Moments
Reputation in Medical Device Sales: In the close-knit world of medical device sales, maintaining a positive reputation is crucial, as burning bridges can lead to missed opportunities.
Unexpected Encounters: A chance meeting on a flight serves as a reminder that professionalism matters, even in the most unexpected situations.
Valuing Past Relationships: Building and maintaining good relationships with former colleagues or managers can open doors to future career opportunities.
The Ripple Effect: Even the smallest negative actions can have long-lasting impacts, affecting professional growth and reputation.
Building Bridges: Cooling off before reacting emotionally and focusing on building, not burning, professional relationships is essential for long-term success.
Words of Wisdom: Standout Quotes from This Episode
"You better choose those sparks wisely because even the smallest embers can close doors forever." — Anneliese Rhodes
"Don’t burn those bridges; it’s so important to stay connected and be positive with everybody." — Anneliese Rhodes
“It's important that you just continue to keep just being on the up and up.” — Anneliese Rhodes
“Don't have that negative reputation because it will follow you around.” — Anneliese Rhodes
"If you burn bridges, you lose opportunities for the future." — Cynthia Ficara
"Your reputation will precede you because this industry is a very small, tight-knit community." — Cynthia Ficara
"A single bad moment can ripple through your entire career, so choose wisely." — Cynthia Ficara
“Stay in your lane, do the things that build a professional strong road for you to cross from one side to the other.” — Cynthia Ficara
Follow The Girls of Grit:
We'd Love to Hear Your Stories!
Your experiences are important to us. Share how you've navigated catalysts for growth and personal transformation. Connect with us on social media or leave a review on your preferred podcast platform. Your feedback and stories inspire us and guide future episodes!
A Team Dklutr production
Blog Transcript:
Note: We use AI transcription so there may be some inaccuracies
Anneliese Rhodes: Welcome to another episode of Secrets in Medical Device Sales brought to you by the Girls of Grit. We are so happy to have all of you tuning in every week and writing to us with all of your questions. We love hearing from you guys. And today we're talking about another great topic we're excited about.
Cindy and I have been pinging off of one another on this one.
Cynthia Ficara: You know, it's crazy because there are so many things that we do day in and day out that sometimes we don't even realize till you step back and look at the trail you leave behind, part of this podcast is making sure all of you are taking a step in the right direction. So we're excited about today.
Anneliese Rhodes: Yeah, we really are. And, today we're talking about the burning of bridges.
Cynthia Ficara: Just thinking.
Burning Bridges Risks in Medical Device Sales
Anneliese Rhodes: Right. And, I mean that obviously everybody knows what burning bridges means in personal life, but you absolutely can do this also in your professional life, and medical device sales are no different than any other job out there in the world, except we tend to be quite incestuous and we're also very small. It's actually a really small world when you get right down to it, Cindy, it's crazy how many people I know and I have, that I've known through the years through companies that are what we call retreads.
You know, they leave one company and they go to another. Sometimes they're your competitors. Sometimes they're your managers. Sometimes they are your underlings and you train them truly. And then the next thing, you know, they're working for another company and you're calling them up being like, hey, remember me.
Cynthia Ficara: And you want them to take that call excitedly, not be like, oh I'm not answering that. Click. Yes. Not talking to her.
Anneliese Rhodes: Yeah. And that, you know, that's what we're talking about is burning those bridges. And so like you said, sometimes we do things and we don't even realize just kind of brush over it, but this is a really important topic, you guys, because this not only, is really important to talk about because it'll happen to you, whether you realize it or not, but for future successes and where you want to go in your career, especially in medical devices, you have to be so careful with this one.
Cynthia Ficara: Exactly. And, you know, especially if you're younger in your career, probably not thinking the actions you're doing today could risk your future. So what does that mean? What can you actually risk? Okay. So again, very simply burning a bridge is where you did not do something you were supposed to do, or maybe you reacted negatively.
Maybe you just told off a manager and now they never want to speak to you again. You all of us have had those relationships when we were younger, junior high, Oh, I'm never talking to her again, or you say something mean and then you can think back now to high school. If you saw them today, you'd be like, Oh, I remember how they were.
You have to understand that the reputation you're building as you go, we'll stay with you. So the risk, what's at risk, your risk of burning bridges in medical device sales is number one. Loss of opportunity because you do something wrong. That's potential future collaborations. You know, Lisa, you just mentioned all these people you see could see again.
Weren't you just telling me you ran into somebody on a plane? Oh my gosh.
Small World in Medical Sales
Anneliese Rhodes: So weird. Yes. It was last night. Oh my God. I was on a plane, headed back from a meeting and we're all in our different worlds, right? And I'm tired, and I'm stressed, and I'm like, Oh, now I got these two flights I gotta hop on.
And I just switched seats last minute, Cindy, to get a seat at the window, so I could just, like, kind of curl up and, like, be in my own world for all of, like, just 10-15 minutes of just, like, zoning out and listening to music. Anyhow, I see this guy, and he kind of looks at me a little bit like, Oh, now I gotta get up, let her in.
And I'm like, okay, well, dude, you gotta get up. So I got up, I went to sit in this little jump seat because it was so small and that was it, right? And then there was another dude that sat in between us and I was kind of just in my own world and then I got a call from one of my physicians.
So I started talking to him and I started talking to him about procedures and devices and you know, we were talking about some different things and then I hung up. And again, went into my world. Well, the middle guy in the middle of the flight gets up and he goes to use the restroom. And that leaves an open space where the dude from the beginning looks over at me and he goes, What do you do for a living?
What devices do you sell? Because he had heard me saying something. And I'm like, Oh, I work for, you know, so and so. And this is what I do. And he's like, guess who I work for? I'm like, who? Now, mind you, I'm super non-observant at this point, because then he points to his shirt that he's wearing, and lo and behold, it's the same company as the company I work for, Cindy.
And I don't know the guy, okay? So it's like, I cannot believe here I was and I was kind of a little bit miffed that he was kind of being a jerk and I'm like, Oh my gosh, this just shows you that you never know who you're going to run into in an airport, in an airplane. Right. And it turns out that this guy is, he's in a different division than I am, but still like.
I never know. I mean, he could have been the president of that division, right? So it's like you never know. And you just have to be so careful because that, as you mentioned, that loss of opportunity, that could be a future collaboration that I might have with this guy. So we ended up exchanging. Exactly.
Yeah. We ended up exchanging business cards and telephone numbers and, now I got the guy in my back pocket. Never know Cindy, when I might need him.
Cynthia Ficara: Exactly. But what if you would have said something bad or something negative and he's right there? Years ago when I was a nurse, probably one of the best things I learned, they said this in nursing school, but it pertains to everybody's medical device.
And if they haven't told you this yet, please listen, never, ever, ever have a conversation on an elevator. Thank you. You know, it comes from HIPAA. You know, I can remember we'd come from lunch and they would say, do not discuss any patient on an elevator because you never know who's coming on or who's around you.
And there are moments where you're wrapped up in something bad or you're tired and you're hungry, but on a plane, so yes, you professionally answer what you need to answer, and good thing you didn't go, Oh my God, this company or whatever, anybody's around you, you know? So your reputation will precede you because what if he then was going to hire you in a future job?
It's crazy how that opportunity happened. That's what's at risk. If you burn bridges, you lose opportunities for the future. You can have a negative reputation, believe me, it will follow you through because this industry is a very small tight-knit community, small like I have one doctor say, why forget who's working for whomever you guys all kind of cycle through?
Anneliese Rhodes: So true. It's so true, but it is so tight. We're retreads. We, you know, we're incestual. When you leave one company, you go to the next, some hop from, you know, the same position to the same position, some climb the ladder, but it's so important. It's important that you just continue to keep being on the up and up.
Reputation Matters: Building or Burning Bridges
Don't have that negative reputation because it will follow you around and that's the sad thing once you get that reputation, Cindy, man, that's hard to break.
Cynthia ficará: Yep. The old ripple effect, right? People know and it happens. And you know, the ripple effect kind of can also pertain to burning a bridge, you know, because you burn one, it stays with you.
Nursing just jumped in my head. So I need to give you one quick example. This is many years ago, and I worked in a certain unit and lo and behold, my first job was with a sales company that ironically had me calling back on the unit I worked at now. Granted, when I was a nurse before even going in to be an MP, didn't even realize medical devices existed.
Had no idea. I'd be in sales someday. I thought I was going to be an MP forever. So ironically, this same, who was my nurse manager happened to still be in this role years later, and I ended up, she was literally the gatekeeper to the biggest conversion this hospital hadn't had in 25 years.
Thankfully. I built a bridge and didn't burn it and she welcomed me in and presented what we needed to do. I got the conversion. I need to flip that for a second. There was a coworker of mine who she and I were close and always kind of together. And they tell you, you know, to be careful of the company you keep because of fear of association, she and I are very different personality-wise.
She did not like this nurse manager. She would go into meetings and just butt up against her. And literally, when she left, I remember she was just like, well, I'm out of here. And you can just like the old, take this job and shove it. Oh yeah, she had words with her, like all those things you want to say, but don't ever say,
Anneliese Rhodes: Absolutely. You don't say them.
Cynthia Ficara: Can you imagine if that was me? Then I wouldn't have gotten that conversion. That conversion was one of the biggest talking points in my next job interview, which got me to my next job, which got me where I'm going. So like all of these things. This little ripple effect is so, so important that we thought it was really important that we talk about this today and reveal a secret because there's a secret.
And we think about something as simple as burning bridges. I'm going to let you reveal the secret, Lisa. What is our secret?
Choose Your Sparks Wisely
Anneliese Rhodes: You better choose those sparks wisely because even the smallest embers can close doors forever. And what does that mean? Right? Exactly what you just said. You better choose the words, your reactions, your emotions, and how you act very wisely because even the smallest little member of something ugly or bad is going to follow you forever.
And it could potentially close those doors. Like you just said, you had been wise with the way that you handled that lady. And that led to a conversion, which then led to another job for you, which then led to a promotion for you and a fantastic job. So again, choose your sparks wisely because even the smallest little embers can close doors forever.
The Cost of Ghosting and Burning Bridges
Cynthia Ficara: And, you know, to follow up on one thing, I just remembered that same nurse at the time left the hospital and it was like eight years later, came back and tried to get a job in a separate unit while that manager was best friends with, again, she still worked there. She never left. Yeah. She blocked her and she never caught that job.
I mean, it's crazy. So it's crazy. We mentioned that, but I want to give some more examples just so you think about this in your everyday life. So number one, never lash out at your manager, which I know is kind of extreme. Here's a silent but deadly weapon for ghosting clients. Like you may not think that that's burning a bridge or even your colleagues.
If you just don't answer, you don't respond, you don't communicate, then they'll just be like, you know, people assume when there's not enough communication, that receiving end is going to assume either they don't like me or whatever, or maybe you didn't want to confront something you wanted to and you just decided I'm just going to go somewhere.
I'm not talking to them. I don't like that. Well, guess what? They may resurface and you may have to speak to them. What's that going to do?
Anneliese Rhodes: Yeah, absolutely. And that's quite childish, by the way. I mean, really, I don't know who would ghost their customers, but I know people probably ghost their managers. If they don't want to answer something, the manager is asking them something.
That's not your job to ghost them. You need to reply to them. Even if it's a difficult situation, it's your job to handle that situation. You handle it inappropriately and childishly, like ghosting. People are like, you know what? I don't have time for that. And they'll move on. I mean, you could get fired over something like that.
If you don't respond to certain things, another one, I think is, know, in line with getting fired is, let's just say, for example, if you do get let go, you just haul butt, you just leave. You don't follow up, you don't give the company everything that they need. Yes. Maybe the firing wasn't an awesome situation, maybe it was a, you know, they were cutting back and they were letting employees go.
None of that is ever good. Right. But you want to still hold your head high and do that in the best way possible. Not returning a computer, not giving them the patient or the, not the patient, but the client files, know, not turning over all the information or the things that belong to the company and just leaving abruptly, that's just a crappy thing to do and people will remember that.
Honestly, you could probably even get sued over that because some of that stuff is the company's property. But you know, I've seen many people lose their minds over getting let go or downsizing. And man, that leaves a mark, Cindy.
Cynthia Ficara: It's awful. I'm really glad you brought that one up because I think that's really important let's be real when something like that happens, especially if it's abrupt, we all have emotions and most of us are women and we know what it's like to feel that pain of just, Oh my gosh, wait, my job is gone or now I'm leaving.
The Power of Mentors and Networking
We're not saying this is easy is what I'm trying to say. And you're right, but taking the high road is hard sometimes. And, you know, and I think this is a good time to, like, switch into talking about how we can build bridges and not burn them. Yes, and, you know, we just mentioned how it's so important to build, and that's why.
Okay. So networking. The collaboration that you need for your future and really establishing strong professional relationships will help you in all that you do. So let's just start with some simple strategies for building bridges and not burning them.
Anneliese Rhodes: That's right. Not burning them. First is, you know, hey, it's pretty obvious. Cool off, right? Put some water on that fire, baby. If you got a fire burning and you just feel those embers just kicking in and, you know, a spark here and a spark there.
That thing can cause a wildfire if you're not careful. And especially if you're upset about a situation, whether it is with a manager or it's with a colleague, or it's even with potentially a customer or just a situation.
Cool off first. Don't go head first into something because, you know, most of those times our emotions can get the best of us. And we have to learn how to manage that. That's your job. You know, it's a part of growing up. So cool off. Take a moment. Count to five. Do some headspace. Talk to somebody else about it before just, telling another person off.
Cynthia Ficara: And you know, that's a good time to have a mentor, you know, those moments where you're like, what do I do about this, have somebody to call it a lean on also think this is something I was thinking about earlier and this is a hard one.
But I think it's important. And this takes maturity and professionalism to agree to disagree respectfully just because something isn't right. Like, I think there are times when there isn't a right or a wrong. It's just, they want something and you want something else. And maybe it's divine intervention that you need to go in another direction.
It doesn't mean you have to have that, you like hastiness and that emotion tied to it, and sometimes this is where a mentor comes into great play, lays all the cards on the table, looks at the facts, and moves on.
Anneliese Rhodes: Yeah. So that's a good one, Cindy. That's, and that's a hard one too. You know, when you think that you're right and everybody else is wrong.
You gotta be able to sit back a little bit and listen to others and hear their opinions and their thoughts. And, that constructive criticism is really important. Don't just go off the handle and get upset when they're telling you something because it might be a good thing to learn.
Building Strong Professional Bridges
You know, another thing that I think I just touched on a little bit earlier was, let's just say that you are leaving a company, whether you decided to leave the company and you're going for a better one. Job, you know, a new job, something, that's either going to make more money or a better position in the new company, or you were downsized or you were let go.
A professional exit strategy is so important. You know, just like I mentioned before, don't get angry. Don't get mad. Don't be, you know, oh, I don't have time for this. Even if you're leaving and you're going, it's all positive. Keep it positive. You know, one thing I've always done Cindy is, I've left several companies and gone to different opportunities, whether it's in the same field, but a lot of times it's in different fields in medicine.
And I have always, written my manager's thank you letters, made sure that I did all the right things, dotted every I, crossed every T, took care of all the expenses, returned all the property that the company owned, I just made sure I did all the right things. You know, that's what I would want.
If I had an employee leaving, I would want somebody to take care of what they're supposed to take care of so that I, myself don't have to clean up the messes, but I think it's also a good thing because I see those people, Cindy, again and again and again at meetings. And we all have such a great relationship.
It's very collegial and respectful. Never not once left a company and somebody's like, Oh, that girl's a, you know, you know what? We all have really good working relationships. And it's funny because I've run into them again and again, and I've needed them for things. So I think that's so important.
Cynthia Ficara: I love that you talked about giving proper notice that you're leaving or a proper exit strategy. And so clearly you're not going into blasting, take this job and shove it on your iPhone. So I'd like you to take this a step further. Can you give us an example? Of what you would write. You said, thank you.
Can you just tell me in a few words what you would write or what you would say if you were leaving, you know, or exiting in a way that's, you know, just give us an example of something to say if there's anybody out there kind of struggling at this moment going, Oh, gosh, well, what would I write?
Anneliese Rhodes: That's actually a great question. You know, it doesn't have to be super long, but it needs to be thoughtful and it just needs to say, you know, dear so and so, whoever the manager was, it was such a pleasure working for you. It was an honor to work for the company. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with you guys.
Thank you for collaborating with me on XYZ. I wish you the best in all of your endeavors, I look forward to seeing you again soon at meetings down the road. Let's keep in touch. Here's my email. Here's my cell phone, you know, and anytime you need anything, I'm here for you. And they may not need me. Excellent.
Cynthia Ficara: They may not need me. That's so perfect because you touched on everything and the most important thing that you said in there is how you said, thank you for, or I like to X, Y, Z, if you pull out 1 positive thing, no matter how long you work there. There's always something good we can take.
And honestly, that may be the difference you know, here's my number, whatever, you never know a year and a half down the road, they may remember, hey, Lisa said to me, I liked this. What if they're building a whole new product from this area? And it's good because I think when you write that, it puts you in a better head space. And you do look at, okay, this end may not be either what I want, what I was looking for, or I'm ready to leave.
But at the same time, what was good? And everything we do depends on where we go. I loved the interview we did with Patricia Showcat and what an amazing job trail she had to get where she was. So it's all for a longer road. It's so great.
Anneliese Rhodes: Absolutely. I agree with you. I think, you know, along that note is staying connected with all these people, right?
Even if you're leaving them. And so in that same example, Cindy, I send Christmas cards to a ton of my old managers and old colleagues. I mean, I think I have like, I send out like 200 Christmas cards a year, but like 50 of them, a hundred percent are going to people that I worked with in other companies that I no longer work with, but I still keep in touch with them.
And when we see each other, it's like no time lost, you know? I know about their kids. I know their wives or husbands. I mean, it's fun. You know, it's all about staying in touch with people that you care about because you never know one day you might need them in the field where they're at, you may need a favor because you know, your father or mother or brother or sister or aunt or uncle needs this procedure done and they happen to be the manager for this company. You never know. So, you know, again, don't burn those bridges. It's so important to stay connected and be positive with everyone you come in contact with.
Cynthia Ficara: It's crazy to say that whoever came up with the analogy of burning bridges, it just makes so much sense.
Like, if you picture one of the largest bridges in the world, you know, the Golden Gate Bridge, you know, what happens when one of those little, we said before about kindling or small fires can turn big. What if some of that construction is on one of those supports? Starts to get loose and starts to go bad and then so that could be you in your job and then say you go to another job and then picture that the next pillar of the Golden Gate Bridge and then you burn a bridge that was going to happen when that road collapses into the water.
How the heck do you get to the other side? Do you know how long it's going to take to build the Golden Gate Bridge again? I mean, you only get one lifetime. You only get one time in your life to have the privilege to build a career. Why not make it strong and long as big as the Golden Gate Bridge?
Because I think that there is something that I want everybody to kind of take home from talking about burning bridges, which seems simple, yet it's not. And I think the mindset shift of really understanding how to take challenges, put them in a professional perspective and understand the importance, really emphasize and understand the importance of what goes around, comes around.
Because I have watched it in my lifetime. I have seen that play out. And if you're one of those people who have sat and thought of somebody like, ah, karma, wait till she gets her turn. I just want to be around to see it, you know? And then you think, why does that person always get away with stuff? Oh, you watch out, my dear, because their time is coming. After all, I've actually seen that somebody I've known for a long time is in my head right now, that you're like, always the easy way, always getting the way out.
We are now, not so much. So don't worry about everybody else. Don't worry about what else is going on around you. If you're going to cross that bridge, it's got to be a strong support. Stay in your lane, and do the things that build a professional strong road for you to cross from one side to the other.
Anneliese Rhodes: Yes, and remember, choose those sparks wisely, because even the smallest little embers can close those doors forever. In a world where every decision matters, today we are discussing those critical moments where we make a choice to either swing the hammer and build a bridge, or light a match and burn it down.
