Q&A: Building Community

In animal health leadership, culture is often the difference between organizations that simply perform and those that truly thrive. For Laura Olsen, President North America at Dechra, and Board Member for Women In Leadership and Management in Animal Health (WILMAH), a healthy leadership culture begins with something foundational: authenticity. “People can’t trust you if they don’t know you,” she said, underscoring the importance of leaders showing up as themselves rather than a version shaped by expectation or hierarchy.

From that authenticity, she believes, trust naturally follows — and with it, the ability to build teams where open dialogue is not just encouraged but expected. “It’s about creating an environment where people are free to share their opinions, to disagree respectfully, to challenge respectfully,” Olsen said. In her view, the strongest cultures are those where debate strengthens ideas rather than undermines relationships.

At the center of it all is a commitment to people. Olsen often returns to a guiding principle she attributes to Richard Branson: “If you take care of your employees, they’ll take care of your customers.” For her, that means leaders must be intentional about investing in colleagues — helping them learn, grow and feel valued. “It all starts with colleagues,” she says. “That’s what drives the business.”

You recently stepped into the WILMAH community chair role. What does the concept of “community” mean to you today in the animal health landscape?

Laura Olsen: For me, it’s about creating a safe space where women and men can come together for highly engaging touchpoints. It’s a place where people can share their hopes, their dreams and the challenges they’re facing in the industry.

In today’s work environment — where many of us are remote, hybrid or in some cases fully in person — careers can feel increasingly isolating. As people grow in their careers, it can get lonelier.

Community is about creating a space where people can connect, learn and grow from one another in a safe environment. That’s really important to me. I also feel we don’t always prioritize our own development as much as we should. Serving as community chair is my way of giving back and helping others build the connections, mentors, coaches and allies we all need to be successful.

What’s your vision for strengthening the WILMAH community over the next few years?

Olsen: It’s about bringing people together with diverse backgrounds. For me, that means female leaders, of course, but also men. It includes leaders who are established today as well as those early in their careers.

Ultimately, I’d love to expand the community globally. We already have members outside the U.S., including in Europe and India. In today’s global work environment, there’s a real opportunity to strengthen those connections across geographies and learn from one another in a more intentional way.

How can the industry — beyond WILMAH — better support emerging leaders, especially those early in their careers?

Olsen: I’m passionate about redefining what leadership looks like.

When I started in the industry, there was a very clear and narrow picture of what a leader looked like. People often looked, sounded and acted the same. The focus was heavily on performance and business results, often at the expense of people and culture.

Since COVID, I think we’ve collectively begun to recognize the importance of what people sometimes call “softer skills” — though I don’t love that term. What really matters is emotional intelligence, empathy, and the ability to balance performance with support, and accountability with understanding.

As an industry, we need to broaden our definition of leadership so we recognize different types of leaders and different leadership styles.

Early in my career, I remember interviewing for a director role after being a brand manager. One piece of feedback I received was that I was “too soft” and needed more edge — needed to have more “grit.” What I took from that at the time was that I needed to change who I was in order to be successful.

I don’t think that model of leadership exists anymore, or at least it shouldn’t.

What matters now is authenticity. We need to help people early in their careers build confidence in who they are and how they lead. If people feel they must become someone else to succeed, they’ll struggle to reach their full potential as leaders.

What skills are important for the next generation of leaders?

Olsen: The number one skill is emotional intelligence, followed closely by a growth mindset.

Critical thinking is also essential. In the age of social media and AI, those skills can get diluted because we increasingly rely on systems to provide answers. When I was younger, I had to go to the library and use encyclopedias. There was an art and a discipline to learning — researching, evaluating and forming conclusions.

Today, we can ask a question and get an immediate answer. That increases productivity and efficiency, but if we’re not intentional, it can also weaken critical thinking skills. We have to actively work to maintain them.

Inclusivity is also critical. I prefer that term because it emphasizes the importance of bringing together different experiences and perspectives. In meetings, for example, my leadership team and I try to deliberately challenge each other — even when we agree.

If you don’t create an environment where people consciously challenge ideas, you risk reinforcing bias by surrounding yourself with people who think like you. You don’t always get the best answers that way.

So it’s important to have the right people in the room, challenge one another respectfully, and stay open to being challenged. That requires humility — the ability to say, “I don’t have all the answers,” and be comfortable with that.

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