Interview with Katie Kristofic, SPI Pharma

For this year’s International Women’s Day, our team at Slice is proud to celebrate women across the marketing and communications industry through an interview series.

This interview is with Katie Kristofic, , the Global Marketing Communications Manager at SPI Pharma. Read our full interview series here.

How do you define your leadership?

I take a mentor approach to leadership. The way your team gets stronger is by becoming the best possible versions of themselves individually. I believe it is critical to surround yourself with people who are subject matter experts in their field and to trust their judgement when they make recommendations. I’ve found this fosters collaboration, creativity and success for all.

How has your leadership changed in the past year?

The switch to not seeing people in person was an adjustment for everyone. Words matter more than they ever did when the people you’re communicating with can’t see the majority of your body language. I’ve become more measured in what I say and how I say it. Everyone has become a little more human over the past year in terms of what we see- there is a bigger window into personal spaces that was closed prior to COVID. I believe it has actually brought everyone closer and given a clear understanding of people as a whole person, not just their professional persona.

Can you share a story that demonstrates a key learning for you in your leadership journey?

There are all kinds of personalities out there. Common ground for all of them is the need to feel valued and appreciated. They need to know that what they’re spending the majority of their waking hours doing has some significance; whether to the greater good or contributing to the success of the team/company they support.

All people want to do a good job- never was this more apparent to me than after I became a mom; that desire to get better and have someone guide you, cheering you on to where you want to go. I started leading the way I parent and this is not to be confused with treating colleagues like children. It is all about fostering growth and exploration. That is how people shine and do their best work.

Who do you follow on social media that you would recommend to other women leaders?