The Michigan State University Women’s Leadership Institute took a trip to Stryker Corporation’s Global Headquarters in Kalamazoo on October 16 for the first of two ‘Leadership in Action’ field trips planned this year.
Members of the WLI student cohort engaged in a day of conversations with young industry leaders and learned about Stryker’s multifaceted role in the healthcare industry. The field trip was led by Becky Paalman, Senior Director of Finance Transformation at Stryker. Paalman is an alum of Michigan State and a longtime supporter of the WLI who joined the program’s Executive Board in August.
Stryker was founded in 1941 in Kalamazoo by Dr. Homer Stryker and is one of the world’s leading medical technology companies, serving 150 million patients annually. Michigan remains home to its main Instruments Manufacturing site, Medical Division, and Global HQ/Instruments Division.
The trip began with opening remarks from Marie Kovacic, Vice President, Global Process Owner at Stryker and a fellow MSU alumnus. She was joined by Stryker CFO Preston Wells, who gave background on the history and mission of the organization. They each shared career and leadership advice they have collected throughout their professional journeys.
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The keynote of the day was a fireside chat with six MSU alumni- Nancy Hergott, Hannah Fox, Morgan Macguire, Sydney Paalman, Kelly Parrish, and Danielle Parmalee- currently employed across a variety of divisions at Stryker. The women share a wealth of professional experience, with some boasting a career at Stryker spanning decades and others, such as former WLI cohort member Sydney Paalman, just having started her role two years ago.
Hannah Fox, who earned her degree in supply chain management at MSU, started off the conversation with insight on navigating uncertainty, self-doubt and changing career paths. Fox started at Stryker in a supply chain role but transitioned into marketing after reevaluating her long-term goals. She shared how having conversations with colleagues and friends helped her realize it was the right move when she worried about jeopardizing her career progress.
“I was able to share my feelings with others and gut check myself, and it reminded me of who I am at my core- because it can be easy to lose sight of that- and that this was the right change for me,” she said.
Sydney Paalman, who interned at Stryker during her time at MSU and was hired full-time after graduation, talked about the transition from college to the workplace environment. “The biggest thing that I’ve learned is that nobody expects you to know it all, and they are always willing to help,” she said. “Just make sure that you’re asking questions, wanting to learn, raising your hand for the hard stuff- and being yourself. At the end of the day, that will guide you in the right direction.”
The session ended with a rapid-fire round of answers in which each woman gave one piece of parting advice. Several shared a reminder to enjoy the journey, even when the unexpected happens. Megan Maguire and Fox voiced the importance of being a consistent and reliable teammate while also staying genuine.
Paalman shared a quote that speaks to the idea that we can make a difference at any stage and level of our professional career: “What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” Danielle Parmalee closed out the conversation with a reminder that “It’s only when you stop trying that you really fail.”
“I personally have learned more from the opportunities that I didn’t always succeed at- those are probably the experiences that have really defined who I am today,” she said.
Students then heard from representatives of three of Stryker’s employee networks, including the Stryker Emerging Professionals group, the Stryker Women’s Network, and University Relations division. The afternoon wrapped up with an interactive tour of Stryker’s 485,000-square foot facility, including portions of its research and development building, testing areas, 3D printing space, packaging lab, failure analysis lab, biology lab, and analytical sciences lab.
The WLI reconvenes for its Fall Connections Workshop, “Leadership Presence & Impact: From Student to Professional,” on November 11 inside the MSU Union.