John Hammergren

Biography

Whether you’re talking about a person or a company, leadership is about values. My own leadership story starts in my childhood. I grew up in a small town in the Midwest that had a great set of moral principles. It was the type of place where you felt safe, free and supported. That helped anchor me with a sense of personal responsibility and trust, and an understanding of the importance of being kind and helpful to others. My father was a traveling salesman for a medical supply company and I used to travel with him in the summer when he called on clients. He had developed such strong relationships with his customers that they often invited us to spend the night in their homes when we were in town. My father’s experience taught me that people want to work with people who deeply understand their challenges and demonstrate unwavering commitment to their success. It also taught me that people want to work with people they like! I have carried theses lessons with me throughout my career. Sadly, my dad passed away when I was in high school, and I had to grow up pretty fast. I helped support myself with a number of different jobs—from bagging groceries in high school to working as a dorm janitor and later as resident assistant at the University of Minnesota. During each of these roles, I came to appreciate that leadership is ultimately about making a difference, in small ways or large. It’s not just the “boss” who leads, it’s the person on the front lines who sees a better way to do things and finds a way to make it happen. Yet it’s up to the boss to create the culture that allows this type leadership to flourish. Only the boss can set the tone for what matters, what’s acceptable, and what’s not. Whether you’re talking about a person or a company, leadership is about values. My own leadership story starts in my childhood. I grew up in a small town in the Midwest that had a great set of moral principles. It was the type of place where you felt safe, free and supported. That helped anchor me with a sense of personal responsibility and trust, and an understanding of the importance of being kind and helpful to others. My father was a traveling salesman for a medical supply company and I used to travel with him in the summer when he called on clients. He had developed such strong relationships with his customers that they often invited us to spend the night in their homes when we were in town. My father’s experience taught me that people want to work with people who deeply understand their challenges and demonstrate unwavering commitment to their success. It also taught me that people want to work with people they like! I have carried theses lessons with me throughout my career. Sadly, my dad passed away when I was in high school, and I had to grow up pretty fast. I helped support myself with a number of different jobs—from bagging groceries in high school to working as a dorm janitor and later as resident assistant at the University of Minnesota. During each of these roles, I came to appreciate that leadership is ultimately about making a difference, in small ways or large. It’s not just the “boss” who leads, it’s the person on the front lines who sees a better way to do things and finds a way to make it happen. Yet it’s up to the boss to create the culture that allows this type leadership to flourish. Only the boss can set the tone for what matters, what’s acceptable, and what’s not.

Research Interest

pharmaceutical