HER Insight: Sue Downes, MyEyeDr.

Erinn Morgan: Hello everyone, my name is Erinn Morgan. I am with Insight Media and we are here today at Vision Expo West in Las Vegas doing our HER Insight podcast episode recording with Sue Downes, the CEO and co-founder of MyEyeDr., which has 921 stores in the United States. thank you so much for joining us today for our podcast.

Sue Downes: Thank you for having me.

EM: It’s always wonderful to check in with you.

SD: I enjoy keeping everyone up and being connected.

EM: Well, our HER Insight podcast series focuses on women in vision care leadership and we just have five quick questions for Sue that we’ll go over now. The first one is, Sue, what excites you most today about your role as CEO of MyEyeDr?

SD: So I think our industry is at a really pivotal point and there’s a lot of exciting things to come. We’re truly transforming into a healthcare industry.

EM: Definitely.

SD: And so having the ability with the voice of MyEyeDr. and our great partnerships across the industry to help increase consumer awareness. I think it’s sad that everyday consumers, Americans, think more about getting their teeth cleaned than they do about getting an eye exam. And then I think protecting and growing our profession, it is going to look different. But we have a front seat and an ability to help transform it into what it can be to serve our patients better. And we really should take advantage of that before the horse is out the gate.

EM: Exactly. The time is right, right now, which is wonderful. Well that is an exciting thing in our industry right now to capitalize on. So to our audience, kind of in this focus of women in vision care leadership, how would you describe your own personal leadership philosophy?

SD: So, first of all I think it sets apart the component, I can share the best, or changing, or not even good news with you, but understanding what you’re going through in that moment in time. And I’m excited to share something with you as an important ingredient. And then I think to listen to people and learning from them.

And then I think about not being a leader or CEO. I think about being a coach. It’s my job to get the organization and get the team to grow and contribute and lean in and be like a highly functioning sports team, right? And so I want to get the very best out of them.

EM: That’s a very cool perspective. You’re building a performance team, right? So that’s a great philosophy. What would you say that you find most challenging as a leader today, in today’s world, certainly?

SD: I want to listen to people and understand where they’re coming from. But culture is probably one of my biggest, that’s what keeps me up at night. That’s the number one question I get. And I think in a world with so much, I’ve used the word ‘wonkiness’ that’s going on. So we’re living in a political landscape unlike any other. The world is not at peace, right?

And then, more importantly, I think we’re in an era where especially, well, all people of all ages, they don’t know what to trust. We don’t know whether we trust the media or not. So talking to them in a way that they respond to, that they listen, and that they can at least connect with and hopefully have some trust, I think is very, very challenging.

EM: And in building that trust, especially in today’s world, I imagine, is so important and also valuable, right, to build that connection with your team.

SD: I think being authentic and being available is two of the key things that really helps me.

EM: That’s wonderful. Your team is lucky to be working for you. So my next question is, as a leader in the industry, in retail, in optometry, you have a broad view of what’s happening in our country and in the profession of optometry. Where would you say, from your vision, where are we headed or what’s on the horizon for retail and optometry?

SD: So I’ll go back, I think we’re going to continue to elevate into healthcare. If you think about the growing concerns of myopia and the impacts that are going to have with retinal detachments and macular degeneration, there’s a bigger need and obviously there’s a shortage of ophthalmologists. So we’re going to have to really expand the scope in which our doctors practice. At the same time, aesthetics are really coming in. Longevity is big. We all want to look our best, but we want to feel our best. We want to maximize our lifespan.

Of course there’s so much excitement going on. I heard yesterday about the Metas, right? So how will wearables play in, and How will that impact our industry? I think while it’s exciting, as an industry and the industry leaders should really be thoughtful about where that’s going to go strategically. Because again, should Metas be sitting in managed care formularies? But that one impact will have ripple effects depending on how it goes.

It’s funny, when I first opened MyEyeDr., which we’re celebrating 24 years, I said, we want to become the optical drugstore of the future. And that’s really where we’re going. I mean, Stellest is coming out. You know, myopia control lenses, there’s contact lenses that are doing diabetic measurements. Like, all these things are happening and so we’re really on the precipice of something really exciting.

EM: For sure. And there is so much as a leader and then obviously as an optometrist, your staff, your team to keep up with, right? There are so many things going on. Where do you put your focus?

So, Sue, for our readers and our audience, give us one tip, one strategy for aspiring female leaders in the mind of, you know, the HER insight, the women in vision care leadership for our podcast?

SD: I shared earlier today that I had the amazing opportunity to listen to Roger Federer at a recent lunch. And you know, a lot of great questions and telling a story. But I bring it up because it was questioned with almost that, like what would you tell your younger self? And he said to have more confidence. I mean, here’s a world champion tennis star and he’s saying have more confidence. And you can imagine that he needed more confidence. But it’s really hard when you’re young to use that in your questions to build confidence.

So I would really recommend in an era of so much data, don’t let it consume you. It is a directional, it is a platform to help you make decisions. But you cannot be paralyzed by perfection. Try. Take some risks. Learn.

EM: And trust yourself.

SD: And trust in yourself. And if you make a mistake you’re going to learn. You just need to own it.

EM: For sure. That’s great advice. Wow, well thank you so much for joining us today and providing all these great insights for the audience. We really appreciate your time.

Thank you all for joining us and we will be back again soon with more episodes of HER Insight: Women in Vision Care Leadership Podcast. Thanks for joining us from Insight Media.