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A Director of Strategic Accounts at Oxford should be an organized, thoughtful team player. Collin Goodrow embodies those qualities and more. For the past five years, he has made significant contributions to the successful life sciences division at Oxford, and he continues to learn and grow along with his team.
Q: What is your professional background?
A: I have been in the professional staffing space for 17 years working in sales, recruiting, and management. I started in operations at Oxford about five years ago and worked up to a Director of Strategic Accounts role from there.
Q: What daily habits do you recommend for success?
A: My success is centered on my routine. Sunday evenings after my kids go to bed, I thoroughly plan my week with everything from work tasks to recreation activities. I strictly adhere to the schedule I set, and I’m pathologically punctual. The most important tool I utilize on a daily basis is my calendar.
Q: What would you say contributes most to your success at Oxford?
A: I attribute most of my success to the efforts of my team and the Oxford support staff. The community and support system we’ve fostered allow us to do everything at a high level of excellence and achieve our goals.
Q: What is one of your greatest achievements to date?
A: I am helping to raise three extremely well-adjusted kids, and I’m very proud of that.
Q: What attributes do you think are most important in a leader?
A: I believe leaders should have integrity, solid communication skills, empathy, confidence, and a certain degree of polish.
Q: What’s the best book you’ve read on business or leadership?
A: A few books that resonated with me are Start with Why by Simon Sinek, The War of Art by Steven Pressfield, and Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win by Jocko Willink.
Q: What skills do you think will be most in-demand in 2020?
A: Based on the current nature of the industry I would say validation, quality, regulatory, manufacturing, processes, and CSV/IT will all be highly sought after skills in the year 2020.
Q: What are the top three trends impacting life sciences that you see?
A: Right now, I would say COVID-19 is a huge trend that hasn’t been as negative as one might expect in life sciences. Our clients are creating vaccinations, ramping up production capabilities, and getting positive attention for those efforts. As a result, the need for Oxford’s support has also increased.
Along with that, transitioning workforces offsite and the ability to work remotely are especially relevant right now.
I also expect we will see continued positive growth in the biologics space – things like elective surgery are not priorities right now, so biologics and pharmaceuticals are mainly the key growth sectors.
Q: As technology continues to advance, how do you see that impacting the recruiting and staffing industry?
A: Technology, video capabilities, and app-based capabilities will continue to enhance communication, but I don’t think it will ever replace what we do. In the wake of COVID-19, remote work will likely be a trend that continues to change the way we view our roles and responsibilities.
Q: How do you define customer care?
A: It’s about putting customer’s needs first, making them a top priority every day, and making them feel like a top priority as well. It’s important to look at the client and the entire account strategically to understand how we can optimize and enhance the relationship we have.
Q: What advice would you give to individuals interested in consulting?
A: If you’re interested in consulting, I would recommend connecting with one of our recruiters and asking them about the process and the industry. I would highly encourage people to explore it. It provides some incredible opportunities with companies you wouldn’t expect.
Q: How do you support driving change with your team or colleagues based on strategic business decisions?
A: Our leadership team is excellent. Their strategic direction gives us a good vision, and they give us all the tools and freedom we need to accomplish those directives.
However, a critical piece of driving change is in the relationships I maintain with my team. I make an effort to contact all of them regularly and individually and remain conscious of not just talking about business. If you have a strong relationship, it usually makes driving any kind of change or honest dialogue easier to accomplish. Additionally, a positive side-effect of doing things this way, is that I consider my teammates more like family; and not just a colleague or acquaintance from work.
Q: How do you mentor the individuals on your team?
A: I remember what it’s like to be in their role – I did it for over a decade, so I can relate to them and I understand what they consider valuable. I regularly ask if there is anything I can do to help them improve, and provide supplemental training to anyone who is interested.
I like to take time to answer questions, help out, and offer strategies, and I work hard to make that a priority.
Q: What do you like best about working with your team?
A: They’re highly effective and incredibly fun to be around. Managing our strategic accounts can be stressful and demanding at times, but, we all have a similar sense of humor, so it’s a good blend of work and levity. My teams always find a way to make things happen!
Q: How do you maintain a healthy work/life balance?
A: I enjoy work and what I do, so that is a big part of my healthy balance. Outside of work, I do as many outdoor and family activities as I can.
Q: Why Oxford?
A: From a client perspective, Oxford is best in class. We have over 35 continuous years of experience and access to the best and brightest talent within the industry.
For consultants, we pay attention to detail, develop relationships, and maintain regular communication. We uncover amazing opportunities for people and introduce them to things they never thought were possible.
As an internal employee, it’s an incredibly robust, and amazing opportunity to grow – personally and professionally. It is the best place to get real-world training and experience. At Oxford, we’re going to teach you how to work on another frequency. We set a tone and teach good habits that will benefit you for your entire career. You also get a lot of support from senior leadership whether you have been here one day or 20 years. It’s a great, high-performance environment.
Personally, it is a combination of all of those things. I’ve been able to explore different avenues and have amazing new experiences. Oxford has invested in me, so I want to give back what I’m getting. I enjoy doing my work and can’t wait to see what is still to come!
Collin’s perspective is reminiscent of a quote from Confucius: “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” While Collin continues to work hard, he enjoys every moment, and that is just one of the reasons he is a true member of the Oxford team.