Jihan Cote

I attribute my success to my work ethic, the way I was raised, and my husband's support. I'm just a doer. I like to get things done, and I like to have fun. My work ethic comes from me and how I was raised. My husband is a big cheerleader who likes to support me in whatever I'm doing. Between how I was raised and having a good support system, I think that's why I've been able to be successful.

You teach people how to treat you. I just got this advice recently from my manager when I was venting about something. It really hit me hard because I do a lot for my team, and sometimes I get overwhelmed with my to-do list. I realized that I'm always saying yes, so people keep asking me to do things, and that asking might turn into taking me for granted. It's about putting up boundaries. I can still be accommodating and helpful, but now I'll say things like, 'I can't do that today, but I can get to that by the end of the week.' I still get to be the person who helps everybody, because I like being that person, but I'm teaching them how to treat me. If I had known this when I was a kid, it would have changed everything. I wrote it down on a sticky note and put it on my whiteboard.

Be persistent and a little bit vulnerable, because sometimes you have to grow some thick skin and take some rejection. It's a tough industry to get into when you're starting out, but once you get in, it's very rewarding. A lot of people want to do medical device sales because it's super competitive. I found that pharmaceutical sales was easier looking back, because they just gave you everything - your computer, the message, how many times to say it, who to say it to. It felt very repetitive and I almost got bored. Medical device is more challenging and more rewarding, both professionally and financially. So don't give up, just be persistent, network, and have thick skin. Rejection happens, but you learn a lot, and you just have to pick yourself up and keep going.

The biggest challenge is that there are always people making decisions about things that deal with patients, but they're not medical professionals and they're not patients. It could be insurance companies, denials, or other decision makers. Sometimes a doctor may not even bring up the Watchman procedure to a patient because they might assume the patient doesn't want it. Or a doctor refers a patient for a procedure, and it goes through the approval process and has to go to a peer-to-peer review, and then you've got a pediatrician making a decision about a procedure that doesn't have anything to do with pediatrics. The system is not so cut and dry, so you have decision makers who are not as knowledgeable about the subject matter they're making decisions on. You just have to get used to being solution-oriented and working around some of that stuff. As for opportunities, people are getting older and living longer, so we can help improve their quality of life through the procedures we offer and help them live longer and have better time on Earth. There's always going to be more patients getting older who will need something we offer at some point. That's opportunity for people like me - there's always room for education. We're constantly putting out more data and clinical studies, so the more data we continue to put out, the more patients will hear about how there is something that might help them, and they can talk to their physician.

Transparency is the most important value to me in both my work and personal life. Just mean what you say, say what you mean, so we all are in the know. If you're having a bad day, just say you're having a bad day, so beware. It's okay to have a bad day, but don't be mean and leave me in the dark.