Luiz Gondim shares how aligning to a common mission with five key behaviors is the foundation for a successful high-performing team in his role as head of technology for Janssen Latin America

Luis Gondim, Vice President and Head of Technology for Latin America, Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of J&J (Photo by Nick Garcia)

By Billy Yost, Hispanic Executive

Perhaps it was the lymphoma that Luiz Gondim recovered from, or maybe it was just the right moment in his career for a change. After nineteen years across three countries within brewing powerhouse Anheuser-Busch InBev, Gondim was ready for a completely different industry.

“I was very intentional about finding a new role,” explains the global technology leader. “It was something I spoke with my wife about a lot, and when I received a proposal from Johnson & Johnson [J&J], it made a lot of sense to me. After going through treatment for lymphoma, there was something that appealed to me about coming to an organization with the kind of credo that J&J not only advocates for but practices every single day.”

Now as vice president and head of technology for Latin America at the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of J&J, Gondim is tasked with spearheading innovation through technology initiatives, go-to-market strategies, or simply thinking differently about leading cross-functional teams.

“It’s my job to create the strategy and methodology to make us even more agile, more innovative, and more connected.”

Luiz Gondim

The challenge Gondim was most excited to tackle was in continuing to build high-performing teams while also creating a cultural shift in change management and mentality. “The mindset was already here,” the VP says. “But it’s my job to create the strategy and methodology to make us even more agile, more innovative, and more connected.”

His transformational efforts to push teams to greater heights are all based around five behaviors he’s zeroed in on: simplification, prioritization, innovation, people focus, and winning mindset. In print, these words may seem common, but their execution is backed by over twenty years of bridging the gap between technology, innovation, and high-impact strategy, which exceed expectations time and time again on Gondim’s part.

“Luiz is a force for change, not for the sake of it but to generate value to the patients, physicians, and internal teams. He is not afraid of challenging the status quo and incorporating new practices.” says Luiz Cieslak, senior vice president of digital solutions at CI&T, a partner of J&J for the last nineteen years. “CI&T has established a well-oiled partnership with Luiz and his team where the result is far greater than the individual contributions and we keep elevating the omnichannel experience delivered patients and physicians.”

Photo by Nick Garcia

The executive’s approach to innovation is particularly informative of how to improve an organization already well-regarded as staying well ahead of the curve of its industry for 137 years.

“Innovation can be immediate, or it can be more incremental,” Gondim explains. “It may be a new technology, it may be a way to introduce a better patient experience, or it may be a way to interact more fluidly with our physicians. We can disrupt but disrupt for the right reasons. The right reasons are our patients, our physicians, and our internal customers.”

That’s why the “people” and a “winning mindset” are the two strongest pillars of this behavioral project. By focusing on the end users and Gondim’s team’s ability to improve their experience, the rest falls into line.

Is a process complicating an issue for one of these stakeholders? Change it. Can a new technology improve the stakeholder experience? Do it. Is a project or idea taking time away from something that could better serve a stakeholder? Prioritize the latter, not the former.

Hispanicexecutive.com