Creating a people-focused culture is essential for organizations that strive for inclusivity. By fostering an environment where employees feel supported and valued, companies can unlock the full potential of their workforce, leading to better collaboration, innovation and outcomes.
A crucial element of this culture is offering flexibility and understanding that allows employees to balance their personal and professional lives. This approach is particularly important for women, who often juggle multiple roles and responsibilities. When companies recognize and accommodate these realities, they can create an environment where everyone, regardless of their background or life stage, can thrive.
Marissa Carlson, TigerConnect’s new chief marketing officer, highlighted the importance of a supportive culture in her own experience as a woman in tech — a culture that ultimately supports the whole team.
“As a working mom with three kids, life and work are often intertwined,” she said. “I believe in fostering an environment where employees can bring their whole selves to work and feel good about the impact they are making in their role. Getting to know your coworkers, what motivates them and what is important to them leads to better collaboration and ultimately better outcomes for our customers.”
“As a working mom with three kids, life and work are often intertwined. I believe in fostering an environment where employees can bring their whole selves to work.”
Carlson’s perspective underscores a key principle of a people-focused culture: when employees feel comfortable bringing their authentic selves to work, they are more engaged, motivated and productive. This approach also fosters a sense of belonging, which is crucial for retaining top talent, particularly in industries like tech where women remain underrepresented.
By committing to a culture that prioritizes empathy, understanding and inclusivity, organizations can create a workplace where all employees — and especially women — feel valued and empowered to succeed. This not only benefits the individuals but also drives the organization toward achieving its goals with greater creativity and collaboration.
Built In Los Angeles heard more from Carlson about her own journey to tech leadership and what she’s looking forward to achieving with her team.
TigerConnect is a secure healthcare communication platform that facilitates real-time messaging, telehealth and collaboration among healthcare professionals to improve patient care.
Describe your new role. What does your day-to-day look like, and what are the biggest priorities you’re focused on addressing?
I recently joined TigerConnect as chief marketing officer, where I am leading the development and execution of our go-to-market strategy. As CMO, I oversee digital marketing, branding, product and customer marketing, public relations and business development. TigerConnect’s mission is to simplify the working lives of healthcare professionals by making their day more productive, so they can deliver better patient care and experience greater job satisfaction.
As a leader, balancing short-term and long-term priorities are foundational best practices. Day to day, I spend time with our executive leadership team running the business, review performance metrics to stay on track to hit our goals, speak with customers and prospects to ensure our marketing strategies are resonating with the market and prioritize coaching and mentoring my team. Right now, I am focused on understanding our customer’s biggest needs and synthesizing how our products help solve those needs. TigerConnect has been traditionally known for our innovative secure text software, but our unified communications strategy offers so much more. I want to be sure that customers are realizing the full value of our solutions.
What has your career journey looked like so far?
I started my marketing career in the medical device industry and then went on to work in various marketing leadership roles at healthcare software companies. I really enjoy the growth opportunity that comes with working in private equity-backed software businesses, and I specifically love working in healthcare because our work is meaningful and purpose-driven.
I am very grateful to have strong professional mentors throughout my career journey that have helped shape my leadership style.
What are you most excited to accomplish with your team over the next year?
I’m really excited about getting to know our customers and industry partners and connecting with healthcare organizations to help them achieve their business objectives. The healthcare industry is still undergoing major transformation and there’s plenty of challenges to solve, which makes every day interesting and fulfilling.
One of my favorite parts about being in a leadership role is building and motivating strong teams to rally around a shared goal. Marketing is a cross-functional discipline, so partnering across the organization is essential to our success. Getting our internal teams together and focusing on solving some of these challenges for our customers is something I am really looking forward to accomplishing together.
In many ways we are just getting started here at TigerConnect, and I am thrilled to continue the momentum and generate new interest in our solutions.
