I thought I had recommended my way out of a job, but instead I was
asked to manage the company's ENT business unit, which had
tremendous potential but was struggling. The big opportunity was in
tonsillectomy, where the company's Coblation devices resulted in far
less pain than cautery devices that were the standard of care.
However, because the devices required a change in technique and
stopping bleeding was much more difficult, usage was mostly limited
to highly skilled early adopters. So we worked closely with R&D on a
new controller that dramatically improved coagulation so that the typ-
ical ENT surgeon could get through cases with minimal bleeding. An
outside agency developed a new advertising campaign that focused
on happy, pain-free children. The ENT space at this point (2002) was
fairly sleepy, and I knew a unique campaign would break through.
Finally, we added additional direct sales representatives as fast as we
could afford them. The business took off and it was an incredible
amount of fun. Sales and marketing were a cohesive team and overall
it was a very talented group. Plus, we were providing a very real and
important benefit to children. It reminded me of my time at Vistakon
where everything was firing on all cylinders and everyone was having
fun. Because the ENT business was meeting or exceeding plan almost
every quarter and we had no "stocking" distributors, I was not directly
involved in the primary pushing-the-envelope activities at the end of
the quarter. I would have been happy to manage the ENT business for
several years. I was having so much fun and I had a very clear vision
on how to grow the business for many years to come. However, along
came another twist of fate that would be a key turning point.
From ENT to spine
In 2004, the CEO called me into his office to break some news. The
general manager of the spine business unit had resigned to lead an
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