Meet the President – Greg Adamson
LTEN will continue to be the destination for sales training professionals
By Tim Sosbe
Last month, the LTEN Board of Directors met and selected its new roster of officers, including electing Greg Adamson of Olympus Americas as president of the board. Adamson started his term immediately and will lead LTEN for the next two years.
No doubt many of you already know Adamson – he’s been an active and visible LTEN member since 2001. He joined the LTEN Board of Directors in2013 and has served as vice president since 2017. Adamson also hosted the LTEN Excellence Awards in 2019, and he was one of the main-stage speakers at last year’s annual conference.
Adamson will take over this space to communicate directly with LTEN members next month. For this first issue under his new role, we wanted to give you all a chance to get to know him better.
Question: What’s your full-time position?
Answer: I’m executive director, sales training, for Olympus Americas. My job right now is to lead all of our sales and leadership training for Olympus Americas, which includes the United States, Canada and Latin America. We have all kinds of cool stuff we’re doing. I’m very excited about it and I absolutely love it.
Q. Why did you pursue the LTEN Board presidency?
A. I believe in the mission and vision of LTEN, and I’m honored to be entrusted with helping to fulfill those goals these next two years. The life sciences professionals in LTEN are always learning, shaping and sharing best practices and strategies for sales training and leadership. Training is a team effort, and we all share the rewards. Working with LTEN members, staff, committees, our Advisory Council and my Board colleagues is an honor and I am excited to have all these partners, colleagues and friends as we navigate together through the sometimes unsteady waters.
Q. What’s your vision for LTEN?
A. Members rely on LTEN to be a thought leader in the life sciences learning &development (L&D) space, and I want that trust to be well-placed. Of course, we’ll continue the good work that’s brought us through more than half a century of supporting life sciences training and trainers through learning and shared best practices. And of course we’ll continue to blossom and grow our offerings as industry needs dictate. Life sciences training is constantly evolving through innovation, through need and even at the mercy of global marketplaces and business conditions shaping our industry. We’ll grow, we’ll adapt and LTEN will continue to be the destination for sales training professionals at each stage of their career – from first-line trainers to department heads to training executives.
Q. Would you tell us more about your career & background?
A. I’ve had two distinct careers: First I was a high school biology and anatomy &physiology teacher and football and basketball coach. The last 30-plus years I’ve spent in sales, sales leadership and sales training leadership roles. I’ve worked with five major medical device companies: Abbott, Zimmer, St. Jude, Philips and Olympus. I think my foundation in education and my professional experience in business will come together to serve LTEN members who also must excel in both arenas.
Q. What’s your most exciting career achievement?
A. The one thing that I look back on with the most pride is the team building at each career stop. Recruiting, hiring, developing and promoting top talent has brought me the greatest joy. That’s another reason leading the LTEN Board of Directors is appealing – this network is nothing if not one big team and we’re all seeking to build, be built or both. I hope the work I’m able to accomplish during my time supports both that collective need and also the individual needs of members, whether that’s enhancing their capabilities, connecting them with mentors or inspiring them to be a resource for a colleague.
Q. What do you do for fun?
A. I play tennis and follow my Kansas Jayhawks, KC Chiefs and KC Royals! Living in New England, my wife, Virginia, and I have no shortage of scenic walking trails. By the way, if you want to praise the Chiefs as the Super Bowl champions they are, I’m always up for that conversation.
Q. Any words of wisdom you’d like to share with LTEN members?
A. I like to advise people to remember what we do and why we do it and how they can help. The stakes couldn’t be higher in our industry, where our work can have a literal life-or-death impact on patients. The companies we work for depend on each of us, regardless of title or grade level, to know and execute on the best practices in sales training. They expect us to thoughtfully, carefully and wisely prepare our learners to excel, to inform, to guide and to make a difference. If we cannot be the experts our industry needs, it places organizations, clients and patients at risk. Fortunately, LTEN is a not-so-secret weapon that not all other business functions in your company have. Be sure to get fully involved with LTEN – learn when you can, take advantage of the opportunities offered, meet the expert who will grow your professional network and potential and find the partners, solutions and resources who will help you make a difference.
Tim Sosbe is editorial director for LTEN. Email Tim at tsosbe@L-TEN.org.
