We WIN Together: A Framework for Building Alignment

Photo by Vitaly Gariev on Unsplash

by Karen Hecht, Ph.D., WIN Science Committee Co-Chair

When inspiration strikes, momentum can carry you straight into action. Your enthusiasm can ignite others and help an idea take shape. But not every project lifts off immediately. Some begin with a sputter, and it can feel discouraging when early energy isn’t matched by those around you.

In the context of closing the women’s health gap, whether you’re trying to design women’s health studies, create new products for women, or secure funding for a new femtech venture, be prepared to find some skeptics in the room. You may be told that accounting for the menstrual cycle in a clinical study is too complicated, or that women’s health products are too niche. Take the feedback into consideration without letting it discourage you from moving forward. Skepticism can be an opportunity to strengthen your position, sharpen the value proposition, level up your skillset, and make some strong new allies. If you’re ready to go in a direction that isn’t familiar to your colleagues or your leadership team, then you will need to understand the playing field and hone your pitch before the idea can get the consideration it deserves.

What that pitch looks like depends on who is on your team, where you’re playing, and how you define a win. But there is a general framework you can use to help guide you through the process of presenting your case to an audience that’s not yet ready to meet you where you are. This framework was presented at a WIN panel as part of the Outlook on Women’s Wellness on June 4th as “W.E. W.I.N.”

Widen awareness

If there is an unmet need, then you should not be the only one voicing it. First, level the playing field by making sure that everyone is aware and talking about the gap. If women comprise half of the world’s population and make 80% of the healthcare purchasing decisions, then they are a sizeable and powerful consumer base. But if they experience a larger quality of life gap as compared to men, account for 80% of reported adverse drug reactions, and are only marginally represented in clinical studies, then there is a gap. The gap needs to be acknowledged before we can bring people together to collaborate on a solution.

Extract insights

A gap can be seen as an opportunity. But you’ll need to understand how your team defines opportunity. This can vary by company, department, and by the goals and values that guide their work. It could be an opportunity to address consumer demand, to innovate, or to stand out in the marketplace. It could be an opportunity to create something meaningful that will improve people’s lives. It can be all of these, but the driving force depends on who you ask.

Get curious and ask questions to learn what’s in it for them in closing the gap. The questions you ask should pass “The Mom Test” (by Rob Fitzpatrick), meaning that they should avoid confirmation bias. If you ask a leading question like, “I have this great idea! What do you think?” the response might sound like a parental pat on the head, “Way to go, kiddo! That is a great idea!” Now they know what you think, but you have gained no insight into what they think. If you really want insight, ask open-ended questions about how things are done, why they are done this way, and how they wish things were done instead. Your goal is to understand what your collaborators value, what they’re missing, and how they define success.

Wow them with value

Once you understand what moves your audience, frame how solving the problem brings value to them. If your sales team is focused on improving margins, point to the premium categories that women lead, like menopause, beauty, and longevity. Emphasize that women use supplements at higher rates overall, which translates into higher overall spending, making female consumers the most valuable segment for margin growth. If your commercial team is looking to create something that’s not easily duplicated by competitors, you can explore innovation and intellectual property potential within the women’s health category, an area that receives only 4% of global healthcare R&D investment, according to the McKinsey Health Institute. Once your colleagues see value in solving the gap, they can become your allies and add valuable skills and experience to the project.

Implement on strengths

If you’re unsure about the best way to contribute to a solution, then assess your strengths first. Determine what skills, resources, and differentiators your team already has at their disposal. Leverage those strengths in your plan to address the gap. In doing so, you will be more likely to succeed and produce quality work that distinguishes you among competitors.

It also helps to set actionable steps that aren’t too broad or ambitious at the start. Your long‑term goal may be as elaborate as a seven‑layer wedding cake, but you’ll stay motivated, and build a stronger foundation, by setting stepwise goals that feel more like two‑bite brownies on the way to that final masterpiece.

Narrate your findings for everyone

Once you’ve celebrated your achievement, take the next step and share what you’ve created as widely as possible. Some breakthroughs only gain real traction when they move beyond one company or one discipline, and cross‑industry collaboration is often what turns a good idea into a transformative one. As you communicate your findings, return to your audience with intention by making your insights accessible to technical experts, industry peers, and everyday consumers alike. Clear, inclusive communication ensures your work doesn’t just sit on a shelf, but becomes something others can learn from, build on, and carry forward. That’s how we win!