Cultivator Profile: Tackling Fears & Finding Courage to Turn An Idea Into A Reality
If you're new to the Cultivators Community, it won't take long to recognize that Alcon, the company that helps people see brilliantly, is jam-packed with Cultivators. Even within that impressive group, Freddie Spotser stands out. A senior scientist driven by her heart, Freddie has built a culture of gratitude around Alcon’s Eye Bank.
Freddie works with organ and tissue donation agencies to support Alcon's research team. She works mainly with eye banks who get consent from donors (and donor family members) who want to help others once they've passed away.
Freddie worked in the donation and transplant field for 20 years before choosing to continue her career at Alcon. After observing (and respecting) Alcon's reputation for being a leader in the eye care industry, joined Alcon in January of 2010. For the last 10 years, Freddie has continued to be inspired by the people who work at Alcon as well as the people they serve. Freddie says, “I am struck by the amazing sense of kindness that we as humans can have for others. Directly or indirectly.” That inspiration naturally led to a desire to give back.
Her idea? Create a Donor Memorial at Alcon’s Ft. Worth, Texas campus. She wanted to help the Alcon community recognize that they owe a debt of gratitude to the donors who make research possible and publicly recognize the value of their contributions.
Freddie conceived her idea in 2014, but didn’t choose to share it with anyone until two years later. One of the biggest hurdles to hold her back? Fear of speaking up. But, with a little support, the fear softened. "Once I stopped talking myself out of it, I had the unbelievable opportunity to share the idea with Sarah Gray. She is a donation advocate and best-selling author of A Life Everlasting, whose twin son Thomas was a research donor shortly after his birth due to a non-survivable medical condition. She liked the idea and was a great encourager and supporter."
Sarah's support helped Freddie find the courage to share her idea with two of her managers, who opened the door for Freddie to share her idea with her whole division. After Freddie’s idea gained initial momentum, Director Paul Shannon, Vice President Rebecca Rice, and Senior Vice President and Head of Global Research & Development, Franck Leveiller, provided the additional sign-off she needed to turn her idea into a green-lit reality.
The Donor Memorial did more than accomplish its original purpose of generating greater awareness and appreciation for donors. It truly expanded the definition of possible within Alcon, emphasizing the importance of developing ideas and seeing them through, no matter your job title or role within the organization. She told her story in a TEDx talk entitled "Courage to Share" at Alcon R&D's first TEDx event. Her talk, an audience favorite, boosted awareness of the Donor Memorial as far as Alcon sites abroad. In fact, Freddie was invited to the Alcon office in Switzerland to reprise the talk. During an Alcon Founders Day celebration, Freddie had the chance to share the Memorial with members of the founder’s family. "[Michael Onuscheck, Alcon’s President of Global Business and Innovation], introduced them to me, and they actually thanked me for creating it,” said Freddie. “Whew! I don't think my feet touched the ground for about a week after that!"
As Freddie’s story shows, sometimes all changemakers need is a little nudge to put their idea out there. With that boost of encouragement and a supportive community, Freddie’s Donor Memorial became bigger than she could have imagined—and a source of inspiration for thousands of other members of the Alcon team. We are so proud to have Freddie in our Cultivators Community.
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