We Are Norstella

Kyle Douty

Director of commercial enablement and optimization

Kyle Douty is the director of commercial enablement and optimization at Norstella, overseeing the continuous improvement of the processes that support the efficiency and effectiveness of Norstella’s commercial teams. Douty originally joined Norstella’s MMIT in January 2022, working as a learning and development manager supporting various Norstella brands.

How did you join the company?
It’s funny, because all of my experience up until joining MMIT was in the manufacturing industry. My focus was always around process improvement, lean six sigma, technology administration and training development. And what I’ve found is that skillset really transcends industry. While there was a lot for me to learn in terms of how our industry works, it wasn’t a difficult transition. I had a strong background in supporting commercial teams and helping them grow.

What does your day-to-day usually look like?
Every day is a little bit different. A lot of what I do has to do with the technology behind how our commercial teams go about their day-to-day, helping them to be effective in their roles. I work with a diverse group of people, trying to understand their current processes and figuring out ways we can improve and create a better future-state.

What are some of the larger projects you’re working on?
I’ve been really focused on our Better Together packages with Citeline and Evaluate for the past few months. We’re energizing the efforts of both of those brands to bring them together. I’m on the operational side — we have two distinct sets of systems, so how do we bring all of that together in a functional way and process new sales from start to finish? It’s one thing to understand all of Evaluate and Citeline’s offerings, but how do we actually execute, put pencil to paper and push things through end-to-end? It’s been really exciting.

What are some of the common challenges of your role?
Capacity vs. opportunity is a big one. As a person who focuses on processes and improvement, I see opportunities all over the place. And if I had a million people working on all of those things, we could make a huge impact. But in the real world, you have to balance your priorities and figure out where you can make the biggest splash first. It can be easy to get sidetracked when you’re passionate, so staying focused can be challenge.

Resistance to change can also be an issue. Any time there’s change, you have to work to help people see the benefits of what you’re bringing to the table. That can get tricky sometimes.

What’s been your career highlight to date?
When the pandemic broke out, I was working at a different organization. Part of my job was supporting a call center, and this team was pretty much locked in to being in the office — there wasn’t much flexibility for remote work. Within two weeks of Covid hitting, we took that 90-person team fully remote. It was crazy, but it was really rewarding to see everyone come together to make that change happen so quickly.

Which company principle resonates most with you?
Resiliency, mettle and grit is my favorite. I’m a strong believer that any of us can accomplish anything, and we need to be creative in the way that we do it. There will always be roadblocks, but focusing on staying positive, remaining agile and keeping the end-goal in mind can help you push through and accomplish amazing things.

What would you tell someone just starting their career with Norstella?
There’s a lot of smart people around here that want to see you succeed. There’s a whole lot to learn, and everyone is willing to help out. If you have questions, don’t suffer in silence, because this is a really strong team environment and we’re all here to help each other.

Where do you see Norstella in the next year or two?
I see us continuing to grow! Our executive leadership team will keep finding new and creative ways to best position us to help patients get access to the therapies they need. I’m sure we’ll see some changes, but we’ll stay true to our mission and do everything we can to continue to grow and execute that mission.

What do you like most about working at Norstella?
The people that I work with. In the time I’ve been here, I’ve never met someone who wasn’t willing to give it their all to get the job at hand done. It’s so important to be in an environment where everyone is positive and wants to do the right thing. I think that’s something special about Norstella, and it’s hard to come by.

What do you like to do outside of work?
I have a 9-year-old and a 6-year-old, so they keep me pretty darn busy. We tend to like to get outdoors, we love fishing and kayaking, and just spending time together however we can.

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