9 lessons in crisis management from Stryker CEO Kevin Lobo

Trust your decisions

A year after becoming Stryker’s CEO in 2012, Lobo pushed for the company to acquire Mako, a smaller, publicly traded company that had developed the first orthopedic surgery system to gain adoption. Stryker became the first established medtech company to place a significant bet on robot-assisted orthopedic surgery. At the time, many company insiders and surgical customers questioned Lobo’s and Stryker’s path.

Today, Mako remains a strong performer for Stryker and has surprised many, including Lobo, by continuing to sell during the pandemic — proving itself an important revenue driver for the company. Stryker placed its 1,000th Mako system in the fall.

Time proved out Lobo’s decision to purchase Mako. But did Lobo lose any sleep over the deal when the criticism began to pile up?

“Not really. You have to make the bets you think are right,” he said. “That’s what leadership is about … You get the information you need. You involve your team in the decision-making process. You hear the arguments on both sides. Then once you make a decision, you just go. You just lean in. If you’re wrong, you admit you’re wrong later and you course-correct.”

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