This has been a demanding year for the people who work in biopharma. Significant headwinds and business challenges have landed on commercial and medical teams who are driven to bring new medicines to patients. That work deserves sincere thanks and too often it goes unrecognized. The John Templeton Foundation found that people are less likely to express gratitude at work than anywhere else in their lives.
For commercial leaders, that gap is an opportunity. The three questions below are heard from client leaders as they close the year and prepare for 2027.
How do you show appreciation to a commercial team after a challenging year?
Start by acknowledging what the year asked of people. Many teams took on wider territories, new accounts, and added responsibilities while adapting to restructuring and new AI tools in the field. Against that backdrop, a generic year-end thank-you can ring hollow. Specific recognition lands by naming the account team that held through a transition, the colleague who onboarded new teammates, and the medical partner who kept a major health system engaged.
It also helps to connect the work to its purpose. Account directors, reps, and MSLs rarely hear how their efforts helped medicines reach patients. Acknowledging results, whether a formulary win that expanded access or a care gap closed at an institution helps to remind people why the work matters.
How do pharma leaders build a culture of appreciation that lasts beyond the holidays?
Appreciation lasts when it becomes an everyday leadership habit rather than an annual award. The THANKFUL approach gives leaders eight practical actions:
- Track small wins along with major milestones.
- Highlight talent by giving people chances to lead and share their expertise.
- Acknowledge effort and persistence as well as results.
- Nurture optimism and encouragement across the team.
- Keep communication kind, especially in difficult moments.
- Foster trust and psychological safety so people can speak openly.
- Use regular, genuine encouragement throughout the year.
- Lead with empathy for what people are carrying outside the job.
Each action is small, and the impact comes from practicing consistently and from understanding how each direct report appreciates recognition.
How does appreciation affect commercial team performance in 2027?
Appreciation has a direct effect on how teams work. People who feel valued are more willing to raise challenges, share account intelligence, and lead through change. In the Team Jump Start sessions we run with account teams, the groups that align fastest are the ones whose leaders routinely credit contributions across sales, access, and medical. Those behaviors will matter more in 2027 as account-driven selling asks every role to coordinate around the same customers. A high-performing account team runs on trust, and trust is built one contribution at a time.
If you are planning to bring your team into the new year with energy and alignment, a few of the following criteria are worth weighing.
Who helps biopharma leaders reset commercial teams for the new year?
Look for a partner that:
- Understands the evolving role of biopharma commercial and medical roles.
- Helps teams build and sustain leadership habits into the team’s day-to-day work.
- Works across the full account team, including sales, market access, and medical.
WLH Consulting & Learning Solutions (“WLH”) brings all three through Team Jump Start, a working session that helps leaders align and re-energize their teams for the year ahead. If this seems like something that would benefit your team to start 2027 strongly, we would welcome a conversation.
