Feedback shouldn’t feel like being called to the principal’s office
Regardless of whether it’s positive or negative, both the giver and receiver of feedback find the exchange awkward at best. No matter how stellar your year was, many of us approach our reviews somewhere on the going-to-the-the-principal’s-office spectrum ranging from Ferris Bueller to Bart Simpson.
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Topics:
Leadership,
Communication,
Coaching,
Management,
Developing Your Skills,
Insight,
Engage,
Feedback,
Career Development,
#WESTevent,
Be Fearless, Be Brave
On April 2, 2020, WEST will honor those who exemplify the mission of WEST. The two key award categories this year will be Making a Difference in the Community (e.g. running non-profit, helping in a soup kitchen, volunteering with animals) and Making a Difference for Women (e.g. supporting women's causes, mentoring, championing diversity). Do you know someone who is making a difference in one of these categories? If so, please nominate them here by 2/6/2020. Nominations are open to the WEST community including members and the larger community of supporters, friends, and allies. Awardees will be announced mid-February.
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Topics:
Events,
Gender Balance,
Women,
Tech,
Science,
Nominate,
Awards,
Community,
Giving Back,
Panel,
Network,
Giving,
Inspire,
Making a Difference,
#WESTorg,
Be Fearless, Be Brave,
Gender Parity
Even if you work for a non-profit, you are not their charitable act
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Topics:
Influence,
Tools,
Career Path,
Leading Ourselves,
Developing Your Skills,
Self-Awareness,
Personal Branding,
Career Possibilities,
Empowerment,
New Opportunities,
Advocate,
#WESTevent,
#WESTorg,
Women in Business,
Organizational Culture,
Be Fearless, Be Brave,
Competence
WEST and Cooley invite you to our Holiday Cocktail Party on 12/12 for an evening of networking and festive food and drinks. Please join us to celebrate the holidays, connect with members, exchange ideas, learn about job openings and more. This event is free for members thanks to Cooley’s generous sponsorship.
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Topics:
Women,
Career,
Communication,
Community,
Women in STEM,
Networking,
Upcoming Events,
Professional,
Connect,
Holiday Party,
#WESTevent,
Be Fearless, Be Brave
The days of spending your entire career at one organization, or on a linear career path are long gone. We can’t all be doctor-astronaut-business leaders like Dr. Mae Jemison. But you can leverage your STEM and industry expertise to make the leap from a linear career. Hop the single-track and explore the multi-faceted web of STEM enterprise. You’ve probably already been building the net unconsciously.
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Topics:
Transitions,
Career,
Women in STEM,
Career Path,
Emotional Intelligence,
Career Possibilities,
Speed Networking,
New Opportunities,
MBA,
#WESTevent,
Women in Business,
Be Fearless, Be Brave,
Venture Capital/VC,
Business Development
Your SOP mindset is crucial
You negotiate every day. Sometimes it’s big stuff. The contract for a new client. The compensation package for your new job. Smaller, daily negotiations also exert a substantial cumulative impact. How you feel before and throughout the negotiation process effects more than the outcome. The emotions elicited by anything you do daily are key factors in how you experience the world.
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Topics:
Communication,
negotiation,
Women in STEM,
Relationships,
Developing Your Skills,
Problem Solving,
New Opportunities,
#WESTevent,
Women in Business,
Be Fearless, Be Brave
There’s no such thing as a rocket scientist
No one person is capable of understanding all the science necessary to launch a rocket into space. Rocket science is a group effort. A collaboration of scientists. They may start the project focused on the components relevant to their specific expertise. But the rocket literally cannot get off the ground until all those technical experts pool their specialist knowledge to make the components into a functional system.
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Topics:
Communication,
Collaboration,
Developing Your Skills,
Conflict Resolution,
Open Innovation,
Self-Reflection,
#WESTevent,
#WESTorg,
Women in Business,
Be Fearless, Be Brave,
Research & Development
Today’s STEM careers are anything but linear and predictable
Investment firms recruit doctors and statisticians to manage health care and quantitative funds. Dr. Mayim Bialik, neuroscientist, has a leading role on The Big Bang Theory. And these days, especially in STEM fields, it seems like everyone has a side hustle that could be just about to go big time. Or, they’re sitting board members for their favorite non-profit.
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Topics:
Career Possibilities,
Speed Networking,
New Opportunities,
#WESTevent,
#WESTorg,
Women in Business,
Be Fearless, Be Brave,
Research & Development,
Devices
Your Career = Your Business. Regardless of industry, at some point, moving forward will requiring marketing your business-of-one.
In STEM fields, entrepreneurs don’t have a monopoly on ‘selling’ ideas. As the CEO of your career, you are your best advocate. In life and career, eventually we all find ourselves pitching a new concept. Maybe you need to explain your science to prospective investors. Or, you’re going for that grant. Or you want to present your paper at a conference.
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Topics:
Women in STEM,
Upcoming Events,
Tools,
Career Development,
Marketing,
Advocate,
#WESTevent,
Women in Business,
Be Fearless, Be Brave
It’s impossible not to have implicit bias—and that doesn’t make you a bad person.
Just a human being. Also known as unconscious bias, it is exactly that, unconscious. You’re not aware of it. We’ve been talking about unconscious bias for a while now; but being aware of the concept is only the first step. Only after acknowledging that we all have implicit bias, can you disrupt it. And unpacking implicit bias is like brushing your teeth. You’ll need to keep doing it for the rest of your life; but staying on top of it makes it easier and far more effective.
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Topics:
Events,
Communication,
Emotional Intelligence,
Developing Your Skills,
Self-Awareness,
Empathy,
Bias,
Inclusion,
Women in Business,
Be Fearless, Be Brave,
D&I