Networking might be an introvert’s least favorite activity, but it doesn’t need to be! On August 8th, join WEST for Networking for Introverts: How To Effectively Connect. Led by introverts, for introverts, this event will include a panel discussion, interactive games, facilitated discussions, and open networking sessions that will make networking approachable to everyone.
Topics: Panel, Networking, Emotional Intelligence, Empathy, Challenges, Advice, #WESTevent, Personality, Introvert
Mental health struggles can happen to anyone. Being in a negative situation for too long is bound to have its effects, and sometimes it takes a lot of work to undo that damage. In many cases, mental health struggles are a result of one specific situation, or a toxic boss or co-worker, something easy to pinpoint. In STEM, that can be true, but even more so, women have seen a higher rate of mental health struggles because of more industry-wide issues. There’s still a stigma, in some places, that women don’t belong in STEM professions or that women are not going to be as smart or as well-educated as men.
Topics: Gender Balance, STEM, STEM, Gender Balance, Communication, Community, Choice, Resilience, Mentoring, Coaching, Culture, Networking, Discussion, Mindfulness, Change, Collaboration, Emotional Intelligence, Self-Awareness, Empathy, Gender Pay Gap, Confidence, Challenges, Career Development, Empowerment, Mentor, Inclusion, Diversity, Organizational Culture, Corporate Culture, D&I, Gender Parity, Equity, STEM Women, STEM Leadership, Female Representation STEM, Hiring Women in STEM, Strong Women
Personality tests can be powerful tools for personal and professional development. Here are seven quick tips to help you go deep with the insights that you get out of your next self-assessment.
Topics: Life, Coaching, Tools, Career Path, Leading Ourselves, Emotional Intelligence, Insight, Career Development, Assessment, Self-Reflection, #WESTevent, Change Management, Be Fearless, Be Brave, Competence, Webinar, Personality
Wine-Netflix-&-Chill is an epic gift and indicator of our relative good fortune at this point in the crisis. If your living situation gives you access, enjoy it! Don’t squander opportunities for pleasure right now! Do it up.
Topics: Solutions, Emotional Intelligence, Self-Awareness, Self-Reflection, #WESTevent, #WESTorg, Webinar, Sleep
You know it’s time to polish your resume if you don’t care enough to voice your frustrations. Or call out the cognitive disconnect. Or make your case for a different approach. Personally and professionally, we tend to treat conflict as a negative event. But if someone cares enough to state their disagreement, that means they are invested in the outcome. Conflict only arises in situations where participants care enough about the subject to question whether the means best serve the ends.
Topics: Women in STEM, Workshop, Upcoming Events, Emotional Intelligence, Developing Your Skills, Problem Solving, Conflict Resolution, Feedback, Career Development, Influence Without Authority, #WESTevent, Women in Business, 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.
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
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.
Topics: Events, Communication, Emotional Intelligence, Developing Your Skills, Self-Awareness, Empathy, Bias, Inclusion, Women in Business, Be Fearless, Be Brave, D&I
Promoted to manager? Congrats!
Wait, wait. Wait. What exactly is my job now?
The shift from individual contributor to manager can be difficult. As Karen Dillon explains, “The irony for most newly appointed managers is that the skills and qualities that earned them the promotion are very different from those that will serve them well as a leader.”
This paradox is especially sharply felt in STEM. Fortunately, while acute, this reaction is also incredibly common. To learn more, WEST spoke to Richard Laskey about his experience transitioning from a senior software engineer to software engineering manager.
Topics: Leadership, STEM, Women in STEM, Upcoming Events, Business, Career Path, Management, Delegation, Lead, Emotional Intelligence, Developing Your Skills, Insight, Confidence, Leaders, Own It, Empowerment, New Opportunities, Advice, MBA, #WESTevent, Change Management, #WESTorg, Women in Business, Organizational Culture, Be Fearless, Be Brave
Regardless of your current LinkedIn title, you are the CEO of your career.
Daniel Goleman literally wrote the book on emotional intelligence. In his renowned 2004 Harvard Business Review article, ‘What Makes a Leader,’ he explained:
‘Most effective leaders are alike in one crucial way: They all have a high degree of what has come to be known as emotional intelligence. It’s not that IQ and technical skills are irrelevant. They do matter, but mainly as “threshold capabilities”; that is, they are the entry-level requirements for executive positions. But my research, along with other recent studies, clearly shows that emotional intelligence is the sine qua non of leadership. Without it, a person can have the best training in the world, an incisive, analytical mind, and an endless supply of smart ideas, but he still won’t make a great leader.'
But wait, it gets better.
Topics: Events, Leadership, Science, Career, Inspire, Women in STEM, Workshop, Networking, Upcoming Events, Emotional Intelligence, #WESTevent, #WESTorg, Be Fearless, Be Brave
Topics: Events, Leadership, STEM, Women, Career, Community, Life, Resilience, Cambridge, Women in STEM, Networking, Upcoming Events, Lead, Leading Ourselves, Emotional Intelligence, Developing Your Skills, Self-Awareness, Empathy