In the greater Boston area, we are surrounded by world-class biotech and pharmaceutical innovation. Yet with this progress comes a responsibility: to match scientific advancement with environmental stewardship. As we mark another Earth Day, it’s time to ask ourselves—not just as individuals, but as a community within life sciences—what can we do daily to care for the planet?
Topics: Leadership, Community, Influence, Making a Difference, Inspiration, Focus, Advocate, Sustainability, STEM Women, STEM Leadership, Passion, Earth Day
In everything there is an opportunity to practice gratitude. Studies show that practicing gratitude can increase happiness with one’s life. In an effort to share joy this holiday season, we thought we’d start the gratitude list!
Topics: Leadership, Community, Board of Directors, STEM Women, STEM Leadership, Gratitude
Discovering a career that you love sometimes takes a direct path. We’ve all read at least one story of someone who knew they wanted to work in a particular field from a very young age, spent their years pursuing that dream, and found success and happiness having achieved that dream. Unfortunately, 75% of people experience a quarter life crisis, questioning their career path, by the time they are 33. Additionally, Stanford Psychologist Laura Carstensen reveals that, based on her studies, the perfect age to start a career is around 40. According to one study, the average person will change careers 5-7 times throughout their lifetime.
Topics: Leadership, Career, Community, Panel, Network, Networking, Career Path, Developing Your Skills, Computing, Career Development, Career Possibilities, Empowerment, Advice, #WESTevent, Grow, Academia, Clarity, Growth
“The returns are actually better when you invest in women,” says the movie Show Her The Money. If that’s so true, then why are women-founded startups only receiving 2% (or less) of invested venture capital dollars each year? Women innovators introduced the electric dishwasher, central gas heating, the medical syringe, bullet-proof fiber (Kevlar), and the list goes on. How much better could our world be if more women-founded startups were getting equal investment funding?
Topics: Leadership, Panel, Women in STEM, Business, Inspiration, Gender Pay Gap, Compensation, Career Possibilities, Advocate, Diversity, #WESTevent, Women in Business, Life Science VC, Venture Capital/VC, Gender Parity, Conversations
Summer reads are one of the most popular book searches each year. WEST Leadership is making that search easy for you! Whether you're looking for an enthralling fiction book to take on a vacation with you or looking for something with some life lessons in it, we've got you covered!
Topics: Leadership, Work Life Balance, Inspiration, Leading Ourselves, Board of Directors, Insight, Book Club
On Friday, July 12th, WEST will host its first Women in Leadership Bootcamp in partnership with Nucleate! We are excited to welcome several speakers for this day-long event that will cover a variety of topics for our attendees. These include: understanding your leadership style, embodying confidence, and unlocking your team’s potential. This bootcamp will train the next generation of biotech leaders to communicate, delegate, innovate, inspire, and provide clear goals and direction to their teams more effectively.
Topics: Leadership, Leader, #MemberSpotlight, Self-Awareness, Confidence, Personal Branding, Career Development, Inclusion, Self-Reflection, #WESTevent, Identity
WEST is thrilled to have such a diverse community of STEM professionals. We are honored to be able to highlight several leading STEM women as part of our Asian & Pacific Islander Heritage Month celebration. You won’t want to miss this panel discussion featuring API trailblazers who will be sharing about their experiences, current positions, and advice they have for those of similar backgrounds with goals of making contributions through work in STEM industries. For a little preview, see our Q&A session with panelist Crystal Shih Byers below!
Topics: Leadership, STEM, Career, Panel, Culture, Industry, Role Models, Career Path, Inclusion, Diversity, #WESTevent, D&I, STEM Women
One of the pieces of feedback WEST has received lately is questions about becoming a better coach or mentor. WEST believes in the value of coaching and mentoring throughout one’s career and is thrilled to be hosting the upcoming event “Empowering YOU: How to Be a Great Coach or Mentor.”
Topics: Events, Leadership, Career, Mentoring, Coaching, Influence, Developing Your Skills, Challenges, Career Development, Mentor, #WESTevent
In a society that often favors extroverted tendencies, being on the introverted end of the spectrum can bring challenges in loud workplaces. Extroverted or introverted, we all have inspiration, passion, and great ideas within us. We work to create inclusive workplaces that support the success of each person on our team. With a few skills, being open-minded and truly aware of ourselves and those around us, we can create a team that allows each member to contribute their strengths and find success.
There are some misconceptions about introversion at work: that people who are more introverted can’t lead as effectively, are shy, and don’t like to work with others (are not team players). Despite these perspectives, introverted employees can absolutely excel in so many spaces using their strengths. The reality inside an introvert’s mind is thoughtful and methodical, tending to think deeply and critically about the work at hand. Like extraverts, introverts want their team to succeed, and may see the path to success differently. Their ability to truly immerse themselves in the information at hand, process their thoughts from many angles, and present suggestions and solutions that are well thought out is an incredible strength to any company.
Topics: Leadership, Community, Confidence, Challenges, Career Development, Empowerment, #WESTevent, Corporate Culture, Identity, Introvert
Where do you see yourself in five years? Ten years? Better yet, do you know why you see yourself there or what it’s going to take to get there? While these are good questions to ask yourself, it leaves a few important details out. How do your strengths, interests, passions, motivations, and work-life balance goals fit into your career plans?
Topics: Leadership, Career, Change, Career Path, Leading Ourselves, Self-Awareness, Career Development, Roadmap, Career Possibilities, New Opportunities, Self-Reflection, #WESTevent