WEST Wisdom Blog

Are you committed to lifelong learning and growing your skills? If so, WEST has some great spring webinar offerings to help you lead with mindfulness, build success with grit, make your ideas irresistible, advocate for yourself, improve communication, and much more.

As Eleanor Roosevelt said "I am who I am today because of the choices I made yesterday." Now is a great time to focus on your personal development and embrace purposeful learning to promote your career and prepare for tomorrow.

Join us at an upcoming webinar.

Topics: Events, Leadership, Women, Career, Communication, Resilience, Presentation, Women in STEM, Upcoming Events, Mindfulness, Developing Your Skills, Career Development, Learn, Advocate, #WESTevent, #WESTorg, Be Fearless, Be Brave, Webinar, Grit, Fearlessness, Parenting

Conflict is caring

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

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.

Topics: Women, Career, Communication, Community, Women in STEM, Networking, Upcoming Events, Professional, Connect, Holiday Party, #WESTevent, Be Fearless, Be Brave

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. 

Topics: Women in STEM, Upcoming Events, Tools, Career Development, Marketing, Advocate, #WESTevent, Women in Business, Be Fearless, Be Brave

In the world of business, careers are no longer linear or predictable. What was once a clearly sign-posted path as you progressed through milestones, a career road map is now circuitous presenting new challenges and opportunities at every bend. Life-long careers in one sector or one company are becoming a rarity as new technologies and shifting social norms disrupt traditional careers. Both employers and employees are seeking more diversity of experience, lifestyle flexibility and alternative paths.

These panels are designed to help you think about your career path and the different options that are open to you. Each panel will have an informational interview type feel with panelists sharing their career paths, a look at what their job entails, transferrable skills for those looking to make a change, tips for uncovering opportunities, advice for others, and how to make brave leaps. Then you will get some small group time with the panelists during a few speed networking rounds. 

Topics: Events, STEM, Women, Science, Transitions, Career, Panel, Cambridge, Success, Women in STEM, Networking, Upcoming Events, Innovation, Professional, Biotech, Digital, Career Path, Career Development, Career Possibilities, Speed Networking, New Opportunities, #WESTevent, #WESTorg, Be Fearless, Be Brave, Venture Capital/VC, Business Development, Research & Development, Devices, Medical

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.

What is the #1 indicator of leadership potential? 

EQ: Emotional intelligence 

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

1–I’m not an effective networker because I'm not a natural extrovert.

You’re the boss of you. You author your own self-fulfilling prophecy when you decide whether to limit yourself to, or expand upon, your natural talents. Everyone, extrovert or introvert, has to be intentional about networking. And success in anything, not just networking, is far more strongly correlated to continuous effort than the hand that fate or genetics dealt you. A chance event may point you in a certain direction, but only you can keep yourself moving along that path or venture off to go bushwhacking elsewhere, if so inclined.

Topics: Events, STEM, Women, Career, Cambridge, Network, Women in STEM, Networking, Upcoming Events, Empowerment, Advice, Inclusion, Diversity, #WESTevent, #WESTorg, Be Fearless, Be Brave, D&I

Sure, there’s still the glass stratosphere and whatnot. But life sciences VC offers seats on a shuttle that’s taxing the runway now. 

—Dr. Lucy Rogers (Twitter: @DrLucyRogers)

If you’re reading this, you're probably already active in encouraging girls in STEM pursuits. Whether that’s science lab slime kit birthday present for your niece, or through organizations like Boston Area Girls’ STEM Collaborative or Code to Inspire. 

Topics: Panel, Cambridge, Women in STEM, Networking, Upcoming Events, Discussion, Influence, Making a Difference, Impact, Own It, Inclusion, Diversity, #WESTevent, #WESTorg, Life Science VC, Be Fearless, Be Brave, Venture Capital/VC, D&I

Corporate culture is the flavor of your professional ice cream. 

We all order from the same counter, but we each create a unique taste from the shared experience. Who doesn't have strong feelings about pistachio versus rocky road? Samsung versus Apple? Even if we do combine them all in a gummy bear-topped cheat day indulgence.  

Before you started at your current role, you investigated the company culture. Regardless of your role or your intentions, upon arrival, your primary task was acclimating. First you learned the why’s and how’s. You had to accept the existing culture while you got your bearings. But you’re not a newbie anymore. It's time for the next step. 

Topics: Best Practices, Panel, Cambridge, Culture, Women in STEM, Networking, Upcoming Events, Discussion, Influence, Making a Difference, Self-Awareness, Impact, Own It, Inclusion, Diversity, #WESTevent, #WESTorg, Organizational Culture, Corporate Culture