WEST Wisdom Blog

Change may be life's only constant, but unexpected change is tricky for everyone.

You speak. WEST listens! By popular request, the next WESTevent is a workshop on how to own unexpected change. We're talking to Claudette Rowley about handling the change you didn't see coming. Change that is beyond our control. Change that we did not instigate and cannot avoid.

Topics: Women in STEM, Upcoming Events, Change, Developing Your Skills, Self-Awareness, Conflict Resolution, Career Development, Own It, #WESTevent, Change Management, #WESTorg, Women in Business

Rewire your mind by reprogramming your body

Neuroscience has proven that learning is not just a mental process. We use our whole body to learn.

Our cerebral activities have physiological counterpoints. Our posture, energy and stamina reflect our mental states. It’s no coincidence that the nervous system, manager of our unconscious bodily functions like breath and digestion, offers the greatest insight on our conscious thoughts and mental status. 

Topics: Events, Women, Science, Career, Community, Cambridge, Women in STEM, Workshop, Networking, Upcoming Events, Biotech, Connect, Leaders, Own It, Learn, Advocate, #WESTevent, Voice

A well-managed equity portfolio can use your equity compensation to  transform your income into self-sustaining wealth. Compensation is changing and it’s about far more than just cash. Learn 3 things you need to know now to move beyond income to wealth.

Topics: Events, Women, Science, Career, Community, Cambridge, negotiation, Women in STEM, Workshop, Networking, Upcoming Events, Biotech, Connect, Management, Compensation, Leaders, Own It, Learn, Advocate, #WESTevent, Equity Management, Intellectual Property (IP)

Managing up is not about manipulation or capitulation. Rather it’s learning to influence with respect, and broaden your horizons to speculate about the pressures and demands which may be outside of your view. It’s about influencing diplomatically yet authentically. Being intentional about challenging a plan. How can you get what you need at the same time you’re focusing on what your manager needs? How can you effectively negotiate the relationship that has the most impact on your career, and still be yourself? How can you have power   with  your manager, being cooperative and expressive?

Topics: Events, Leadership, Women, Science, Career, Community, Cambridge, Success, Network, negotiation, Women in STEM, Workshop, Networking, Upcoming Events, Professional, Relationships, Biotech, Interactive, Change, Connect, Influence, Management, Leading Ourselves, Developing Your Skills, Self-Awareness, Support, Conflict Resolution, Leaders, Impact, Career Development, Influence Without Authority, Own It, Empowerment, Learn, Advocate

Pay equity expert Katie Donovan gave a mind-blowing seminar on equal pay negotiations for WEST community on March 13th.

Katie provided a few paradigm-shifting ideas which will change the way we communicate about salary negotiation. We, as women often don’t realize that we are being underpaid. And we tend to think that pay is not negotiable and that organizations will pay us fairly. However, the statistics from US Bureau of Labor clearly demonstrate the issue of unequal pay between men and women [Chart 3 below]. Since 2004, the women’s-to-men’s earnings ratio has remained in the 80 to 83 percent range [data]. That’s the awakening mindset Katie challenged every woman to bear in mind.

Topics: Events, Women, Science, Career, Community, Network, Job, Women in STEM, Networking, Upcoming Events, Professional, Biotech, Discussion, Equal Pay, Connect, Gender Pay Gap, Leaders, Impact, Own It, Advocate

Join WESTorg for this flagship event to learn from seasoned senior leaders as they tell us about their inspiring journeys to success in the fast-paced world of science and technology. The topic will be our annual theme, "Own It! Empowering Your Career & Your Life." Hear advice they have for owning your career and taking charge of your future by exploiting your strengths with confidence and fine-tuning your skills to ask for what you want and need. Network with movers and shakers in the science and technology community and support career advancement of the next generation of women leaders in STEM!

Topics: Events, Leadership, Women, Science, Career, Community, Panel, Network, Women in STEM, Networking, Annual Theme, Upcoming Events, Professional, Biotech, Discussion, Female, Connect, Inspiration, Lead, Leaders, Own It

Join Katie Donovan to learn pragmatic approaches to achieving pay equity, from both sides of the compensation negotiation process. 

On July 1, 2018, the Act to Establish Pay Equity, amending G.L. c.149, §105A (MA Pay Equity Law) went into effect in Massachusetts. For women and other systematically underpaid groups, the MA Pay Equity Law is the biggest thing since the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act sliced some equality bread back in 2009.

The MA Pay Equity Law forbids employers from asking about salary history. The law enables women and other minorities to escape the cycle of underpayment resulting from systemic and unconscious bias. The law also means that the lower salary you accepted for that dream job at a startup that didn't make it can't be used to lowball you down road. 

Topics: Events, Women, Science, Career, Community, Network, Job, Women in STEM, Networking, Upcoming Events, Professional, Biotech, Discussion, Equal Pay, Connect, Gender Pay Gap, Leaders, Impact, Own It, Advocate

Your next job is more likely to come from a referral than a posting. That means your network is just as important as your resume.

As a B2B tech content writer, I rarely meet my clients or readers in person. To them, my physical existence is hypothetical beyond pixel configurations. Most of what I write about can't be touched—though I’ve often wished I could hug SQL. Everything is conceptual, visible but intangible.

Still, when I redesigned my website, all my mentors, from the copywriters to the engineers, were emphatic that I use as many pictures of my smiling face as possible. Eye contact, even simulated, hypothetical eye contact, is crucial for establishing trust.

Topics: Events, Women, Science, Career, Community, Network, Job, Women in STEM, Networking, Upcoming Events, Professional, Biotech, Connect, Leaders, Impact, Own It

Innovation and all the benefits that stem from it, are correlated to board diversity. Regardless of whether you’re planning to join a board, you should be aware of where organizations that impact your life sit on the spectrum of board diversity. 

Check out some of the best infographics in the Missing Pieces Report: The 2018 Board Diversity Census of Women and Minorities on Fortune 500 Boards. Download the complete report, a multiyear collaboration by the Alliance for Board Diversity and Deloitte here.

Topics: Events, Women, Science, Career, Community, Panel, Cambridge, Network, Women in STEM, Networking, Upcoming Events, Innovation, Professional, Biotech, Connect, Board of Directors, Leaders, Impact, Own It, Diversity

Join WESTorg at Takeda on Wednesday, January 23, 2019, for the #WESTawards to honor individuals in the Boston science and technology community that embody WEST’s 2018-2019 theme, ‘Own It: Empowering Your Career & Your Life’. 

WEST is a learning community that provides women in the enterprise of science and technology with the inspiration, knowledge and connections to reach their full potential. Please join #WESTorg and our sponsors, Takeda, Johnson & Johnson and Safety Partners at Takeda’s Cambridge offices for the 2019 #WESTawards and Networking Night to honor individuals in Boston’s STEM community who embody WEST’s mission and our ‘Own It’ theme in their service of inclusivity and empowerment in STEM and STEM initiatives that benefit the community at large.

Topics: Events, Women, Science, Career, Awards, Community, Giving Back, Interview, Cambridge, Success, Network, Inspire, Women in STEM, Networking, Upcoming Events, Professional, Biotech, Rockstars, Connect, Making a Difference, Inspiration, Role Models, Volunteer, Compensation, Strengths, Support, Leaders, Impact, Own It, Sponsor, Advocate