WEST Wisdom Blog

Celebrating WEST's 20th Anniversary with 20 stories of impact.

Topics: Events, STEM, Women, Transitions, Career, Awards, Community, Giving Back, Work Life Balance, Resilience, Entrepreneurship, Network, Giving, Job, negotiation, Leader, Women in STEM, Workshop, Networking, Upcoming Events, Professional, Connect, Balance, Inspiration, Role Models, Delegation, Developing Your Skills, Volunteer, Board of Directors, Confidence, Leaders, Book Club, Impact, Career Development, New Opportunities, Mentor, Inclusion, #WESTevent, #WESTorg, 20th Anniversary, Grow

Celebrating WEST's 20th Anniversary with 20 stories of impact. This week's stories are from Chesley Chen, Maria Lalioti, Joseph Lehar, Anna Li, Enith Morillo, Makeda M, Liz O'Day, and Elizabeth Wu.

Topics: Events, Leadership, Women, Transitions, Career, Awards, Community, Giving Back, Work Life Balance, Resilience, Entrepreneurship, Network, Giving, Job, negotiation, Leader, Women in STEM, Workshop, Networking, Upcoming Events, Professional, Connect, Balance, Inspiration, Role Models, Delegation, Developing Your Skills, Volunteer, Board of Directors, Confidence, Leaders, Book Club, Impact, Career Development, New Opportunities, Mentor, Inclusion, #WESTevent, #WESTorg, 20th Anniversary, Grow

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

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

Learn more about past events listed below

5/15: Finding your Voice Among all the Chatter
6/12: How to Inspire, Advocate and Grow During Change
6/20: Building Your Company Culture and Developing Your People

Topics: Events, Best Practices, STEM, Women, Boston, Tech, Science, Career, Communication, Community, Panel, Cambridge, Network, Women in STEM, Workshop, Networking, Innovation, Biotech, Discussion, Interactive, Change, Lessons Learned, Connect, Management, Developing Your Skills, Leaders, Own It, Advocate, Diversity, #WESTevent, Change Management, #WESTorg, Organizational Culture, Corporate Culture

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

Do you think you deserve a higher salary in the job offer? Are you aiming to score that promotion this year? Frustrated by the growing workload and the dwindling resources? Couldn’t get to agreement with your team about project deliverables and timelines? Regardless of your role, we negotiate everyday. And these difficult conversations always wrack our nerves. WEST’s first workshop in 2019 by Amy Rebecca Gay provided a framework and practical tools to help us navigate self-advocacy and increase effectiveness in negotiation.

Topics: Gender Balance, Network, negotiation, Workshop, Networking, Relationships, Tools, Developing Your Skills, Compensation, Empowerment

You look back on the year and you nailed it. All of it. You checked every box and made every milestone. Graduated with honors. Got that dream job. Finally took that vacation paid for with the raise that came with your promotion. So why does it seem like you forgot something? Like the puzzle is missing a piece?

Topics: Events, Women, Tech, Science, Career, Community, Cambridge, Success, Women in STEM, Workshop, Networking, Upcoming Events, Biotech, Interactive, Connect, Strengths, Values, Career Development, Own It, Learn