Emerging Leaders

Highlights

ISPE Emerging Leaders Podcast Series-Episode 2 (John Clarke)

In this episode Tom McDermott from the ISPE Emerging leaders talks to John Clarke the former Global Chair of ISPE Emerging Leaders on his career and his experience with the ISPE.

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Features

Emerging Leaders: Nurturing Emerging Talent & the Workforce of the Future

1 January 2022

Emerging Leaders has grown from an initiative for interactions among early-career professionals entering ISPE into much more: a training ground, a networking organization, and a new foundation for the future of ISPE and the industry. This article looks at the history of the group, its purpose, current and future initiatives, and a name change that better reflects the path of its members.



Insights

Emerging Leaders Editorial: Building Connection & Support

1 January 2022

The past two years have turned things upside down and forced change in a way that has made many aspects of our lives become unfamiliar. The unforeseen stresses of these changes have pushed many people and companies to their breaking points. Some of these challenges were expected, but came on like a train that we couldn’t stop. I’ve been there, feeling like I don’t have the tools to deal with...

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Resources

• New Job Success Strategies

  I finally landed a great job. How can I get started on the right foot?

  

  David G. Smith
  

  Talent Acquisition Leader

  Biogen Idec

  ---

  Congratulations on accepting a new position! Your first days in your new role will go a long way to shaping your career with the new organization. Here are some ideas for a successful transition.

  BEFORE YOUR FIRST DAY

  Do your homework. Complete any required forms and find the required documents before day one. Review the benefits summaries and other information so you can ask questions during orientation.

  Revisit the job description and your interview notes, including position responsibilities and interview key points. Prepare a checklist of key learning areas to prioritize for your specific job function and the organization. Bring a portfolio so you can keep your checklists, agenda, and other items organized and handy.

  Plan how you will present yourself on your first day. Get a good night’s sleep so you can start your first day refreshed and ready. Plan for a little extra commuting time. Make sure you review any dress code (especially for manufacturing-related roles).

  ORIENTATION

  A formal new employee orientation (NEO) for new hires can provide a consistent new-hire experience and key information about employment with the company. If your new organization offers a NEO, you’ll receive an agenda and a list of items you will need to bring with you on your first day.

  In addition to the usual paperwork related to benefits enrollment, tax forms, proof of work authorization, and company compliance documents, you’ll set up your phone and computer to access required systems and information. Capture the names and contact information that you may need to follow up with later.

  Get a tour of the facility and orient yourself with the major department locations, including those you will work with and key support functions such as IT, finance, and HR. Also ask to see areas for lunch, company amenities, and parking.

  TIPS FOR EARLY SUCCESS

  Take ownership of your development and establish how you will work with your new team. Here are some focus areas:

  Understand the business. It is critical to thoroughly understand the company’s products and/or services, goals, and structure. This will help you learn the interdependencies and value of your responsibilities, which should help you communicate with key stakeholders and prioritize your work.

  Learn how to work with your boss. Make sure you understand your boss’s communication preferences (in person, phone, IM, and emails). Establish what you need to report or inform about and how often. Communicate what you need, your best learning methods, where you would like to develop your skills and contributions, and your own communication style.

  Learn and train. Look for learning that fits your personal learning style: For visual learners, seeing an activity firsthand is best, audio learners might learn best in a classroom, and others may gain the most from reading. Be sure to take breaks from learning activities and vary your day to ensure you stay fresh and attentive.

  Seek understanding before you suggest change. Process improvements are always a goal, and as a new employee, you will be eager to make a quick impact. Take time to understand before you suggest or act. Credibility is based on knowledge and trust, so be sure to see the larger picture, ask questions, and solicit stakeholder feedback.

  Build relationships with your team. Good relationships are essential. Learn how your team communicates, and determine their interests and strengths. Understand how your role intersects with the rest of the team and how others depend on your work. Establish credibility by meeting deadlines, keeping your commitments, and seeking feedback to ensure you are delivering what is needed. You probably will ask a great deal from others during your early days, so look for ways to reciprocate.

  Immerse yourself in the company culture. Your manager will likely review and provide expectations related to the company culture as part of your performance plan, and you will need to look for ways to adapt them to your daily interactions.

  Seek balance. The urgency of getting up to speed and the burden of performing in your new role can take a toll if you’re not careful. Get proper sleep, exercise, and fulfill non-work priorities—these are key to keeping motivated and engaged. Many companies provide on-site wellness programs and other benefits that can help. While you will learn best practices and become more efficient over time, make sure you are reviewing your workload with your manager and requesting help before you find yourself in a pinch.

  Congratulations on the new opportunity, and I wish you the best of luck.

  Do you have other career questions? Feel free to email me at david.g.smith@biogen.com.

• Career Pivot: 4 Steps for a Successful Transition

  Hi David, I am trying to make a career change. I want to move into a different area of engineering, and I am not having any luck. How can I be more effective?

  

  David G. Smith
  

  Talent Acquisition Leader

  Biogen Idec

  ---

  Transitioning to a new functional area can be difficult; it requires a different approach than pursuing opportunities in the same space.

  Gather Data

  First, gather data so you can assess the change you want to make; it’s critical that you understand the job function you want to pursue. Job descriptions are a good source of information, but you will likely need to dig deeper. Use LinkedIn to research the background of people currently in a role that you want to pursue. Examine their job histories, education, and training— how do they compare to yours?

  Informational interviews are also important. There often is no better source for understanding job requirements than top performers who are currently doing the job. Asking about their career paths, how they obtained their positions, and what they learned along the way can provide a great deal of insight. A personal connection might also be able to help with a resume review or even a recommendation.

  Attending ISPE conferences or other networking opportunities can also help focus on the area you are pursuing. These events are often excellent sources of information about the kind of work performed, new technology, and best practices.

  Look Inward

  Once you’ve gathered your data, you will need to look inward and complete a thorough gap analysis. Ask yourself several questions

  • What projects, training, and technology would be directly applicable in my new function?
  • How critical is this knowledge to the core function of the role I am pursuing?
  • What have I not been exposed to? Hi David, I am trying to make a career change. I want to move into a different area of engineering, and I am not having any luck. How can I be more effective?
  • Am I being realistic? Do I have the knowledge and experience to be successful?
  • How would I close these gaps? Do I need to take a course? Should I consider job shadowing or taking on a project to gain knowledge or experience?

  There are many tools on the internet that can help you with this exercise. Whichever one you choose, however, make sure it helps you understand what you would bring to the role on Day One, what support you would need to transition, and what gaps you can reasonably close by your own means.

  Before applying, there are several other ideas to consider.

  Here Or There?

  It is usually easier to pivot into a new department within the company you are already working for. You likely already know about its systems and procedures, which will make training in other areas easier. You also probably have internal connections that can provide help and advice. Your track record and demonstrated learning agility are also known.

  Sometimes an internal move is not possible—the firm may be too small or the desired function does not exist. In this case, you will need to find a way to obtain the necessary knowledge and relationships with another company.

  While organizations often look to external candidates that offer a different background and fresh way of thinking, hiring managers to know that they take on potential risk when they hire someone without direct experience. You will need to utilize the information from your assessment, your knowledge of the company, and any connections you’ve made to help frame the argument that you would be a great fit with minimal risk of failure and a high potential for long-term success.

  If this bar is too hard to clear, you may want to consider a lateral move to an organization that would allow you to move internally once you have gained knowledge and a track record. You will need to use your data-gathering method to assess the potential for such an internal pivot.

  Focus Your Resume

  Focus on where you want to go in relation to where you have been. Review the job description you are considering and go through an exercise of turning each job duty and requirement into a question. Your answer should indicate the training or experience you have to prove you meet the requirements. Where you lack direct experience, think about what you have done that is similar and transferable. Don’t forget to add real outcomes (cost savings, improved safety, reduced errors, etc.) to enhance the value of what you choose to highlight.

  This should help translate your experience so that the hiring manager can better understand your qualifications. It can also tell you what to eliminate from your resume. I can’t overstate the importance of customizing your resume in this way. I have heard countless comments from hiring, managers, wondering why a candidate applied for a certain job with a resume so focused on irrelevant skills and experiences that he or she appeared to be seeking a completely different kind of role.

  Thank you once again for your questions. I hope you will find this guidance helpful. If you are curious about other topics, please email me at david.g.smith@biogen.com, and I will likely answer in a future column.

• How to Run a Virtual Meeting like a Pro!

  In the current climate, I am sure that we have a packed calendar of virtual meetings. Since this all started, I have used the following platforms to meet: Zoom, GoToMeeting, WebEX, Google, Slack, SKYPE, Adobe, and good ol’ facetime! I have meetings that start at 6 am and others that start at 6 pm. Below are some tips and best practices to help you run your next virtual meeting like a Pro!

  

  LeAnna Pearson
  

  Associate Director Quality Compliance and Regulatory

  CAI

  ---

  1. Choosing the correct tool/platform. This is tricky as there are so many out there but below are some great points to think about when selecting.
     1. Do you need video conferencing?
     2. Will you need the ability to share presentation control or multiple screens?
     3. How many people need to be at the meeting?
     4. Are you familiar with it? HINT: if you are new to using a platform, I suggest doing a dry run to avoid the technology learning hurdle during a meeting that can detail a productive meeting.
  2. Be thoughtful of time zones. There are a lot of great tools to help you with this.
     1. Every Time Zone – this tool has a slider function to allow you to see what time it is across time zones
     2. World Clock meeting Planner: You need to know everyone’s location to use this, but you can enter them into a table, and it will create suggested meeting times.
     3. Worldtimebuddy: Works very similar to World Clock Meeting Planner.
  3. Create an Agenda to stay on point. When you are working in person there is plenty of time to stop and chat but now that opportunity often is only presented during our meeting times. So, a well-laid-out agenda can help keep the meeting on time and on topic.
     1. Meeting Purpose and/or what problem statement you are tackling.
     2. List key talking points
     3. Meeting structure (for example: next to each talking point list the duration you plan to spend on it and who is leading it)
     4. Team members who are invited
     5. Pre-Reads or Attachments If you are expecting to discuss a paper or PowerPoint often it helps to send it out as a pre-read so that it is not the first-time people are seeing it.
  4. Meeting Guidelines. This is a new topic I have been seeing with virtual meetings. This is a list of rules/expectations on how the team is expected to contribute during our virtual meetings.
     1. Camera on. Many people want that Face to Face interaction that using a webcam offers.
     2. Ensuring your phone is muted when you are not speaking. It is very distracting to hear the kids yelling or your dog howling at the doorbell.
     3. Be present: This is a kind way of asking people to not multitask. I have seen people microwave their lunch, change a diaper & accidentally share this screen while shopping. It is best to stay focused on the meeting you are in.
  5. Meeting time. Tips 1-4 get you ready for a meeting but how do you keep engagement during the meeting?
     1. Introduce everyone if it is the kickoff meeting.
     2. Make time for a bit of casual conversation. This can help build rapport for a successful team collaboration.
     3. Ensure you are including everyone in the meeting. For some, you might need to ask them directly if they have any thoughts on a topic or anything they want to discuss.
     4. Keep an eye on time! Give yourself about 5-7 minutes before the meeting ends to wrap up any loose actions or items.
  6. Post Meeting. You want everyone to leave you meeting knowing what happened and what comes next.
     1. Send out post-meeting notes within 24/48 hours
     2. Include action items with who is responsible
     3. Check-in with attendees to see how the meeting went, if something didn’t work then you want to figure that out sooner than later.

• Virtual Meeting Etiquette.

  Now that work is home and home is work, here are some of the top tips for ensuring your virtual meeting etiquette is flawless.

  

  LeAnna Pearson
  

  Associate Director Quality Compliance and Regulatory

  CAI

  ---

  1. Look the part! This means combing your hair, putting on a presentable top, and if you are going to be up moving around making sure your full outfit is presentable. We have all seen the jokes about people not having on pants and getting up or their shirt being pinned on and falling down to reveal an old tee or no tee at all. While these are funny to see they are not funny when they happen to you. Remember this is still YOUR JOB. You should not show up on your video conference to anything less than what you would show up to work in.
  2. Right Time/Right Place. Ensure that you are in a location in your home that is not the hub for activity so as to not distract yourself or others with what is going on in the background. Your focus needs to be on the meeting. If you have repurposed your bedroom as your new home office then make the bed, pick up laundry and ensure the space is representative of who you are.
  3. Mic Check 1-2, 1-2. Most meeting platforms give you an opportunity to check your video and audio prior to the meeting. DO THIS, EVERY TIME! It is so frustrating when you are on a call and it is your time to speak up and you cannot, or your video won’t work. You lose valuable time during the meeting and it can be disruptive. This also allows you to check and see if what you see in the camera is what you want your boss and coworkers to see!
  4. FOCUS. Once the session starts keep your eyes on the screen and webcam. Do not multitask or be on your phone. People can not only see you, but a lack of attention is disrespectful to the meeting organizer and other participants.
  5. Bio-breaks. Okay, we have all been on that LONG meeting where you just need a bio break and maybe one has not been scheduled into the agenda. How do you handle it? If your meeting platform allows you to send a message to the meeting organizer or team it is best just to say, “please excuse me, I need to step away for a moment”. Place your computer on mute and either ends your video feed or if you have a webcam cover just slide it over. This allows you to get up without everyone seeing an empty seat or not knowing why you just got up and left.
  6. Give everyone a little Grace. What does this mean? Well, we are all learning how to navigate this new landscape so do not be impatient or too harsh on someone when technology is not cooperating with them. I have had my webcam just decide it hates GoToMeeting and was not able to be seen during a meeting. Was it ideal? Nope, but I knew it early and sent the organizer and team a message that I was having some issues, but I was present. I have a team member who is in a small home with 7 other adults, there is no private space to have a meeting. So just remember everyone is doing their best during this time, yourself included.

• Enhance Your Value in the Marketplace

  You are not your resume Presentation

  Presented at the 2016 ISPE Annual Meeting by Ken Ewan, Principal, KME Leadership LLC