Entrepreneurship in Life sciences, the gate to peace

I had the privilege yesterday to attend the lecture given by Prof. Dan Shechtman, 2011 Nobel Prize winner in Chemistry. The lecture was given during the annual meeting of Pharma Israel.

 

Prof. Shechtman is not only a brilliant chemist, but dedicates himself to education of the new generation. He was telling about his course in the Technion, the Israeli Technological Institute (who already has three Nobel prize winners) on Entrepreneurship. He is teaching this course by bringing successful people to tell the story of their success. He believes that in order to succeed with a start up, you need several things:

1. Believe in your product
2. Know the market and the competitors
3. Investigate the market trends
4. Your product answers an unmet need
5. Start marketing before the product is finalized. When the product is ready for launch it is too late to start the marketing activity.
6. Motivation is more important than money

 

I was very proud for two reasons: First, I myself am a Technion graduate and second, he summarized my key beliefs in Start up marketing.

 

He summarized his lecture saying that the economic success will bring peace among nations. I believe the same. 

 

Staying in Hospital

Last week my 86 years old mother fell. It was a long journey until she got a treatment.

First, she called the Home care. He gave her an injection, but the next day the pain augmented, so she went to her Orthopedic physician. He referred her to X-ray. Then, to the ER. She waited 6 hours in the ER, until the resident physician on duty decided she does not know what to do with her, did not want to call the "on guard" specialist and sent her home with an invitation to consultation 5 days after. When we came to the consultation, the specialist diagnosed that she broke her shoulder and dislocated it. He was amazed she did not get any treatment the day she came to the ER. The bones started to heel, and now she needed to be anesthetized in order to rebuild the shoulder. She became so anxious that her blood pressure jumped to 220 and they were afraid to anaesthetize her.

 

Finally she went through the procedure. She suffered and suffers a lot of pain.

I now ask myself if the system is correct. How can a hospital be run during the night without specialists? How can we depend during 16 hours on the residents only?

 

Here in Israel the physicians in the public system are very poorly paid. That id why, they give the minimum to the Hospital and save their energy to their private practice.

 

Although 100% of the population in Israel have Health Insurance, which is a very important law, the budgets do not catch the gap on increasing costs. Therefore, the Health system is deteriorating and needs a fundamental change.

 

 

 

How to treat your employee

This month my daughter started her internship in Pediatric Pulmonology

. Her Boss bought her for this event the textbook she will need to memorize. She brought the book form the ERS Congress

, where she asked two of the editors, leading pediatric pulmonologists to write her a dedication and sign on the book.

 

When my daughter told me this story she was so moved and graceful giving her a huge boost for her new step in her career.

 

This story is an excellent example for me how to treat your employees. Showing them you care about them, be attentive to their need and be flexible.

On the other hand, her boss expressed her high expectations from her. Of course this is needed in order to push your employee to his best performance.

 

Another example of her positive attitude is her flexibility regarding family responsibilities. She is fully emphatic when my daughter needs to leave in order to fill her responsibilities as a mother.

 

I always believed that there are very important rules for managing people:

• positive attitude
• openness
• flexibility
• create motivation
• be demanding and stress every employee to his highest capabilities
• listen to your employees
• feel your team as partners to the company success
• transparency

Technology and efficient management are only part of the company success.

• 

Workload and family balance

All of us who worked in the pharmaceutical industry, mainly in the multinational companies experience the hard time before New launches, Annual Brand Plan submission, different crisis. I remember once we were locked for a full week in a hotel in order to finalize the brand plans. Most of us were young product managers and leaving families for a full week was not pleasant at all. I remember myself full of remorse not seeing my young children for a week

So, has anybody the answer how we should combine family and career

As for myself, I started my career very late, after my youngest son was five. My elder children remind me today how angry they were that they had to take care of their little brother and bring him home from the daycare. I also remember how my young son totally ignored me when I was back from long business trips abroad. It hurt so much!!!.
I always say that the 20th century made women's life more difficult. We have to function as mothers, wife, career women at the same time. It is so hard and exhausting!!!!
Today, when I can look back if I took the right way regarding career and family and the time I split between, I feel totally confident. If I would do only one of my tasks, say only career, my life would not be complete and full.  How much I enjoy my grandchildren and my family!! How thankful I am for that!!!
If I gave up on my career, it would be the same. I enjoyed so much all my positions!!!! Most of my life, working was like enjoying hobbies.
I am so happy I had the opportunity to work in fantastic companies (MSD, SANOFI, BMS) and in rewarding positions. I would never give up on any of my duties in life!!!!. 

Working from home

The world was astonished after YAHOO new CEO Marissa Mayer’s decided no more work from home accepted. http://articles.marketwatch.com/2013-03-02/finance/37284276_1_home-work-work-at-home-yahoo

My feelings are very ambivalent regarding such a policy.

There are good reasons to come to office:

Meeting people is important

Working from home can lead to loneliness and depression.

Corridor meetings are sometimes opportunity for good brainstorming

One is not obstructed by home duties, children, etc.

What are the back draws?

A lot of time is wasted in the office mingling, corridor chats, etc.

A lot of time is wasted in traffic.

If your environment is good, you may concentrate better at home.

One can decide what his best hours to work are. I know people who are more efficient during the night. Coming to the office in the morning can be a waste of time for them, since morning is totally no efficient for them.

As for myself I enjoy a lot working from home. I can decide which the best hours are for me. I can decide upon my agenda. I feel very comfortable not to dress and put makeup every morning.

On the other hand, I enjoy very much that my work is combined with meetings outside the office. In this way, I enjoy meeting people, dressing and makeup, brainstorming with others, meeting new people, and hearing about new ideas.

So, what is the best recommendation?

Women in senior positions

I experienced a lot of change during my career regarding equality for woman when it comes to senior positions. I face great improvement, but still, I am not so sure the opportunities are really equal for women and men. No question regarding salaries. No doubt majority of the western world’s woman earn less in equal positions than men, with exceptions of course.

My question is why? I saw so many examples why women are better managers than man:

·        Women work harder. They know they have to prove they are better than men.

·        Women are very efficient in their work. Managing houses and raising up children teaches us how to be efficient in everything we do.

·        Women are sensitive with people. They create pleasant environment at work. They understand better the needs of their employees. These attributes are key success factor for every organization.

·        Women conduct negotiations in a pleasant atmosphere. Thus, they succeed to achieve win win agreements.

·        Women have very good intuition for business.

·        Women know how to be assertive in a nice way.

·        Women deal less with internal politics, therefore waste no time at work.

 So, why still women are discriminated?

Employers are afraid we will have to leave for several months during maternity leave. Well, although it is an issue, if you consider a long period of talent employment, these months are negligible. We also can backup from home, and we really try harder!

Men prefer business meetings without women, because they do not have to control their language and manners.

Employers believe women are affected by their moods and hormones. Well, I met so many man that are affected  as much as women.

Anyways, We do progress, and I am so proud to see so many women in senior positions. I hope future will be even brighter!

How to develop a new career in your fifties

I remember several International meetings in Multinational Pharmaceutical companies in different positions I held. I was 48, and a woman. I was a product manager at that time. I felt very old and very outsider. All my colleagues from Europe and the USA were in their thirties. Fortunately, I received an offer from another multinational pharmaceutical company to manage the Cardiovascular Business Unit, at that time a great promotion for me. I enjoyed every moment of that time. Several years after, I had the opportunity to manage the subsidiary of another pharmaceutical company. This was indeed the climax of my career. Unfortunately, due to merger of that company I lost my manager job. I was 54 at that time, my professional future looking very gray. How did I proceed?

After I took some rest and enjoyed my family:

I connected every friend, family member, and colleague.

I submitted my CV to every serious headhunter.

I met a lot of people even far from my previous occupation.

I renewed every professional contact I had.

It worked very well for me.

In a short time I received consulting offers from different companies, and this is how I started my new career.

I am writing this in order to cheer up those of my age, who need to find new careers in their fifties. Unfortunately job opportunities are very limited for them. My advice is:

Be open to new opportunities, new field of activity

Look actively for new opportunities

Contact every single contact that may help you

Use LinkedIn, Facebook

Be ready to earn less

Enjoy in between your free time and invest in your family. This will pay on the long run!!!!

Sanofi President, Global Operations, Hanspeter Spek is leaving the company

I was suprized to read today that Hanspeter Spek is leaving Sanofi.

I had the opportunity to meet Hanspeter three times during my career in Sanofi: First, in 2002 when he interviewed me as the candidate to open and manage the Sanofi operations in Israel, secondly when I presented in front of him the first year results of Sanofi activity in Israel. The last time I met him was during a presentation I made in front of him during the merger with Aventis in 2004.

 I was very much impressed by him. I am a big fan of Spek.

For the first interview I entered his office after I was interviewed by 6 people before him. Hanspeter was late, but arrived in a very good mood after giving an interview to very important journalists.

He said that he will not ask about my career and capabilities, because he is sure that after I was interviewed by so many people I must have the capabilities for the job. So, he told me he is interested in my vision. He also told me that he as a fan of Maccabi Tel Aviv and he saw their last game in the TV. Then, he asked me regarding my vision of the future of Israel and if I see a possibility for peace.

Another interesting question was regarding my vision of the Global pharmaceutical market. I expressed my belief that the future is in biological products.

For the second time, I flew into Paris with an early flight from Tel Aviv which was late, and I was in a huge stress. I was awaited by a limousine at the airport. Me and my Boss were invited to lunch prepared by Spek's personal chef . I barely could eat, since I was excited before my presentation, but my boss said he never was served such a good meal and wine.

For the last time, I met him during a presentation before the nomination of  the chosen GM after the merger with Aventis.

He then expressed his belief in my results.

All three times I was very much impressed by Hanspeter, being direct and very very sharp.

 

I think that it is a great loss for Sanofi that he is leaving, and the market reacted accordingly, loosing 1% of the stock value.

 

Sanofi will look very different without Hanspeter, and I wish the best for the company. 

How to hire a new employee in the pharmaceutical Industry?

When you have to hire a new employee in the pharmaceutical industry, you face several dilemmas:

Experienced versus non experienced candidate.

Capabilities.

Education level. Is Masters Degree really important? Is an MBA necessary?

Relevant education to the job. Is a degree in life science a must? Do I prefer a degree in economics or in business?

Personal communication capabilities. How important selling skills are?

Capability to work in a team. Is the candidate a good team player?

Is the candidate capable of obeying to authority?

So, how do I do my preferences?

Do I rely on recommendations from previous managers the candidate reported to? This is tough. Very rarely somebody will spoil a job opportunity for somebody. You can really only on your close friends recommendations or be very very sensitive to the answers you will receive.

Overall, it is different to give a simple answer. Of course the preference will depend on the job.

There are several habits I follow during my decision process for choosing the right candidate:

The interview has to be interesting. I cannot work with boring people.

The candidate has to prove honesty and transparency.

I must be convinced that he/she is a hard worker.

The most import for me would be excellent personal communication skills. Even employees who will most of the time work alone, it is important in order to have pleasant atmosphere within the whole team. Having stressing and unpleasant atmosphere in our working place can create demoralization and cause bad results from the whole team.

It is not always the most important capability to have high scientific skills. Team working, transparency, hard working, high personal capabilities will be the most important for me!



Is LinkedIn working?

LinkedIn becomes more and more popular nowadays. People wonder whether it becomes the new "facebook" or a good recruiting tool.

I have pretty good experience with linkedin. I have been approached by several new business partners, and we developed together new collaboration opportunities.

I found a new distributor for one of my clients via this media.

I also used linkedin in order to get the opinion of my peers on an issue I was debating with one of my clients.

I helped some colleagues to recruit new employees searching my contacts.

I use often to consult people regarding questions I have.

I enjoy less the different groups, and I find it difficult to disconnect and not receive mails from different groups.

I don't believe it becomes the next facebook. I totally separate the two media. I use facebook really only to follow my close friends and family. LinkedIn I use for business contacts and activities. I believe this is how it should be.