Let me share some snippets of my expertise with you. I hope you find them useful and if you would like to chat more, just…
We often critique presenters, but what about the audience? Next time you're in the audience, consider this: How can you show up fully? Your engagement, attention, and energy are just as important to the success of the experience. Watch this video to learn more and let me know what you think!
In our last post, we focused on how to leverage your personal development plan (PDP) when you’ve already identified what role you are targeting. If you are unclear about what you want to do next, no worries! You can tailor one of the goals in your PDP to help you determine what direction you may or may not want to go.
We all enjoy some of our job responsibilities more than others. Perhaps you’re ready to spend less time on the road and more time at home but still want to stay close to the science? Or perhaps you enjoy working with pipeline molecules more than commercially available products? Maybe working on clinical trials is more your speed? Take time to reflect on the aspects of your role (or pervious roles) that you truly enjoy or areas in which you would like to grow your expertise.
Do you know what opportunities within your company that align with your likes/dislikes? If not, this is an opportune time to ramp up your networking skills and learn about the possibilities. Who have you met in the company that does something interesting that you believe aligns with your interests? Set up a 30-minute coffee (or virtual coffee) to learn more about the details of their role. You may find it is not what you thought it would be, or you may learn it’s just what you want to do… Regardless, you will learn something. I guarantee they will help you make other connections with colleagues that would be happy to discuss their role with you. Connect via LinkedIn. Let the networking begin!
More in our next post…
A core teaching of Adlerian psychology (from Alfred Adler, 1870-1937) emphasizes that we are all "social equals" and deserve respect. This does not mean we are identical, but rather that despite our differences, we share a common humanity and dignity. Deep down, we are more alike than we might think.
I once had a graduate student who consistently arrived late to class. When I asked him about it, he explained, "Oh, Mr. O'Connor, I get stuck talking to a homeless guy down the street." My immediate response, which I now regret, was, "You talk to homeless people?" His reply has stayed with me: "You know, I think you and I are maybe one life event away from being in his shoes." This made me realize the importance of seeing people for who they are, beyond their circumstances. Indeed, we are all more similar than we imagine.
A colleague, Char Wenc, once led a class for physician leaders where she asked them to pair up and take turns saying, "I'll bet we have ____ in common" or "I like ____, how about you?" Within minutes, most pairs discovered they had at least seven things in common, often more. We can find deep connections if we just take the time to ask, listen, and engage.
Following on from our previous post:
We all live in our own reality. We really did look in the mirror today and said, “Yes!” Then out on the street we do wonder if some of these folks had a mirror! Consider of course your manager’s feedback, but also as we’ve recommended in the past don’t overlook your neighbor’s wisdom, how are things done where they work, how do they respond?
Maybe the next role requires you to be involved with strategy development. Talk with your manager to see how you can get involved in the development of the MSL strategy for the upcoming year. Your perspective as a current MSL will provide value in the process and allow you to better understand the departments process for building strategy including aligning with the company’s goals, cross-functional team alignment, prioritization, and budgeting. I suspect your manager would appreciate your support!
Imagine yourself in an interview, outlining how you developed your PDP in alignment with the required competencies for the role, and sharing examples of how you executed your plan. You’ll certainly impress the hiring manager with your thoughtful and informed approach.
It’s important to acknowledge that many people thrive in their current role and are not interested in changing career paths. That is OK (great, actually, as your manager can count on you and your experience as an anchor for the team) and will allow you to focus your development in other areas, including stretching yourself in your current role. Head back to the previous tip and identify those areas!
Next time you're giving a presentation, write your introduction for someone else to read—keep it short! And don't forget to include a fun fact about yourself at the end to make the audience smile. It’s a great way to set the tone and connect with your listeners right from the start! Watch this video to learn more...
In our last posts on this topic, we discussed the competencies needed for your role as an MSL and the steps to assess yourself against these skills and behaviors. This post will focus on how to leverage your personal development plan (PDP) to help you prepare for your next step in your career journey, once you’ve identified what role you are targeting. If you don’t know what you want to do next, no worries! We’ll cover that in our next posts.
Your PDP is a great way to gain skills necessary for that next role while providing broader value in your current role. Is that really possible? Absolutely!
The first step is to know what competencies are required for that next role. Do you have a competency model for that role? Great, that’s going to give you a specific path forward. If not, no worries, look at the job description for the role and develop a list of competencies you think are needed. Talk with people in the role (and/or their managers) to adjust and expand this list, as well as to validate what you believe to be the necessary skills and behaviors for success. Prioritize the list so you can focus on your development. This is an ideal time to use your networking skills to learn more about the role and gain feedback about areas in which you could develop.
Assess yourself against each skill and behavior on the list of competencies for this role. Certainly, some of your current skills will transfer nicely to this next role but there will be others to which you need to gain exposure. Going down the list of competencies, are you at the learning stage, the developing stage, or have you mastered the skill? Have your manager make the same assessment. How do these compare?
It is likely that you will identify areas that you need to gain experience that could provide value to your manager. Let’s say you are interested in a Field Director role where you will have responsibilities to hire and manage people. Maybe you haven’t been involved with interviewing candidates before, so you want to gain experience since this is one competency of a manager. Collaborate with your manager (or other managers) to see if you can get involved with the interview process. This would allow you to gain insights into the hiring process, the company’s interviewing tools (such as behavioral interview questions), help develop the cross-functional list of interviewers, etc. You’re gaining insights and skills while assisting the manager to fill a role.
More in our next post…
Steve Lowell and Jayne Lowell from Canada introduced me to three very useful words: Mission-Moment-Mess.
I sometimes use them for personal reflection, sometimes to frame a speech or a coaching call, often a set of choices for someone taking my presentation skills class, and always as a reminder that words provoke the story. Can you imagine giving a presentation on any of those three words and not launch into a story, an example, a person, or an interaction?
Even in ordinary conversation, we can probe gently with questions like, “What was that moment like for you?” or “What do you think drives your efforts (mission)?” or “That sounds like it was quite a mess! How’d you get out of it?” (or better yet, “What did you learn from that?”).
As I reflect on my previous day, I’ve found it helpful to just briefly, always non-judgmentally, and honestly ask myself, “How did I act on my mission? What was that special moment? And whew, how’d I get out of that mess (or what did I learn if I’m not out yet!)?” Of course, at the same time, I’m thankful for people like Steve and Jayne who remind me of these reflections with their words.
Following on from our previous post:
As you assess yourself against each skill and behavior on the list of competencies for your role, are you at the learning stage, the developing stage, or have you mastered it? Be honest with yourself and consider the feedback you’ve reviewed in preparation for this exercise. Have your manager independently make the same assessment of your skills and behaviors. How do these assessments compare? Use this comparison for an honest discussion with your manager about areas for growth and areas at which you excel, particularly if there is misalignment. This exercise is valuable if you are new to your role or if you are a seasoned MSL.
Tip: Capability Profiles (CP) is a competency model you can use to assess for others as well as a help for you to determine why we really are hired. A resume tells what we have done, a capabilities profile says what we can do, which is why you are really being hired anyway. Every interviewer has one thought on their mind, “Can you help me solve my problem?” Your resume is your history, your CP foretells your value. (If you’d like a copy of a CP outline let us know.)
Congratulations, you have just identified areas for development in your current role! In upcoming posts, we will talk more about what to do with this information and how to weave this into your personal development plan.
It's the little things that can add depth to your communication. Did you know that understanding the Latin roots of words can change how you perceive and use them? Check out this video to learn more and discover how language can help you communicate with more meaning.
In the movie Casablanca, Rick looks at Ilsa and says, “Who are you really, and what were you before? What did you do and what did you think, huh?” Every useful development plan begins with who you are. And make sure that you know who you are instead of defining yourself by someone else’s standards.
In our last posts on this topic, we discussed different ways to approach the construction of your personal development plan (PDP) as you consider where you are and where you want to be in your career. This post will focus on how you are performing in your current role.
Based on the feedback you’ve reviewed (a few of the places to look were outlined in the previous posts), what have you learned about how you are executing the responsibilities of your current job? Have you determined areas at which you are excelling and other areas that could be optimized? This is a great start!
Competency models are valuable tools that drill down on the many skills associated with a specific role and help you evaluate your ability to do those skills and behaviors in a successful and efficient way. If you don’t have these at your company, review your job description, or work with your manager to drill down on the various skills expected of you in your current position, considering several aspects of each responsibility. This list of competencies will be long and detailed covering the many aspects of the role from communication to presentations to scientific knowledge based. For example, scientific knowledge skills may include knowledge of product, disease, competitors, and your ability to communicate this information to different audiences such as KOLs, peers, nursing staff, and sales. List each of these as a separate competency (since they are!) and you will see the list of competencies for your role grow. If you already have a competency model, you’ve got the keys to success already outlined for you.
More in our next post…
There is a classic Family Guy episode where the talking baby, Stewie, looks at his mom, Lois, lying on the bed and repeats over and over again, “Lois, Lois, Lois, Mom, mom, mom, mummy, mama.” He goes on and on... until finally, Lois acknowledges him with irritation, and Stewie runs off as if this was great fun. Anyone with children knows this scenario all too well.
At the airport last month, the scene repeated all the way through TSA, with a mother finally and exasperatedly saying, “What!?” after her child repeatedly called her. The little boy paused and then said, “I forgot.” Have you ever tried to get someone’s attention—perhaps not quite like Stewie—but over and over, only to be ignored? Especially during a job search, this happens much too often. We hear, “Yes, send me your stuff!” And then… nothing! We send a polite reminder and… nothing.
I wonder if maybe, just maybe, sometimes we are not showing enough interest in their stuff. To them, it may feel like Stewie has returned! Perhaps the key is to begin with a genuine interest in them as we are pitching ourselves. Get them talking about their career, their choices, their challenges. That will be a memorable conversation, which is exactly what we want—to be remembered.
Your personal development plan (PDP) is your roadmap for growth, but it’s also a reflection of your aspirations. Here are more things to consider:
Perhaps you are unclear what you want to do next, but you know what you enjoy doing and what you don’t. What roles are out there that fit your interests? Investigating this further through networking can be a lot of fun and make the path forward clearer.
Tip: Don’t do this too quickly. Broaden your search parameters. Call your friends with different specialties, even speak to your neighbors outside of pharma to see how they develop themselves. Look for what appears to be unique take on things. One of my neighbors when stressed says she does the opposite, thinks the opposite, looks for the opposite or different. She may or may not do anything, but she says it relieves her ‘either-or’ way of thinking under stress.
There are many tools available that will help you reflect on how you’d like to focus your development plan. It should start with a review of your recent performance evaluations, field ride-along feedback, your PDP from last year, and other sources of feedback you’ve received. Perhaps you completed a personality or behavioral self-assessment tools such as Inner Genius, DISC, Insights, or Myers-Briggs which has provided areas for development aligned with your personality style. While we may want to deny the accuracy of these tools, if we take an honest look at the results, there are a few things that may be valuable to address. Does your company offer the opportunity for 360° feedback? Perhaps you have competency models that outline the expectations of your role. As you review these tools, be honest with yourself about your strengths and areas for improvement. An honest, open discussion with your manager and/or a trusted colleague or mentor will provide additional insights that are valuable as you begin this process.
Tip: Don’t just ask for ‘feedback’…ask for what you really want. “During my last presentation what is one thing you really liked and one thing that I can do better next time?” Direct their thinking or you will get a Jack Nicholson dump!
Over the next few posts, we will dive deeper into these topics and give you many points to consider as you build your PDP around two or three goals for your personal development. Having a growth mindset as you embark on this journey will enhance your ability to become the artist you want to be and optimize your impact as an MSL.
Start spreading encouragement every day by saying these three simple things to those around you:
1️⃣ What you liked
2️⃣ What you learned
3️⃣ What you appreciated
Watch this video to learn more and let me know who you've encouraged today!
It was Jack Nicholson who famously said, “You want the truth? You can’t handle the truth!” Well, when we (or our boss) give feedback, there may be some “truths” we’d prefer not to handle! But when we learn to handle all that comes our way, we are then in a better position to decide what is the ‘useful truth’… those true things about us that make us useful to others. While science may be about perfection, our ability with others is about how we can be most useful to them.
Constructing a personal development plan (PDP) is an opportunity to discuss where you are and where you want to be in your career, as well as to outline the journey to move toward your goal. It is not a one-time discussion; it is a dynamic document that should facilitate conversations throughout the year during one-on-ones with your manager. Reflecting how you execute and with the goal to optimize your impact as an artful MSL is the cornerstone to developing a thoughtful development plan.
There are a few things to reflect upon when considering your PDP:
How are you performing in your current role? If you’re new to your role, your development plan may focus on developing the competencies necessary to be effective in aspects of your new role. If you’re seasoned in your role and want to focus on optimizing your performance and impact, you may want to look for additional opportunities that support the team and broaden your skills.
Tip: Do this without obvious self-promotion but rather by supporting your manager and your team’s most important goals. An added tip: volunteer for the sub-teams that you would naturally avoid! (finance, compensation, project management, Holiday Party!) Doing so will educate you and just might provide a platform for change.
Do you have a desire to change roles and know your next steps in your career journey? This is an opportunity to write a development plan focused on how you can optimize skills in your current role that are building blocks for your next desired role. Imagine in that job interview outlining how you executed your development plan to ensure you had the skills and experience to be a top candidate for this position!
Tip: Interview those who already have the role you want. Identify the competencies they demonstrate to excel in their role.
Stay tuned for more insights into constructing an impactful PDP!
Heart Surgeon Dr. Paul Massimiano MD from Adventist HealthCare White Oak Medical Center in Maryland said, “Patients are nervous before open heart surgery…pretty understandable. I tell them the important thing is that I’m not nervous!” Your job interviewer understands your nervousness, but really wants to see your confidence. Your boss also when you are newly promoted. Nervous for sure, but remember why you were promoted, you are good at this, as they say, “you got this”! Nervous can equal excited when seen properly.
As Dr. Massimaiano said after a successful surgery, “Every day is a new day, exciting. I’ve never been bored a single day in my entire career. It is a pleasure and an honor to operate on patients and to be entrusted with their care.” This is what each of us can say when we rightly understand our work is our mission regardless of our role.
At a hotel last month, where every worker was from around the world, all seemed to know their job as cleaner, wait staff, valet, hotel manager, and Starbucks server was secondary to their real job…to make my visit memorable!
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Instead of overwhelming your interviewee with too many possible answers, ask open-ended questions that invite them to share their expertise. This allows for more insightful and authentic responses, giving you a deeper understanding of their perspective. Keep it simple and let their knowledge shine!
In our last post on this topic, we encouraged you to retrain your brain to focus on positive feedback and positive outcomes. How’s it going? It’s not an easy switch but it’s an important one. Everyone gets feedback and faces disappointment, and the art of being an impactful MSL is to move past it and turn it into an opportunity for success.
How can you use the rejection to motivate you to try again? What have you learned by processing your emotions? What positive feedback have you received? Review that positive feedback. Review it again! Post it in a visible place. Embed those positive thoughts in your brain and get back on the horse.
Based on the steps you have taken and your learnings, what will you do differently moving forward? Review the feedback you’ve received with fresh eyes. What development opportunities have you identified?
· If your rejection was related to a KOL meeting, approach the KOL in person at a conference meeting versus sending an email request. If email is your choice moving forward, how can you restructure the email? Can you shorten it and focus simply on getting the meeting? Consider offering times for the meeting to occur (versus open ended “when are you available?”). See our earlier posts for optimizing emails.
· If you were turned down for a promotion, use your personal development plan to address any gaps you’ve identified or optimize areas relevant to the job you’re seeking. If you don’t have a personal development plan, this is the time to put one together. Be honest with yourself about areas for growth and avoid focusing on areas that you enjoy the most.
· You may feel rejected by your KOL but in the mind of the KOL it may mean nothing. A second or third or fourth contact will often revive the relationship as long as you don’t hold a grudge. It may not be that way for them at all.
Rejection is inevitable but how you respond to it speaks to your professionalism and resilience. Even if your “shots on goal” are not resulting in the percentage of meetings or the promotion you hoped for, maintain a positive outlook. Reflecting on past victories for affirmation will be helpful. They say rejection builds character. Find that path forward after taking a deep breath, stepping back, and reframing the situation. You’ve got this!
"Turn to your neighbor" is an often-used technique presenters rely on for “audience involvement.” Personally, I think it has passed its prime. Instead, how about, “When I give you the signal, I want you to get up and find two other people you don’t know and form a group of three away from the tables. Ready? Go!”
Yes, this chaotic madness is noisy, disorganized for a few moments, and terribly fun. The next interaction can be “new groups of two” and then “take your group of two and join another group of two to become a group of four” and so on.
Get people together to meet, get them away from the tables (I never use any tables…they just get in the way)…and let them talk to one another. Yes, what you have to say is important, but just not that important.
Consider being a presenter/facilitator rather than the main presenter. Consider ‘lecturettes’ instead of a 90-minute talk. Speak for 8-12 minutes if you must, then get them talking to one another! They may have initially come to hear you, but they will remember the opportunity to talk and meet one another.
Yes, your expertise is valuable, and so is the experience they had that you allowed.
All MSLs face rejection, and part of the art of being an impactful MSL is to move past it and turn it into an opportunity for success.
· Consider what you can learn from this experience. Perhaps your request was not clear in the email to your KOL? Maybe you were too casual in your discussions during the interview?
· Compare these learnings to your past successes. What did you do differently? How could your approach be adjusted? For example, look back on emails that resulted in a KOL response and compare / contrast with the email that resulted in your recent “rejection.” This historical approach can be a solid one and can help you put some perspective in line with how this relationship has gone in the past.
· Can you get feedback on what stemmed the decision? If you didn’t get a job or a promotion, reaching out for feedback speaks volumes to the interviewer about your desire to grow. Recognize that their feedback may be limited due to corporate policy, but taking that step is important. Talking it out with a friend, trusted colleague, or a coach can often surface what might really be going on.
One of the difficult things for us to remember is that rejection is often not personal.
· When making the decision about who to hire there are many factors a manager considers, such as if they can provide the support this individual needs to be successful or if this individual has experience that will diversify the team.
· If a KOL declines your meeting invitation or cancels your meeting, it’s more likely due to a busy schedule or unexpected patient issues than to a personal affront.
· Talking to one of your trusted MSL colleagues or your manager about the situation and gaining their perspective will provide important food for thought. Listen carefully for the positive affirmations they provide (write them down for future reference!).
· Consider your own assessment. What did you like, learn, or appreciate about this relationship prior to this incident? Give value and appreciate what you have done thus far. Don’t let one misstep or misperception weigh you down. Remember: there are other KOLs who just can’t wait for you to come knock on their door!
According to neuropsychologist Dr. Rick Hanson, “The mind is like Velcro for negative experiences and Teflon for positive ones.” Isn’t that the truth? Do you focus on the positives when getting feedback or the negative? We need to retrain our brains, which can only be accomplished with practice. Get started today!
