This past week I participated as a “Leader of Tomorrow” at GapSummit 2019 in Cambridge, MA. GapSummit is a global biotechnology leadership conference. Over the past few days, I met other early career innovators and entrepreneurs from 44 different countries, I listened to CEOs and founders share their stories, and I took part in discussions about the various “gaps” in the biotech industry and what we’re doing to alleviate them. I also took part in the Voices of Tomorrow competition. My team won second place for our pitch on our company, ActioTherme, temperature-controlled packaging for vaccine delivery. I had a lot of fun at GapSummit 2019 and I’m really excited to see the extraordinary solutions that these leaders bring to our field! Here are my key takeaways:
There is no one path to success
Every single speaker at GapSummit 2019 was a success in biotech, but none of them had the same career path. Some of them had been in biotech from the beginning, some had found biotech along the way, and some had taken a break from biotech at various points. Some had doctoral degrees, some had medical degrees, some had business degrees, and some only had undergraduate degrees. Some began running a company at 22. Some of them were professors. Regardless, they all found their own path and their own way to contribute to this industry. They took risks, they made mistakes, and they continued to learn. They were able to succeed because they were persistent and they believed in their goals.
I often worry whether or not I’m on the “right” path. This conference made me realize that there is no one path and just because you’re doing something differently than something else doesn’t mean that it’s wrong or that you haven’t contributed. We all have to find our own way.
Inclusive teams perform better
STEM fields are notorious for their lack of diversity. While pushing for diversity and equality is important, it is only just the beginning. A diverse team also needs to be an inclusive and equitable team. The members of that team shouldn’t feel like they’re there simply to check a box; they should feel like their presence is integral to success and that their contributions are welcome. These two things can help: making sure everyone’s voice is heard and giving credit where it is due. When everyone feels like they are a part of the conversation, they are more likely to participate in it. When they get credit for their work, they are more likely to continue to contribute and produce high quality work.
Communication is critical
We anticipate that we will see an enormous convergence of disciplines as we enter a new phase of the biotechnology industry. This means that people from vastly different backgrounds and levels of skill will be on the same teams. Biotechnology is also becoming a greater part of public perception; we want people to be engaged and excited by the products we create, not fearful of them. This will require communication across a variety of levels – communication between experts, communication with other innovators outside of our field, and communication with the general public. At each level, we need to consider the goal and the context – what is it we need the other person to understand and where is that person coming from. With that in mind, we’ll be able to better understand each other and work together more cohesively.
Innovation should have a positive impact
Innovation isn’t really innovation unless it has an impact. We tend to measure that impact in dollar signs, but that’s not the only way (and probably not the best way). As a part of the biotechnology industry, our work directly affects human health. What if we measured our impact in improvement to quality of life or years of life added or even reduction of risk? We might find that we’re having a great amount of impact in these areas, even though it may not align with our typical metric. We need to emphasize the value of impact to human health and its power to reduce inequality around the globe. That’s when our ideas truly become innovative.
