Just published - 'From Saigon to San Diego'

Did you know that 2015 marks the fortieth anniversary of the fall of Saigon?  My latest novel, 'From Saigon to San Diego' explores what happens when the paths of a Vietnam veteran and a first generation Vietnamese-American family first cross in the aftermath of the withdrawal of US troops from Saigon in 1975, and then cross again thirty years later in San Diego.  The story is lightly sprinkled with magic dust in the form of the mysterious figure of the Coffee Angel and through the Vietnamese fairy tales spun by Mrs Huynh, who longs for home. Please note that this book contains some adult content, equivalent to an R-rated movie.

Origins of Daughters' Dilemma

Click here to read the story of how I came to write my first novel, Daughters' Dilemma

Voting time - Battle of the Book Reviews

Just 16 hours left to submit your review of "Daughters' Dilemma" at amazon.com or amazon.co.uk
Voting is now underway - please click on "Was this review helpful to you" at http://www.amazon.com/product-reviews/B009QU3E94/ref=cm_cr_dp_syn_footer?k=Daughters%27%20Dilemma&showViewpoints=1 and http://www.amazon.com/product-reviews/B009QU3E94/ref=cm_cr_dp_syn_footer?k=Daughters%27%20Dilemma&showViewpoints=1 to vote for the best reviews.

Battle of the Book Reviews!

Write a book review for a chance to win prizes! Post your review of "Daughters Dilemma" on either amazon.com or amazon.co.uk - deadline extended to Sunday Nov 18. Vote for your favorite(s) by clicking on "Yes" if you found this review helpful; the best US review wins a $20 amazon gift certificate and the best UK review wins £15.
In the case of a tie, the final decision will be made by accomplished writer/pianist/surfer Glenn Vanstrum based on wisdom and wit of the best reviews.

Lessons in Leadership

Over the past six weeks I've been attending the Healthcare Businesswomen's Association Leadership in Practice program.  Freda Lewis-Hall, Pfizer's Chief Medical Officer set the theme of Equanimity under Duress - or how to keep your head while all around you are losing theirs.

Freda outlined in a blog posting a three step approach to career planning that I found very insightful:
1. Build your Base
2. Build your Brand
3. Make your Breakthrough

Step 1 is all about acquiring the knowledge and experience in your field.

Step 2 is about establishing your personal brand - or what leadership qualities others associate with you.

This is the stage I'm currently at.  I'm realizing that others already recognize me as a leader, and come to me for strategic advice, for career device and mentorship.  In the last few months others have sought my input as a mentor, a cello teacher and as a published author.  I struggled for a while to figure out and promote my personal brand but I'm coming to the realization that my brand is already out there and it's more for me to recognize, embrace and reflect.

Step 3 is about being open to opportunities and seizing them with both hands when they come along.  I'm ready!

Self-Publishing Tips

I've just published my first novel "Daughters' Dilemma" about the choices women make between career and family through amazon.com.  I've been so impressed by the process and by the tools provided by amazon that I wanted to share some general tips for others who have been considering self-publishing.
1. Perfect your manuscript
I'd originally planned to use a literary agent and established publishing house to publish Daughters' Dilemma, so after I'd completed the book I spent a further year working with an editor, seeking feedback at the La Jolla Writers' Conference, asking friends to review the draft, and proofreading before I was satisfied with the final manuscript.  Self publishing options do not include editing services so it's up to the author to ensure that the book is publication-ready.
2. Create an eye-catching cover
They say you shouldn't judge a book by its cover but in reality that is exactly what people do.  I found a very useful list of cover designers and ebook formatters compiled by Mark Coker at Smashwords, and used Cal Sharp of Caligraphics to design my cover.  I can't speak highly enough of Cal's work and excellent customer service.
3. Follow submission style guides
Kindle Direct Publishing provides a useful guide to its eBook formatting requirements and you can review how the book will look on different platforms - Kindle, iPad and in a browser.  Smashwords has a more detailed style guide written by Mark Coker that was even more useful and helped me troubleshoot some initial problems with unrecognized symbols.  For print copies of your book, Createspace, which is now a subsidiary of amazon.com also provides a step-by step guide to submission, and you can review a digital proof onlione as well as order a printed proof to ensure your book looks the way you want.
4. Consider your marketing strategy
Think about your objectives from publishing the book.  Do you want to gain a wide readership and build a reputation as a writer or is financial gain from your book more important?  These factors will impact your decisions on how to price your book, and on which distribution channels you would like to use.  I opted to go for maximum volume since I'm establishing my name as an author, so I have taken advantage of Createspace's expanded distribution option, which includes bookstores and libraries as well as e-tailers, and have also priced my book towards the minimum of the allowed range.  Kindle Select allows you to offer free eBook promotions for five days every three months and this can be a great way to get your book out there.
Social media are a critical part of any marketing strategy and you can link your blog, website, tweets and facebook postings with your amazon.com author page.  Amazon.com also allows you to track your sales and royalties so you can monitor the impact of your marketing activities.
If you've always wanted to publish a book, it's never been easier!

Understanding Generation Y

Did you watch the Kony2012 video that went viral on YouTube last month?  The video has amassed over 89 million hits and speaks to the success of social media in galvanizing global action, resulting in the assignment of 100 US military consultants to central Africa to assist in the capture and bringing to justice of war criminal Joseph Kony, leader of the LRA and kidnapper of tens of thousands of children.

Millions of young people clicked online to pledge their support for Kony2012 and the video shows crowds in peaceful demonstrations on the issue, with a call to action to Cover the Night on April 20 by plastering major cities aroud the world with signs to publicize Kony and the campaign.

Do you remember seeing posters everywhere on April 21?  I was curious, living in San Diego, in which the headquarters of "Invisible Children" is located, since I didn't recall waking up to see Kony's image everywhere.  It turns out that for the millions of Gen Y's out there who clicked "Like", or Tweeted the link to the video in the virtual world, a tiny minority actually responded by taking action in the real world.

What does this tell us about Generation Y?  So easily moved by words and images but insufficiently moved to deeds and actions?  The world's problems cannot be fixed merely with a click.

On Leadership

Here are some valuable tips on leadership from Dieter Weinand, President of Pfizer's Asia Pacific Region Primary Care Business Unit:

On leadership:

• Leadership is not self-serving, it is about serving others and involves many sacrifices
• Leaders have compassion - ambition can give you sharp elbows

On cultural adaption:

• Be yourself; be aware of cultural stereotypes and play to your strengths but downplay your weaknesses and prove those stereotypes wrong
• Learn about the system and how things work in another country so that you can be effective
• Build your network - don't be shy but talk to people everywhere who are different from you, and you will learn something from everyone

Follow my Leader?

Can a leader become a follower? In recent years pharmaceutical companies' R&D divisions have cut swathes of staff and many scientists who formerly held management positions with others reporting to them have been reduced to the role of individual contributor. When you've been used to leading, managing and delegating it can come as quite a shock to find yourself in a follower role.

I've been wrestling with this issue myself, but found some good advice in Jennifer Crittenden's book "Discreet Guide for Corporate Women". Crittenden advises aspiring leaders to develop good listening skills, and it struck me that as a manager, it is easy to fall into the habit of talking more than one listens. Added to that, our multitasking online culture engenders the bad habit of emailing during phone calls and presentations, and we find ourselves less and less able to focus solely on the speaker.

I'm resolved to consciously practice my listening skills, to refrain from interrupting and give speakers 100% of my attention. When I attain my next leadership role I'm hoping these skills will make me a better leader.

Honing Professional Skills

From time to time we each need to look objectively at our professional skillsets. Are they gathering dust - is the world moving faster than we are?

I recently attended the La Jolla Writers' Conference - a weekend packed with workshops and seminars on all aspects of writing, ranging from how to develop characters, how to set pace, to commercializing a book. The weekend provided multiple opportunities for feedback, all of it delivered in a constructive and caring way. I came away full of ideas, revitalized and with my professional skills ratcheted up a level.

Take a look at the courses available to you and take the plunge - you never know what you'll discover!

Lessons from the Corner Office

Have you ever wondered what it takes to be a CEO? This morning's BIOCOM panel moderated by San Diego based Merck Technology Scout Jim Schaeffer provided some intriguing insights into life in the corner office of a variety of biotech companies.

Grizzled veteran panelists were Bob Baltera, CEO of Amira Pharmaceuticals, Rich Heyman, CEO of Aragon Pharmaceuticals, Bert Liang, CEO of Pfenex Inc, Laura Shawver, founder and CEO of Cleave, and Jay Short, founder and CEO of BioAtla,LLC.

Both Baltera and Liang grew up with Amgen and stressed the importance of understanding the drug development business, which they learned from their experiences as Development Team Leaders, having to negotiate with departments for resources to move their projects forward and to build alignment across clinical and regulatory functions. Both cited this as the most important training for becoming a biotech CEO.

All panelists agreed that the CEO has to have skills appropriate to the stage of the company. Most were experts in start-up and drug development, and acknowledged that they would probably need to find someone else to lead the company once their products reached commercialization. Speaking of exiting, the CEOs recommended keeping one's options open and not taking steps that might block a potential exit route.

Over the last 20 years business models have changed dramatically, from organic growth to a relay race model of a virtual company hand-offs between specialized contractors, and CEOs need to be open to flex their company as the model evolves.

Are zero tolerance of failure, and innovation mutually exclusive?

Today it dawned on me that the reason for much of the Dilbertian doublespeak we hear today from both corporations and government boils down to saving face for our leaders in a climate with zero tolerance for failure. While we know that we learn most from our mistakes, in business today it appears to be unacceptable to admit to making them.

Portfolio theory teaches us that the biggest returns come from taking the biggest risks, so if we have zero tolerance for risk we are going to be missing out on opportunities to earn disproportionately high returns, or to discover breakthrough innovations.

How can we create safe harbors where failure is acceptable? As inventor Thomas Edison said "I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." Perhaps we can encourage our leaders and innovators to share with us the mistakes they have made in the past, and more importantly, what they learned from those mistakes? Perhaps we can make spaces in which our teams can throw out the rule book and challenge themselves to accomplish what's never been done before without fear of punitive or career-limiting consequences?

Elevator Speech

I listened to an American Society of Chemistry webinar today on Personal Branding; the speakers emphasized the importance of forethought, of identifying one's unique value proposition and articulating and honing that into an elevator speech. It set me thinking about my own value-add, and here's what I came up with:

I spot gaps
It's relatively easy to critique a report, proposal, or plan, but much more difficult to spot what is not there, vital missing components or strategic gaps. From my broad and varied experience across the industry, I have a knack of seeing and articulating what's not there but should be.

I synthesize connections
One of my favorite sayings is "I don't know but I know someone who does." I bring together diverse people and nuggets of relevant information and synthesize these into a whole through an iterative process of systematic inquiry and strategic analysis.

I solve problems
You can rely on me to come up with a solution and implement it - I get things done

AWIS Endowment Raffle - Online Ticket sales now closed, pay by cash or check only at tonight's Open House!

The Association for Women in Science seeks to build an endowment of $5 million to provide a financial base that ensures AWIS remains at the forefront of education and workforce issues that affect women in STEM.

The endowment will support:
1) Regional conferences
2) Chapter initiatives
3) Enhanced member services
4) The national office in mounting new initiatives.

A successful endowment campaign will enhance every aspect of our work and make AWIS even stronger and more influential in the years ahead. It’s your future, your career, your success...your lasting gift for future generations of women in STEM.

Tonight we will be raffling a $150 Amazon.com gift certificate at the AWIS San Diego Chapter Open House to raise funds for the AWIS Endowment. Online and credit card sales are now closed, but you can still enter by purchasing a ticket for cash or check only at the AWIS San Diego Chapter Open House on Thurs November 4th 2010 from 5:30pm at Campus Pointe. The winner will be notified via email (does not need to be present to win).

$10 per ticket, or buy 5, get one extra free!

To register for the Open House visit
http://awis.sdsc.edu/calendar/eventdetails.php?event_id=646

Fall Back

Fall has always been my favorite time of year - after the long hot days of summer there's a bracing nip in the morning air, and routines return to normal as people return from vacations.

Fall is a great time for new beginnings - the new school year, the opportunity to learn something new. It's also time to focus on completing the goals you set at the start of the year, with just enough time to bring things to an orderly conclusion by year end. A time to reconnect with friends and start looking ahead to plans for the coming year.

Networking No-No's

Since I have a reputation of being extremely well networked, I often receive requests from friends, and friends of friends, to make introductions to my contacts in the pharma and biotech industries. Experience has taught me to be more selective in whom I choose to connect than I was at first - if you want my recommendation, please don't commit any of the following faux-pas.

1. The profligate. Please don't give out my contact information willy-nilly to just anyone without doing your own quality checks beforehand.

2. The undecided. If you want me to provide a reference or letter of recommendation, I expect you to be serious about the position for which you are applying. If you change your mind or are lukewarm in putting yourself forward, don't expect me to put time or effort into helping you.

3. The stalker. Please do not embarrass me by harrassing either me or my personal contacts with whom I have entrusted you, by refusing to take a polite no for an answer or bombarding us with phone calls and emails

4. The superbitch. If I recommend you for a job, please don't establish yourself as a "difficult" or high maintenance person on day 1. Rest assured it will be the last job I'll recommend you for

Endings

I've been waxing philosophical recently, since I'm about to leave my current employer to take up my new, dream job.

Philosophical thought 1: The most beautiful sunsets are those with clouds

Philosophical thought 2: Goodbyes get harder as we get older - as we slide along the continuum from birth to death our acquaintances lengthen, and we draw closer to our final goodbyes

Women in Science - Ada Lovelace Day and National Women's History Month

To mark National Women's History month and Ada Lovelace Day, I was interviewed about the status of women in science on Dr KiKi's Science Hour, Show Number 39. The audio can be downloaded at http://twit.tv/kiki

Black Swans and Sea Turtles

Conferences and networking are a rich source of new ideas for me. On a recent trip to San Francisco, I obtained the following food for thought:

In The Black Swan The Impact of the Highly Improbable by Nassim Nicholas Taleb, the author describes how naturalists believed all swans were white, until black swans were discovered in Australia. Such discontinuities can cause revolutionary changes, for better or for worse. In order to find exceptional returns, we need to seek out and put up to 20% of our resources (money, time, talent) into long bets - black swans - while keeping the other 80% in safer, more predictable areas.

While in San Francisco, I attended the PharmAsia Summit, to learn about the new trends in pharmaceutical R&D innovation in China. Current drivers are the annual 40,000 Sea Turtles - educated scientist / entrepreneur returnees to China, and a flood of patent filings by domestic Chinese scientists, encouraged by a new 3rd amendment to Chinese patent law that has changed the system from first to file to first to invent and increased penalties for infringement. Other factors include up to 50% tax credits for R&D investment, reforms and capacity building in the Chinese S-FDA, and the new Chinese healthcare system reforms aimed at making healthcare accessible and affordable to all. Continuing challenges include the high cost and 30-40% import duties on foreign reagents and scientific equipment, and supply chain and quality issues ranging from counterfeiting and adulteration to weak clinical data integrity and alteration of records.

All the World's a Stage

Yesterday I attended a class on Acting for Executives led by Rebecca Johanssen, founder of Stone Soup Theatre Company. The purpose of the class - to show how techniques used by actors can elevate speechmaking and other verbal and non-verbal communication in the workplace from good to great.

Johanssen compared YouTube clips of speeches by Bill Clinton and George W Bush to show the impact that a confident attitude and body language, and strong awareness of audience reaction, and great timing can have. A comparison of clips of speeches by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, founders of Apple revealed the importance of narrative and storytelling to compelling communication.

To develop our skill in reading and reacting to our audiences, Rebecca led the class through several improvisation exercises - throwing and catching an imaginary ball of variable size and speed around the circle of participants, playing an imaginary game of tug-o'-war, and having a volunteer mime a sporting activity and inviting others to join in the game as soon as we guessed the sport.

Vocal inflection is an important factor in verbal communication. In pairs we held conversations using only two simple phrases (e.g. "I have a secret" "I don't want to know"), varying only the vocal inflection. In general mirroring your partner's inflection can work. If you are saying "no" it can also be effective to keep your voice firm and low, likewise to persuade someone, also try leaning in, smiling and lowering your voice.

Often speakers must respond to questions off the cuff and provide convincing arguments. To practise this skill, small groups were given an unusual object and challenged to come up with an application for the object and then devise and act a commercial to sell the object to the rest of the group.

Lastly everyone was asked to tell a personal story to the group, with a beginning, middle and end. Our own self is a subject we are each an expert in, so this exercise builds confidence in storytelling, that can be applied to presenting business information. Practice makes perfect.

In addition, Rebecca shared some physical exercises that actors use to prepare voice, body and mind for performing. To warm up, inhale and exhale deeply, say "Brrrrrrrrr" to loosen lips and repeat "Red leather, Yellow leather" with maximum enunciation to loosen tongues. Swing your arms and shoulders and hang loosely down from the waist to the floor to stretch muscles.

It is helpful to be relaxed when performing on stage. Rebecca led us through a visualization exercise involving deep breathing, muscle tightening and relaxing and imagining our bodies bathed in white light starting from a small ball of light on our heads. To focus, we visualized the ball of light in the middle of our foreheads and then in our minds eye, took it forward and back in front of us.

All these tools and exercises provide substantial food for thought. I look forward to applying them to my next business presentation.