Career Reflections from Inside Outsourcing
Leaders look back over their career and consider what advice they might offer their 25 year-old-self.
During each Molecule to Market interview we ask our guests to reflect back over their career and to articulate their journey to where they are now. The conversations often reveal complicated career paths and unusual progression across and upwards through the outsourcing space.
One of the most challenging questions we pose during each podcast episode, and the one that gets sector leaders scratching their heads the most – is ‘what advice would you give your 25 year old self (and why)?’
So, why do our interviewees struggle with this question so much? Perhaps it’s the fact that so many career journeys are not straightforward and don’t follow a linear or obvious path? Or that career opportunities relate to external factors like M&A or redundancy, and people therefore pivot their career and take a new direction – many times quite late into their career? One thing is for sure, our leaders struggled with the question and as a result many guests provide either a reflective or tongue in cheek reply…
Let’s look back and see what some standout guests said they would offer as advice to their 25 year-old-self.
Jarlath Keating, President & CEO at ABL Inc featured in episode 37 ‘From Teesside Uni to global leader’, during his interview he said he’d give 25-year-old Jarlath the following advice, “Don’t let your role define you. Don’t fall into clichéd or stereotyped roles/traps and let your own personality and drivers shape you and define roles.”
In episode 54 ‘The unique general’, Andrew Moore, General Manager at Pfizer CentreOne said he would tell himself to, “Become an investment banking/philanthropist and make a lot of money – the rest is just too hard!”
Megan Greth, Director of Marketing & Business Development and Tadgh Prendeville, General Manager at ARx LLC were interviewed together in episode 38 ‘Expanding drug dosage possibilities…’. Megan and Tadgh gave themselves very reflective advice, with 25-year-old Megan receiving the following advice from her older self, “Time goes so quickly, so don’t be daunted by product development taking 3 or 5 or 7 years. Time flies by and you accomplish so much almost in the snap of a finger, so don’t doubt yourself, learn and grow and just figure it out as you go.”
Tadgh told his 25-year-old self he would tell himself to: “Not sweat the small stuff and to relax a bit more. Be a little more flexible and go for opportunities without being so rigid.” Telling himself, “Things won’t always go your way or follow your route but give people autonomy and don’t let the small things eat you up. Don’t sweat the small stuff.”
For some guests advising their 25-year-old self was too much to bear with JaeB Kim, Managing Director at Samsung Biologics America, talking about how he found his college years tough. In episode 49 ‘The academic turned biopharma innovator’, JaeB talks about how he realised he was naive at college and realised he needed to try hard. Reflecting on the pain of studying and working hard, JaeB tells his younger self that, “I’m happy about where I am now.” Confirming that if he were to go back 10 years he may readjust his career path – but he has no interest in going back 25-years!
And there you have it – a neat summary of the advice that some of our sector’s renowned leaders would share with their younger selves. We hope it’s got you thinking, and you found their reflections useful. Maybe it’s time to consider what advice you might give your 25-year-old self or impart to people at the start of their own career?
Listen back to our selected episodes (and more) here.