An old pair of slippers; a favorite chair; a warm blanket on a cold night.  Comfortable.  After a while your job can begin to feel this way as well.  You know the people, the procedures & policies, the quickest route to work, the best coffee place, etc…  You’re settled, in a groove.  Then out of nowhere an interesting job opportunity appears.  Feelings of excitement rush in, new possibilities (maybe more money) – all of sudden the world is at your feet.

Mergers & acquisitions; partnerships; orphan drugs; pediatric diseases; biosimilars; stem cells…and it doesn’t stop there.  The Life-Science and BioPharmaceutical fields are expanding at an increasing rate due to the virtuous forces of innovation, discovery, and societal pressure.  Many companies are discovering that it is much more cost-effective and expedient to purchase, bolt-on, and partner with another company than it is to develop something in-house. Furthermore, as scientists uncover new methods of attacking diseased cells and new protocols for pain management (among others) – the scientific community leans more and more about the body, biology, chemistry…etc.  All of this new knowledge compounds enabling us (humanity) to create more targeted and efficient solutions to our health related issues spurring continuous changes.

We are living during an exciting time where the process of drug & device evolution is being pushed faster and faster.  Whether you are currently working inside of a large, corporate pharmaceutical company or a small, 5-person biotech start-up the goals are really the same: be the best, stay relevant, help further science/medicine.  So, with all of the “business” activity circling science these days it is especially necessary to ensure that your career path is keeping pace and continuously aligned with the current trend of change.  Take an inventory of your skillset and where you see yourself fitting in as the tectonic plates of industry shift.  Are you keeping your job fresh and exciting?  Are you up to date on new techniques, new technologies, and new philosophies?  Companies are no longer sitting idle waiting for something to “pop.”  They are actively seeking their “next big thing,” and the “A” players that go along with it.

Passion, skill, commitment, and personal/professional growth will help to keep you in the mix of the ever-fluid scientific landscape.

Yes, the title reference is from a twenty-five year-old movie, but the idea behind it is still very relevant.  Are you the “Best of the Best” at what you do?  Would your boss or colleagues consider you to be a “Top Gun?  Do you even know what a “Top Gun ” looks like?  Why is any of this important?

The global economic recession has revealed a great many things, not only about our financial system, but also about what employers value in an employee. Mass layoffs across industries have left good people out of work, some justified and some not.  Many companies used the economic downturn as an excuse to weed out underperforming or troublesome employees; “cutting the fat,” as it were.  But many also retained and even rewarded employees who were perceived as significant contributors or too indispensable to lose.  Those people are “Top Guns.”

Here’s a real world example.  My company was conducting a job search for a particular client on the East Coast.  Like all of our clients, this one wanted only the best possible candidate.  So we searched through our channels and identified a hardworking candidate who wasn’t necessarily looking for a new opportunity.  Our staff courted the candidate and got him excited about the position and the increased opportunities for him and his family. Meanwhile, our client was excited and ready to move forward following the requisite interviews and reference checks.  After the offer and some negotiation, the employee accepted and everyone was happy. We congratulated one another and looked forward to the upcoming start date.

The candidate was set to start on a Monday.  The Saturday before, we received an email from our beloved candidate stating he would be turning down the job to stay with his current employer.  WHAT!?!?!?

Still in shock, we tracked down the candidate to hear the details.  Our candidate’s current company had just completed corporate-wide reorganization.  The decision makers believed our candidate was so valuable to the “new” organization he not only kept his job amongst a mass layoff, but he also received a promotion and a $60,000 bonus to stay. The candidate’s new total compensation was now more than our fantastic job offer.  Here’s the kicker: The candidate’s company didn’t even know he had taken another job offer or that he was looking.  The candidate was such a necessary piece of the company puzzle that that they went above and beyond to ensure he would stay put.  That’s a Top Gun.

Why was this person so special?  He is, flat-out, great at his job.  The Top Gun may not self-promote, but he or she expresses that assured confidence, technical acuity, and passion that sets him or her apart from peers.

How to identify the Top Gun(s) in your company:  Look for someone who is continuously used as an example of how to do things or someone who has been promoted quickly and often.  He or she is sought out for answers or opinions on crucial elements and his or her advice is always seriously considered.  Again, the Top Gun might not sing his or her own praises, but someone else (usually in management) does—and you can see why an employer would want this person around.  (Beware of the big self-promoter—they are usually the ones in the most trouble.)

Top Guns are extremely important for a couple of reasons:

1. Top Guns push the company forward.  Their ideas, innovations, and strategies keep a company on the leading edge of its marketplace or service niche.
2. Top Guns add energy to the process.  Their passion is palpable and they often elevate others around them to greater success.  (a la Steve Jobs)

Elevating your “talent profile” to Top Gun status is not a daunting task.  Start small.  Find a small aspect about your job that you enjoy and become an expert.  Read or, better yet, write about the subject in a blog or company newsletter.  Try to understand the nuances as best you can and how this piece fits into the entire puzzle.  Once you feel knowledgeable, add another aspect and so on until you are the expert at your job.  Seek out a mentor within your company.  This shows initiative and an interest in growing and learning.  Glean whatever information you can and ask plenty of questions.  If possible, become a mentor to someone else in the company.  If you can teach a subject well, you are already an expert in the field.

The above are just a few examples of what can be done.  The objective is to take an active role in your job growth.  Don’t hope the company simply notices your contribution—make them notice.

Becoming a Top Gun in your company doesn’t guarantee job security during a layoff or downsizing, but it will cause management to think about you more seriously.  The first people laid off are typically the ones management has little knowledge of or regard for, so make sure management knows who you are in a positive way.

In the movie Top Gun, Maverick only succeeds after overcoming his fears, taking action, and rising to the occasion.  That may be a Hollywood ending, but there’s no reason you can’t have the same success.

The market for top talent within the Biopharma sector in China is exploding. As the big pharmaceutical firms continue to rapidly expand their R&D, and clinical operations on mainland China, the hunger for quality people has created an atmosphere reminiscent of Silicon Valley in the 90′s. Jobs are plentiful, quality people are scarce and the norm is to quickly jump ship to the next opportunity