Welcome to Leadership Lab, a column dedicated to biotech executives aiming to enhance their leadership skills and advance their careers. Every other month, Michael Pietrack, the practice lead for Kaye/Bassman’s life sciences recruiting team and host of The Pharmaverse Podcast, shares a valuable leadership insight.

Pharma executives negotiate complex situations for a living, yet some step into new roles without asking the important questions that may protect their own careers. In an industry defined by restructurings, acquisitions, and rapid pivots, the fine print of an employment agreement can matter more than the headline compensation number.

To clarify where leaders should focus, I spoke with employment attorney Howard Matalon, JD, partner at OlenderFeldman, who has advised executives for more than three decades. He believes every C-suite executive should ask four essential questions before signing.

Executives talk often about their “golden parachute,” but many never confirm whether the parachute is truly packed. Matalon’s first step is simple: “Ask whether the company has a severance plan and a change in control plan.” If they exist, confirm in writing that you are covered. If they do not, Matalon advises that the protections should be written directly into your offer.

1. What severance and change in control protection do I actually have?

Those protections include months of salary