Michael Pietrack

Leadership Lab: 5 Ways Biopharma Execs Can Restore Trust, Retain Talent After Layoffs

careers

In the latest installment of his column, Kaye/Bassman’s Michael Pietrack shares five ways leaders can help their teams after a layoff, from acknowledging emotions to reestablishing culture.

Jun 25^th • 4 mins read

Jürgen Wiehn, Marian Duven

Why leadership teams become dependent on pressure and what it costs performance

leadership, career, performance

In many high-performing environments, pressure is not the exception. It becomes the operating baseline. Deadlines compress.Decisions stack.Communication tightens.Expectations increase. And over time, something subtle but important happens. Leadership teams begin to rely on pressure to function. …

Apr 13^th • 5 mins read

Michael Pietrack

Leadership Lab: 5 Steps for Building Your Personal Brand

careers

By building and nurturing a strong personal brand, you can benefit in multiple ways, including enhancing your credibility, attracting opportunities and inspiring investor confidence.

Aug 19^th • 5 mins read

Michael Pietrack

Leadership Lab: How To Spot When Employees Are About To Walk Away

careers

Employees rarely leave companies for one reason alone. In this column, Kaye/Bassman’s Michael Pietrack shares a framework that helps leaders identify when their team members are thinking about heading for the exit—and how to address it.

Oct 22^nd • 7 mins read

Tom Caravela

Promotability: How to Land Your Next Promotion

professional visibility, career advancement, promotion tips, career progression, networking strategies, mentorship benefits, resume upgrades, servant leadership, problem-solving skills, personal branding

“Promotability” may be defined as one’s suitability for being promoted. Is it your goal to obtain a promotion this year? If so, how suitable or promotable are you for that next step? Job-seekers and professionals often ask me what steps are necessary for advancement. I have broken …

May 5^th • 10 mins read

Michael Pietrack

Leading From the Front: 3 Leadership Lessons From Mark Cuban

careers

Businessman and entrepreneur Mark Cuban recently discussed leadership with Leadership Lab columnist Michael Pietrack. The three lessons that came out of that conversation start with one word: caring.

Dec 17^th • 6 mins read

Michael Pietrack

Leadership Lab: 10 Ways Executives Can Stay Visible, Valuable Between Jobs

careers

For biopharma executives who are between roles, navigating the transitionary time can be challenging. However, they can remain visible and valuable so they’re ready to seize their next big opportunity.

Oct 22^nd • 5 mins read

Michael Pietrack

Leadership Lab: Take a Cue From Athletes by Working With an Executive Coach

careers

Executive coaches can help executives take their game to the next level in four key ways, from improving their self-awareness to reshaping their thinking.

Feb 19^th • 6 mins read

Michael Pietrack

How to Know When to Make a Job Change

careers

In career conversations, one of the most common questions I hear is: “How do I know if it’s time to move on from my company?”  The real decision often comes down to a mix of factors that influence job satisfaction and long-term career growth. That’s why I use the CLAMPS framework. CLAMPS …

Aug 26^th • 5 mins read

Michael Pietrack

Leadership Lab: 4 Ways Biopharma Leaders Can Prepare for Media Interviews

Media coverage can help biopharma executives connect with, inform and inspire the public. In this column, Kaye/Bassman’s Michael Pietrack and three communications experts share how to make the most of these opportunities.

Aug 20^th • 6 mins read

Michael Pietrack

How to Elevate Your Career: Go from Individual Contributor to People Leader

careers

Have you ever wondered how to elevate from an individual contributor to a leadership position? Well, it's all about picking the right elevator. Imagine your current position as an elevator, and it has stopped at the seventh floor.  Despite pushing all the buttons, that elevator just will not go …

Jul 24^th • 5 mins read

Michael Pietrack

Hiring Managers: What Should You Do During a Hiring Freeze?

careers

As we begin 2023, many companies are experiencing hiring freezes. Some hiring managers have a sense of how long the freeze will be, some don’t, but all know that it’s temporary. So, what can hiring managers do during the freeze to stay competitive in the war for talent? Hiring is a competition…

Jan 26^th • 5 mins read

Michael Pietrack

The Great Resignation is Now The Great Hesitation

careers

Over the last few years, the employment market has moved through dramatic swings. In 2021 and 2022, millions of professionals left their roles in what became known as The Great Resignation. Jobs were abundant, companies were aggressively hiring, and the perceived level of risk was low. If a new role…

Nov 19^th • 5 mins read

Michael Pietrack

The Four Employment Agreement Questions Every Pharma Executive Must Ask

opinion, career advice, leaderhsip, legal

Clarity on employment terms is essential to protect careers. In this column, Kaye/Bassman’s Michael Pietrack speaks to employment attorney Howard Matalon, JD, partner at OlenderFeldman, on how to evaluate the fine print of an employment agreement.

Dec 18^th • 6 mins read

Leon Rozen

What decision-makers actually do when they can't evaluate reasoning directly

Medical Strategy, Medical Leadership, Medical Affairs

There is a scene most advisory professionals will recognise. A recommendation that took weeks to produce — drawing on regulatory environment, market dynamics, scientific evidence, competitor positioning — gets four minutes in a senior forum. A question or two. A decision. The people in that roo…

Apr 12^th • 5 mins read

Leon Rozen

The advice was good. It didn't matter.

Medical Strategy, Medical Leadership, Medical Affairs

There is a particular kind of professional frustration that doesn't have a clean name. It isn't failure — the work was sound. It isn't incompetence. The reasoning was careful, the constraints were weighed, the recommendation was defensible. It is something more specific: the experience of having d…

Apr 12^th • 5 mins read

Leon Rozen

Medical Affairs value isn't what you think it is

Medical Strategy, Medical Leadership, Medical Affairs

Medical Affairs functions have spent years building the case for their value. Frameworks, metrics, dashboards, impact stories, insight delivery. The work is real, the effort is genuine, and most of it misses the point entirely.

Apr 1^st • 5 mins read

Roger van den Heuvel, Dr. Hilary Thomas, Saurabh Sancheti, Anne Julie Verhaeghe

Reinvent innovation and become an R&D front-runner by 2030

talent, outsourcing, resource sharing, advanced technologies

R&D’s risk profile is becoming unsustainable. With a history of declining productivity, the onset of personalized medicine and new entrants causing havoc, Life Sciences executives should fundamentally revisit their approach to R&D. By 2030, these companies will be adopting methods that focus on ou…

Jan 1^st • 20 mins read

Jamie Riley

The Talent Inflection Point in Pharma and Biotech: A Challenge to Companies — and a Call to Candidates

hiring, talent demand, job market

As pipelines advance and execution accelerates, pharma and biotech hiring may shift again in 2026, reshaping talent demand.

Feb 4^th • 7 mins read

Leon Rozen

Medical Judgment at the Point of Decision

Medical Strategy, Medical Leadership, Medical Affairs

Why Experience Matters in Local Medical and Clinical Leadership

Feb 12^th • 5 mins read