#5SmartReads - October 14, 2022

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This MacArthur 'genius' grantee says she isn't a drug price rebel but she kind of is (NPR)

Our patent system was originally designed to protect innovation. Unfortunately, in the case of medicines and therapeutics, the extended patent exclusivity and said innovation are not comparable. The result? Lifesaving drugs stay expensive, patients struggle to afford them, and the government frustratingly shrugs it off.

That never sat right with Priti Krishtel, a lawyer who’s been pushing for increased transparency in terms of patents & pricing in the biopharma industry - and won a MacArthur Grant in recognition of her incredible work and to fund it further.

Something you probably have heard me say before is that in the United States, we don’t have a healthcare system - we have a disease management system, and an incredibly profitable one that employs too many Americans to fail. Shifting to a system that truly promotes health in terms of access, affordability, and doing it equitably is something so many of us in the industry are fighting for, albeit in different ways, and I’ll spend the rest of my career doing so. I found myself in perfect alignment with Priti’s own words on why she does what she does:

4-step framework for managing up (Quartz)

Do you manage up, or manage your manager?

It is one of the most critical skills in the workplace that is also the least talked about or taught. It’s something I ask candidates how they do during the interview process, because being managed by my team is a big part of how I’m able to hire the right folks and juggle my jobs (a big shoutout to Taber, Austin, LaToya, and my Skai Blue Media team who have been instrumental in running #5SmartReads and my content business).

This is one of the best articles I’ve found about managing up - the framework shared is one that I’ve used throughout my career, and will be a part of my own onboarding documentation as well.

Don’t be fearful that you’ve gone this far in your career without a focus on managing up - clearly, what you’ve done has worked! But it’s never too late to adopt this framework that works for you and your company.

How I managed my managers (in partnership with PepHerTalk)

Anyone who’s spent part of their career in sales has established a framework for managing their managers, even if they don’t quite realize it.

At Cisco, every team had a Monday morning call to share updates on pending deals and expected timing. Our managers in turn rolled up these updates to their managers, and their managers rolled up their updates, until it made its way to the executive team.

It was a very organic way of regular touch points with your managers. But as the youngest person on my teams and the most junior, I knew I needed some extra moments to learn from my mentors and managers, and quickly established twice-monthly calls to go deeper on my pipeline and ask for advice or guidance on how I could get movement on stagnated deals, or bring a pending deal to a close before the quarter end.

I had to get over an instinctive fear that doing this was somehow weak and that I couldn’t hack the job, and remember that I wanted to succeed at the same level as my colleagues, and they likely had someone helping them at the beginning of their careers. I know that overcoming this narrative is even harder than establishing regular check-ins, so I want to hold space for that and offer some additional help - which is PepTalkHer’s Know Your Worth challenge.

The free challenge begins next Monday. By this time next week, you’ll be in a stronger position to communicate and negotiate with ease and power. And who doesn’t want that?

Jan. 6 Panel Vividly Detailed the Attack. Accountability Is Another Matter. (New York Times)

January 6th is not a priority for most voters in this midterm election - but it remains a critical moment in American history, and the future of this democratic republic hinges on what happens next.

The committee did what it set out to do - provided an extensive documentation that the 45th President of the United States tried to overturn a fair and free election through false legal claims and then spurred an insurrection that attacked the Capitol to disrupt and influence the certification of the electors.

What happens next? It’s up to Attorney General Merrick Garland to provide accountability, and there has been movement on that front in the sentencing of a number of people who participated in and planned the insurrection.

But I am deeply fearful that the 2022 midterm election could be the last fair and free election we see, especially with so many governors and secretaries of state up for election and how many pro-Trump candidates who would’ve capitulated to him are in positions to win.

Please, please, please make your voting plan if you are a citizen and read up on your state’s candidates for these positions. It matters.

One Day, Michelle Branch Will Write a Happy Love Song (The Cut)

Where are my Michelle Branch girlies at? Those who still sing-scream Everywhere in their cars or in the shower…you are my people.

But I’m also here for new Michelle. The Trouble With Fever is an immaculate fall vibes album. And I feel for her deeply as a mom and creator, and send nothing but love as she’s had to process her husband’s infidelity in the public eye and scrutiny.

I can’t say that I would’ve reacted any differently than she did, and I also value her openness and honesty in talking about the arrest and what’s happened next.

Anyone up for When We Were Young next fall?

Clinics offer free vasectomies, citing a surge in demand (Associated Press)

I think mobile medical clinics are exactly what we should be prioritizing to help increase access and availability of primary care services to the communities that currently lack it. And to see it be widely adopted for necessary services like vasectomies validates this even more for me.

Also, that the vasectomy truck is called The Nutcracker will never not be funny.

Jokes aside, we do need to talk about vasectomies as much as we talk about access to abortion and birth control, and it is heartening to see the demand and actual number of procedures skyrocket in the wake of Dobbs.

I was able to get my hands on an early copy of Ejaculate Responsibly, and it’s a must-read book on how we need to center the conversation of unwanted pregnancies on the ejaculators, not those with uteruses. Highly recommend pre-ordering your copy and copies for the men in your life.