Thursday, March 21, 2013

Women in science: know your limits!

The recent 'revelation' that a popular science Facebook site is the work of a woman prompted a number of sexist comments, which were in turn met by serious criticisms. But if you ignore the overwhelming evidence to the contrary, it's true that women just aren't as good at science

A woman, struggling with science as is the norm. Photograph: Alamy

As a man, I of course have an innate understanding of science. As a bespectacled man who started going bald when he was 17 years old, this is even truer for me than most. I was often allowed to skip science exams at GCSE and A-Level. The teachers would usually take one look at me, correctly assume that I already knew more than enough to pass, and save my time and theirs by letting me avoid a clearly unnecessary assessment.
Sadly, it's an undeniable fact that the same cannot be said of women. It's nobody's fault, but it's not something that should be ignored any longer. The recent "revelation" that the popular Facebook site "I Fucking Love Science" is run by a woman resulted in numerous sexist comments based on her gender, looks and well-known stereotypes. But should we not look at why this reaction occurred?
Now I'm as non-sexist as the next thirty-something heterosexual white male with his own dedicated section on a high-profile media site, but surely more could be achieved if we acknowledged the inherent deficit females have when it comes to understanding science, rather than just ignoring it?
As a scientist I know it's important to provide evidence for controversial claims, and sadly it's all around us. People often fear and mistrust what they don't understand, and teenage girls have an inherent fear and mistrust of science, as evidenced by the fact that, despite my being the best at science in school, none of the girls there showed even the slightest interest in dating me. They were clearly frightened and intimidated by my science prowess. What other logical explanation is there?
My own wife says she went to an all-girl school that was the first in the UK to teach girls maths, as there was a fear at the time that women's brains would overheat if they tried it. But this is a very real concern. If I even mention to my wife that it may be the actual truth, she gets very red and angry and I have to sleep on the couch for a week. If that's not indicative of an overheated brain, then I don't know what is. Trust me on this, I'm a male neuroscientist.
A quick glance at the magazines available in a typical shop shows how different the appreciation of science is between the sexes. Women's magazines all seem to be about celebrity gossip, cupcakes, frilly umbrellas (I assume), whereas men's magazines are regularly dedicated to seriously niche scientific subjects like the botanical study of the numerous types of hard single-seed fruit, the mechanics of Familial hemiplegic migraine, analysis of the geometrical incidence structure the Generalized quadrangle. I've not read any of these myself as they're not about my field, but this clearly demonstrates a male preference for less shallow pursuits. These magazines often put women on the covers so they don't feel left out. But still, they don't seem happy, which again shows a difficulty with grasping logic.
Stereotypes occur for a reason, and there are numerous examples of these that reveal the disadvantage women have with science. For example, women may laugh at men's tendency not to ask for directions, but this suggests that women have no problem with asking for them, so are keen to solicit information from others. This is something a real scientist would never do! Science doesn't work that way.
There's also the belief that women's menstrual cycles, whatever they are, can be affected by the moon. That's the actual moon, influencing things on Earth. How unscientific can you get? But then women are often confused by their own biology. When it comes to sexual interaction, women seem to have trouble telling which sex is which, meaning they often end up having sex with another woman, presumably by accident. This is a very common error; there is a vast amount of data about it available online and I've spent countless hours trawling through it. If women can't recognise their own sex when it's right in front of them, how are they going to grasp something as complex and confusing as cutting edge science?
Attempts have been made to encourage and support the role of women in science, with initiatives such as Ada Lovelace day. But if the best available role model is a woman known for simply loving lace, that's not exactly a great example. Famous male scientists, on the other hand, were so dedicated they were named after scientific measurements, like Newton and Kelvin. How can women compete?
Even here in the Guardian Science section, this gender-difference is clear to see. As liberal and politically correct as the Guardian tries to be, there aren't any science blogs written by women. You may argue that yes, there are, but those are just the several dozen examples that prove the rule.
The Guardian folk even suggested I could have some female guest bloggers for this very blog. I steadfastly refused. Science blogs written by women? What next, blogs written by educated sparrows? Super-intelligent wombats? Surprisingly articulate Tupperware? There's politically correct, and there's just silly. You'll be saying women can be funny, next.
In conclusion, for anyone who still thinks this is a serious piece, if you're a man who claims to "fucking love" science but are shocked to find out that women may feel the same, please go away and look up what "science" actually is, then come back and start again, as you've clearly gone wrong somewhere.
Dean Burnett isn't acually a massive sexist and admits that this blog is inspired by a classic Harry Enfield sketch after a comment by Dave Briggs on Twitter, where Dean tweets as @garwboy

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Just Got Hired? 100 Days to the Perfect Start

March 21, 2013

You’re starting a new job. You’re good at what you do... or at least you were good at what you did at your old job. But now you’re unproven.
Now you need to get off to a great start... and you don’t have a lot of time to make that happen. If you’re a senior executive you probably have three months to stake out your position and take a few major – and visible – steps.
If you’re lower on the corporate ladder you might have even less time.
I haven’t started a new job in forever, so I found someone better to give advice: Jim Whitehurst. He’s gone from a management consultant at Boston Consulting Group to Treasurer and then Chief Operating Officer of Delta Airlines and is now the CEO of Red Hat, the $1.1 billion open source software company.
So yeah, he’s successfully started a few new jobs.
Here’s Jim on how to get off to the perfect start in your new job:
Deeply understand how the business creates value.
Obviously you need to learn how to do your job well, but more than that you need to understand the company’s competitive advantage and underlying value proposition to make sure those things happen.
Don’t assume your predecessor did.
When I reflect on what I do at Red Hat and what I did at Delta it’s absolutely night and day. I didn’t think about it at the time, but when I think back to Delta I realize I was pretty hard on people. An airline is a pennies and nickels kind of business with single-digit margins -- if you’re lucky. So I would challenge and direct and correct… I was extremely focused on execution and spent the majority of my time going through the details.
At Red Hat my focus is on talking to customers, to M & A prospects, to partners, to CIOs to find out where they think the future of tech is going…. We’re outward facing, customer facing, and all about the future, while the airline business is pretty well defined and the goal is to optimize within that box. Strategic long-term planning is a much bigger part of what I do now than it was at Delta.
Don’t assume the way you did your old job, or the way your new job was done before, is the way it should be done now.
If you want to succeed – and move up to higher levels – take the time to figure out how the company truly creates value.
Learn how to serve all of your constituents.
You may have direct reports. You may have external customers. You definitely have internal customers. Often many of your constituents have little to do with what you might think is your job.
In my role, over half of my time is not spent “running the business.” Talking to the press, to board members, investors, analysts, engaging in civic responsibilities (because you can’t be a leader without being a leader in the community where that company lives and works)….
At first I got frustrated by those demands. Then I realized I couldn’t run a full schedule the way I once did. I needed to be on the phone talking to legislators about issues. I needed to be on the phone with the governor-elect when he asked if I would host a session to get input from business leaders. All that "stuff" is really important to our company and our community.
You’ll start a job with certain expectations, but once you understand the needs of all your constituents you must redefine how you see your job and the way you perform it.
Learn about all of your constituents and determine how to serve them while creating value for your company. That might sound contradictory, but when you deeply understand how the company creates value and you deeply understand your constituents, it's not.
Stay focused on what you do best.
You were hired for a reason. Don’t lose sight of that reason as you take on your new duties.
Sometimes a company hires a new employee because they need specific things done and that person has done those things before. Sometimes a company hires a new employee who has the attributes they need instead of the person with the “right” set of skills experiences.
Often it’s a blend of both: You’re hired because of your skills and qualifications… but also because you bring qualities and attributes the company needs.
Never lose sight of what makes you different. You possess qualities and attributes other people don’t. That’s why you were hired.
Use them. But make sure you also...
Show what you will do differently.
Never assume what made you successful at one job will make you successful at your new job. Many executives fail because they try to apply what was successful in the past to a new business.
Understand the company’s competitive advantage, understand the needs of all your constituents, and decide how you can leverage your skills, experiences, and intangibles to stake out a position and take the job to another level.
Work extremely hard to deliver value... and soon the company may decide to take you to another level.
I also write for Inc.com; here are a few related articles:

(Photo courtesy flickr user Haonavy)

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Tess F., Richee M., Katelyn G., Jeffrey H., Kate R., Norris H., Paresh M., Akash S., Reda J. and Sharon J. like this
Hazren H. Great advice as I will start working next Monday... Thank you 5s
Mandy J. Great advice, at the perfect time! 6m
Brooke C. Great points. Real advice. 18m
Rufino L. About to start in something new. More excited than anxious and will take note of this (perhaps re-read it if I have to). Cheers! 20m
Chee Yung, Y. Great advice! Thanks for this.. 20m
Nisha H. Brilliant piece of advice.. defo looking forward to my new development path. :-) 38m
Himanshi P. Great points! Definitely agree with - what worked in previous experiences may not work now in new role. 39m
Violet Z. Excellent advice. It definitely useful for my future development. 1h
Robert M. Very good article. Timely as well as many folks are starting new jobs with many of those being in new industries. Well written. 1h
Steve M. 42 Days, 100 Days, 200 Days - The best milestones to make 1h
Neha A. Stay focused on what you do best BUT then what about the growth which should be in pyramid structure that is knowledge of various domains, techologies, processes and going out of comfort zone to learn and implement more. 2h
Anderson A. Great and inspiring article! 2h
Karen D. B. Excellent for people getting acclimated to new positions such as myself but also worthwhile reading for people who have been in their roles for a while. It may point out that certain something you can do differently to add value and take yourself to the next level. 2h
Lisa W. Just started a new job, loved this! 2h
Flag and Hide Sarah S. Love this! So useful... 2h
Chriztina B. inspiring.... 2h
James H. Great article. Thanks! 2h
Rick M. I start at a new company on April 10th. You can bet the farm I'll be printing this article and posting it at my desk! 3h
Alicia W. What wonderful advice! I think by looking at the company and how one can add value instead of just a particular job or function, you'll really succeed in a number of different ways. 3h
Simon N. Being 6 weeks in to my new role at the Manpower Group, this article is extremely relevant. 3h
Matthew P. One's skills and qualifications are also a threat. The one thing entrenched organisations are bad at is change, so as the new kid on the block you are already rocking the boat. Tolerance for slow starters should be about pace of innovation and agility, when more often it is about adapting to entrenched systems. Be mindful of this conflict. 3h
Josephine C. Great article! Thanks for sharing. 3h
Ala B. Having gotten a new job mid-last year & experiencing how exciting & equally nerve-wrecking the whole process is - I couldn't agree more Jeff....great strategies if you want to "hit the ground running" 3h
Conor D. Great article Jeff, in all my time recruiting in the Australian financial services market this is truer now that at any other stage I have witnessed – businesses have diminishing tolerance or capacity to have slow starters at all levels of the management structure. I encourage new employees to spend as much time networking with people and understanding the true drivers to success internally before they start so they can make an impact fairly quickly in whatever areas they are working 3h
mirella F. Thanks for sharing - definitely something to think about. Michael spot on. Why not faster and take some more time to perfect. 3h
Larry C. A much, much better resource is "The First 90 Days" by Michael Watkins. I purchased it some years ago, and it has become a steady reference. Your new job isn't about a race to impress...contrary to the clip art of the sprinter at the starting block. 3h
Sanjiv G. Amazing article on how the business creates value. 3h
Aimee F. YES YES YES! I love everything in this article. LOVE this. Remember who you are while focusing who they are and understanding their needs. I'd also recommend connecting via LinkedIn with your future coworkers if you hadn't already during the hiring process. And for hiring teams, invite your upcoming new hire to something social before they even start work - lunch, happy hour, etc., to welcome them to the team and get them comfortable. Remember, the last time they saw you was in an interview, so they were a bit more formal most likely, and the next time they'll be focused on learning the tasks at hand, so this eases the transition a lot. 4h
Nassim A. How about, simply focus on helping get the group/team/company closer to its goals. Whatever that takes. 4h
MITHILESH SINGH C. The good start is to unlearn your old job by taking few days break before starting the new one. Its really an excellent article. 4h
Lauren P. So true, Jeff. Strong agree with don’t assume the way you did your old job, or the way your new job was done before, is the way it should be done now. Every business has its own complexity and taking the time to understand the real demand is key for top performance, not only in the first 100 days but all along. 5h
Manohar K. Not too long ago, I read this book called "First 90 days" - studies show that the first 90 days are critical in someone (mostly executive leadership) adapting to a new company, and effectively navigate the environment. The book suggests that this time needs to be managed well, should the company want the person to succeed. 5h
Dee B. Having found myself in a new job for the first time in years and back in an industry I left awhile back, I found this article a good reminder to approach the new the right way without carrying the baggage of the old. 5h
Renee K. great article! 5h
Dyan N. C. Thank you, I am preparing for my new job (waiting on one) and this will even prepare me for my interviews...♥ 5h
Noureddine B. Great article. It deserves to be in every company's employee handbook. 5h
JD S. Great piece! There is a book about this subject by Michael Watkins: “The First 90 Days”. It is a wonderful read for career individuals with examples of what to do (and what not to do). Advancing your career? Sometimes it’s hard to let go of old strengths even if they are no longer applicable to the new role. To be successful, you have to let go of the railing and make mistakes. 5h
Randy W. Great advice - never stop adding value. It's a continuous cycle of improvement! Never be satisfied and continue to strive for improvement not only for yourself but in your peers and subordinates.... in the end, your company benefits and you get to stick around. 5h
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