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Ineffective Meetings: The Seven Deadly Sins

April 15, 2021 by duffion Leave a Comment

By: Matt Grandbois, PhD – Councilor for PROF

On our pathway to “Professional Paradise”, we will frequently have to call together colleagues and acquaintances to gather and achieve a goal. Meetings have been a staple of the professional experience since its inception and is now an unavoidable requirement for the modern chemist. Remembering to avoid some of the most egregious of “sins” while running and planning meetings will help you build your brand a professional chemist.

As we descend into the abyss, I have identified “7 Deadly Sins of Ineffective Meetings” that have an uncanny affinity with a similar set of iniquities that have captured the imagination of scholars since before Dante gave verse to them in his Divine Comedy. These sins naturally group into subcategories that reflect a lack of balance or control by the meeting organizer and facilitator. Effective meeting organizers exhibit virtue in their ability to schedule, run, and utilize meetings to achieve collective greatness.

Too Much of a Good Thing

  1. Scheduling too many meetings – Deciding the right frequency for meetings is challenging. Setting a meeting cadence requires appropriate thought up front to anticipate the needs of the project and provide teams the agility they need to take meaningful action. There is a really good read on meeting design by Elise Keith that I encourage you to study if you find yourself in the gluttonous position of scheduling too many meetings.
  2. Scheduling too long meetings – Meetings need to be the appropriate amount of time for attendees to effectively accomplish their purpose, but the emergence of the #couldhavebeenanemail hashtag  highlights the sensitivity people have when it comes to scheduling marathon meetings without a purpoe. Lusting for more time with your fellow meeting attendees will only result in a growing sense of disdain for your meetings, or worse, avoidance if this problem persists.
  3. Having too many people – Everyone in a meeting should have a purpose. They should speak to their experience and authority. If your meeting attendee list starts to grow out of control, you need to fight against your greed and desire to accumulate more attendees. Keeping meetings attendance to only people that need to be there and having those people having a vested interest in the success of the group will help you keep your meetings productive and efficient.

Sitting in the Driver’s Seat

  • Lack of Agenda – A meeting should have a purpose and it is the responsibility of the meeting organizer/facilitator to have a planned agenda to meet this goal. It is very easy to fall into a sloth-like habit of just throwing a meeting appointment on someone’s calendar without letting them know what will be discussed, but this lack of planning will spill-over into the meeting and create a sense of confusion for the attendees. Establishing an agenda up front will help you drive the meeting towards the desired purpose with a strong sense of urgency.   
  • Overwhelming attendees – Some meetings are scheduled to tackle very complex problems with numerous implications that could come from the decisions reached during the meeting. In this case, there needs to be appropriate preparation made to encourage discussions without sacrificing this exchange of ideas in the pursuit of “staying on time”. Getting into the habit of cutting off valuable discussion will surely invoke the wrath of your colleagues, so make sure you properly anticipate the amount of time needed to discuss the situation, digest the information, and decide on an appropriate action plan during the meeting.

Achieving Inclusivity

  • Failure to contribute – As the meeting organizer and facilitator, you need to be able to keep the conversation moving and on track to achieve the meeting objective. This means you will often need to speak up to redirect the conversation if you get off track. It is not an envious position to be in when you are in a meeting full of big personalities with conflicting motivations, but you need to exhibit leadership during the meeting as needed so that the time your group spends together is viewed as productive by all attendees or their support for future meetings may diminish.
  • Overrunning Attendees – A meeting is not a place for you to pontificate your opinions to attendees. If you need to have a forum to delegate tasks to individuals, a meeting is a challenging place to do that as it results in many people wondering if the meeting truly should have been an email. Having pride in your abilities, thought process, and decision making is tolerable to a point, but good leaders surround themselves with people that bring valuable perspectives and capabilities that will allow you to achieve a greater good by working together.

Running effective meetings is the sign of a consummate professional. By trying to avoid some of the pitfalls highlighted above, you can elevate the quality of your meetings and increase your effectiveness as a leader inside, and outside, the lab.  

Matt Grandbois is a Strategic Partnership Manager for DuPont Electronics & Industrial where he is involved in new business development activities for the world’s leading supplier of chemistries and technologies for the manufacturing of electronic devices. Matt is an active contributor to the Division of Professional Relations where he is the current Councilor and has authored past blog posts. In addition to his role in PROF, Matt is also involved in the ACS Division of Business Development & Management, Committee on Professional Training, and the Central Massachusetts Local Section.

Filed Under: Uncategorized

PROF Spring Open Meeting

March 28, 2021 by duffion Leave a Comment

Join us for our Spring 2021 Open Meeting of the Division

The Executive Committee will provide oral reports, which includes reports from each of our Subdivisions.

Interested in becoming more involved the Division? This is a great way to get started!

Date: Monday March 29, 2021

Time: 6-8 PM ET

Location: Email chair@acsprof.org for Zoom details.

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ACS PROF Awards – Nominations Now Open

January 24, 2021 by duffion Leave a Comment

The American Chemical Society Division of Professional Relations is accepting nominations for the following awards:

  • Henry A. Hill Award — recognizes people who have served the profession in a unique and distinguished manner. 
  • Lou Sacco Award — recognizes persons who have served the Division of Professional Relations in a meritorious and exemplary manner over a significant period of time. 

Nominations should consist of a letter of nomination providing justification for the award. The Henry A. Hill award requires both a primary and a secondary letter of nomination. The letters should also provide biographical information that can include education, professional experience, experience in the Division of Professional Relations (as required by the Lou Sacco Award), awards, honors and publications.  Please also include a resume or CV from the candidate.

Send nominations to awards@acsprof.org by February 12, 2021. 


Past-Chair Mary Crawford and Past Treasurer Sarah Kennedy present Past-Chair Pete Smith the 2019 Lou Sacco Award at a ceremony honoring his service

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New ACS Books of Interest

January 18, 2021 by duffion Leave a Comment

The American Chemical Society has some of the most impressive journals, editors, and authors in the scientific community. Did you know that ACS also publishes book series? Some of these books are based on Symposia hosted at National and Regional Meetings – often organized by our own members! Others are focused on topics that are highly relevant to our community.

In 2020, a number of fantastic books were published that are directly related to the Mission and Vision of the Division of Professional Relations. In this post, we’ll highlight a few including links to where you can access. Thanks to all the authors and editors who took the time to compile these valuable resources!

Alternative Careers in Science

Editor(s):

  • Christopher Avery
  • Brian J. Walker

Publication Date: June 30, 2020

Cite This: Alternative Careers in Science; American Chemical Society, 2020. DOI: 10.1021/acs.infocus.7e4002

This book emerged from shared interests and conversations over many years between former Ph.D. chemists, now leaders in science policy and industry who all share a commitment to public service.

While the training of Ph.D. chemists is generally targeted at a research career, the opportunities that lie beyond the degree are much more diverse. Nine Ph.D. chemists who chose careers outside of academia describe their career choices and reflect on advice they have looking back on their career path for those just starting theirs.

If the stories in these pages speak to you: Welcome to the family.

Addressing Gender Bias in Science & Technology

Editor(s):

  • Samina Azad1,2

Volume 1354

Publication Date (Web):August 17, 2020

1 PLZ Aeroscience, Pacific, Missouri, United States

2 Career Consultant, American Chemical Society, Washington, DC, United States

ISBN13: ‍9780841298903 eISBN: ‍9780841298897 DOI: 10.1021/bk-2020-1354

Integrating Professional Skills into Undergraduate Chemistry Curricula

Editor(s):

  • Kelly Y. Neiles1
  • Pamela S. Mertz2
  • Justin Fair3

Publication Date (Web):December 8, 2020

1 Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, St. Mary’s College of Maryland, St. Mary’s City, Maryland, United States

2 Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, St. Mary’s College of Maryland, St. Mary’s City, Maryland, United States

3 Madia Department of Chemistry, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, Pennsylvania, United States

Sponsoring Divisions:ACS Division of Chemical Education; ACS Division of Professional Relations (See All Technical Divisions)

ISBN13: ‍9780841298668 eISBN: ‍9780841298651 DOI: 10.1021/bk-2020-1365

Building Your Best Chemistry Career Volume 1: Academic Perspectives

Editor(s):

  • Mark A. Benvenuto1

Volume 1366

Publication Date (Web):November 30, 2020

1 Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Detroit Mercy, Detroit, Michigan, United States

ISBN13: ‍9780841237988 DOI: 10.1021/bk-2020-1366

Building Your Best Chemistry Career Volume 2: Corporate Perspectives

Editor(s):

  • Mark A. Benvenuto1

Volume 1367

Publication Date (Web): November 30, 2020

1 Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Detroit Mercy, Detroit, Michigan, United States

ISBN13: ‍9780841298705 eISBN: ‍9780841298699 DOI: 10.1021/bk-2020-1367

Building Your Best Chemistry Career Volume 3: Broader Perspectives

Editor(s):

  • Mark A. Benvenuto1

Volume 1368

Publication Date (Web): November 30, 2020

1 Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Detroit Mercy, Detroit, Michigan, United States

ISBN13: ‍9780841298682 eISBN: ‍9780841298675 DOI: 10.1021/bk-2020-1368

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2021 PROF Officers Announced

January 18, 2021 by duffion Leave a Comment

At the end of 2020, we introduced the slate of candidates up for election in the Division of Professional Relations. See the Election Blog Post with bio links here: https://acsprof.org/elections-2020/

We are pleased to report the election results for service in 2021:

2020 Election Results – Executive Committee

Chair Elect
Judy Cohen

Member at Large (2021-2022)
Chris Bannochie
Michael Morris

Councilor
Matthew Grandbois

Alternate Councilor
Dan Libby

Secretary
Kelly Elkins

Treasurer
Jarrod Cohen

Subdivision Chair-Elect Results

Ethics Subdivision Chair-Elect
Theresa deAngelo

Gay and Transgender Chemists and Allies (GTCA) Subdivision Chair-Elect
Amanda Morris

International Chemists Subdivision Chair-Elect
Lee Hoffmann

Chemists with Disabilities Subdivision Chair-Elect
Cary Supalo

Younger Chemists Subdivision Chair-Elect
Katherine Johnson

Women Chemists Subdivision Chair-Elect
Judith Iriarte-Gross

Minority Chemists Subdivision Chair-Elect
Leyte Winfield

Thank you to all those nominated who were willing to serve. We would welcome the opportunity to engage new leaders in the Division. If you are interested in serving in one of the roles listed above in the future, please reach out to chair@acsprof.org to learn more.

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Journal of Chemical Education Call for Papers: Special Issue on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Respect in Chemistry Education Research and Practice

October 29, 2020 by duffion Leave a Comment

Journal of Chemical Education Call for Papers: Special Issue on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Respect in Chemistry Education Research and Practice

Leyte L. Winfield, Zakiya S. Wilson-Kennedy, Florastina Payton-Stewart, Jennifer Nielson, Ann C. Kimble-Hill, and Edgar A. Arriaga

ABSTRACT: The Journal of Chemical Education announces a call for papers for an upcoming special issue on diversity, equity, inclusion, and respect in chemistry education research and practice.

KEYWORDS: Curriculum, Laboratory Instruction, Learning Theories, Women in Chemistry, Inclusive Teaching, Broadening Participation, Cultural Relevance, STEM Pathways, Marginalized Populations

INQUIRIES Inquiries regarding the suitability of a manuscript topic can be directed to Leyte L. Winfield at LWinfield@spelman.edu. Questions regarding the submission process can be directed to eic@jce.acs.org.

Read the full Call for Papers here.

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