There is a single umbrella on the ground and three people with a quotation that requires them to have a good presence. These three people look at the umbrella, they look at each other. They are going in opposite directions, it is raining and they have two minutes to make a decision that can change their future.

With this premise, the president of the Spanish Biocompanies association (ASEBIO), Jordi Martí, worked with the students of the Master's Degree in management of Pharma-Biotech Companies of the University of Navarra on one of the most important management skills: assertiveness.

"You have to be able to expose your ideas and decisions and try to find a middle ground with the other party without being aggressive," said the executive, who reflected on leadership competencies such as, among others, decision making, the ability to overcome obstacles to achieve objectives, humor or authenticity.

Jordi Martí acknowledged that sometimes "we lack the time to take a blank sheet of paper and think about what we want", but he stressed that, for the professional development and staff, it is necessary to choose a work where "what we like, what we do well, where we feel useful and where we are satisfied with the working conditions" come together. He assured that attitude is fundamental and, when faced with problems, we must ask ourselves what we can do to solve them: "We have to ask ourselves, what can I do to solve this? Not others, but me.

"The leader has two fundamental qualities: self-knowledge and the wisdom to surround oneself with beautiful enemies, that is, those who force us to be in tension and even think differently; diversity in a team is very enriching," explained the president of the association Spanish Biocompanies, who encouraged students to ask themselves and others open questions. If employers usually select on the basis of a CV, "be different and try to be seen," he concluded.

An orientation to the professional world

The students of the Master's Degree in management of Pharma-Biotech Companies, which is taught at the University's campus in Madrid, have worked throughout November on employability-oriented skills and competencies and have learned about the experience of professionals in the sector.

In the 'Enfocados', monographic courses on current topics of special interest, the students worked on the Project Manager with professionals with proven experience in the sector.

They also addressed the following topics: strategy, with CINFA's general director , Enrique Ordieres; ethical codes and regulatory compliance, with Lourdes Fraguas, from Farmaindustria; the code of ethics of the health technology sector, with David Castillo, from FENIN; the department medical as a pillar in the pharmabiotech industry, with José Cabrera, Executive Medical Director of Bristol Myers; the marketing plan for a pharmaceutical product, with Pablo Regueras, Senior Product Manager Hematology; the product manager, with Carmen Dader, from Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical; and management skills, with Jordi Martí, President of ASEBIO.

In addition, during the Week of employment, Human Resources Managers from companies in the pharmaceutical sector -Bristol Meyers, Normon, Astrazeneca, Jansen and Insudpharma- participated in meetings with students, who also worked on elements such as resume preparation and job interviews with María Zarranz, Career Manager of the School Pharmacy and Nutrition.