“If you’re in this industry, you have to be vocal on some of these policy matters. It’s very important that CEOs are willing to speak out. I reject this concept that CEOs should just abide to a Milton Friedman approach and stay silent on any social matter. I think that’s wrong. That’s not how we should operate as a society. And I think we’ve seen political environments where frankly, the only sane people in the house are from the private sector.” — John Maraganore

“The thing that keeps me up at night is that policy positions are being put forth without a true diagnostic of the underlying problem. We end up damaging what is a really vibrant industry in our attempt to do good. I think that’s what keeps me up at night. That’s what worries me about the future. I’m hopeful that it won’t happen. I think it requires all of us to get out there, to educate the general public, to educate those in positions of power about what drug development is all about, what it actually takes and how companies work, and how companies need investment dollars to do the next phase of development. It’s certainly taken me out of my shell. I’ve been more open discussing some of these topics and I think others in the industry have as well.” —  Aoife Brennan, CEO at Synlogic Therapeutics

Three meditations on the above:

1. Being outspoken is not about arguing or fighting; it’s about communicating, educating, giving policymakers a heads-up about how their actions are affecting the future of innovation, the patients, and the well-being of an entire industry.

2. What can help a biotech leader communicate effectively and be persuasive is understanding that when policymakers agree on a new policy that happens to negatively affect the whole industry, doesn’t necessarily mean that the direct intention behind that policy was to harm the industry. That’s the common cause-and-effect cognitive bias.

3. The above ideas don’t apply only to conversations with policymakers but any conversation within the company and outside the company, in real life. It’s the art of communication. You have more chances of getting what you want when instead of judging and criticising the other side, you simply communicate to them how their actions are affecting your wellbeing. At the end of the day, they may be totally unaware that their actions are harming you…