Lab Manager Magazine® - Authors

About Mark Lanfear

Mark Lanfear is a global practice leader for the Life Science vertical at Kelly Services, a leader in providing workforce solutions. Mark has overseen teams of scientific professionals around the world for almost two decades. He has had held leadership roles in 2 of the top 3 scientific workforce solution companies and 3 of the world’s top 20 Biopharmaceutical corporations. In addition, he is a feature speaker and writer at many of the Life Science’s industry conferences, universities and periodicals.

Articles Authored by Mark Lanfear

Nurturing Talent

Published: May 2 2013

In the science world, as in all technical fields these days, there’s a strong emphasis on the need to find the best talent. That’s not surprising, given the fact that most hiring managers are well aware of the growing shortage of people working in all STEM jobs. As baby boomers prepare to retire, and as higher educational institutions continue to produce less people who are willing to invest their time in the study of these critical professions, competition for talent will only become stronger and more challenging.

Managing the New Independent Workforce

Published: April 7 2013

In the age of the “human capital”

economy, we are experiencing incredible

shifts in the way people

work. Contingent labor, virtual workplaces,

free agency, and the cloud are

just some of the fundamental shifts

currently taking place. As a result,

management is faced with all sorts of

new challenges: how to be more efficient,

how to be sure that the work

is actually getting done, how to watch

compliance issues? If you aren’t already

a micromanager, these challenges

may drive you to become one in

these pressure-filled times.

Defining the New Art of Risk Management

Published: March 9 2013

Risk management in this economy goes well past the usual definitions of safety and compliance. Risk management is often identified in terms of assessment and prioritization of risks from uncertainty, project failures, legal liabilities, and, most of all, accidents. What seems to be challenging the scientific working world, and what has influence over all these possible factors, however, are the people who execute critical roles—the people who process and manage our projects in a laboratory, those who conduct research and development, and those who oversee manufacturing environments. Therefore, a risk management strategy as it relates to talent, succession planning, training, professional development, and, most of all, the acquisition of new talented resources is the largest risk to our business being successful.

Science Matters: What it Takes to Have Successful Vendor Relationships

Published: January 28 2013

Nurturing good relationships in business is a lot like doing the same in our personal lives. And just like in our personal lives, a one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to any type of relationship usually won’t work. However, it can be wise to take at least a page or two from the book of successful relationship strategies when you’re considering how to best manage a business relationship.

Science Matters: Holding the Line on Good Laboratory Practices

Published: December 10 2012

The mistakes we all made coming up in the industry—the “freshman effect”—were almost unavoidable. Checking and rechecking kept us in check, and this was our go-to strategy as we became experts.

Making Sense of Data Management in a Digital World

Published: November 7 2012

The incredible invention of social media and other Web-based technologies has transformed our personal lives in ways we really don’t have to think about anymore.

Competing for Gold Medal Talent: It Takes a Strategic and Tactical Approach

Published: October 6 2012

For two weeks the 2012 Summer Olympics held the attention of audiences across events in well-known– and not-so-well-known–sports. In more familiar competitions such as gymnastics and swimming, spectators largely understood the high stakes because of the year-round popularity of these events. But while the more obscure events might have been entertaining, how often do we really think about what it takes to win at track cycling?

Putting Social Media to Work in the Lab

Published: September 7 2012

I’ve talked at great length in this column about the science industry transforming so much in the past few years that the concept of knowledge sharing—and in turn being much more open about your work—isn’t really a foreign