Many scientists will have to step into a leadership role at one point in their career. As thorough as in-depth science education is it rarely includes training in leadership and/or management skills. These skills, however, are crucial when it comes to stepping into a senior role. Whether that is in academia where the role is to supervise students or postdoctoral researchers or supervise junior teaching staff or in industry where you might be asked to head up a research lab or manage a team of fellow scientists for a large corporation.
Just as employees in most UK corporations, scientists in academia need leadership training when they’re on track to head up a team in order to succeed in their role.
Being thrust into a role that encompasses a wide variety of factors that go beyond the scientific work can seem daunting and the only way to deal with the challenges is often trial and error. This doesn’t have to be the case. Knowing that you might one day head up a team, you can prepare by familiarising yourself with the necessary tools that leadership requires.
Among the necessary skills for effective leadership are:
Teamwork
An important leadership skill is to work well within a team as well as to inspire others to do so. You need to motivate your team members and encourage them to use their strengths to benefit the whole of the organisation. It is also essential to generate mutual trust and respect.
In addition, working closely with other departments is often essential so discouraging an “us vs them” mentality is important.
Effective Communication
Poor communication can rip teams apart so this is probably one of the most important skills you can possess as a leader. Confusion and misunderstandings can lead to projects not being finished on time, which will have an impact on cost and goodwill of other stakeholders. The ability to listen to your team member’s needs as well as communicating what you require of them is important.
Good communication skills will go a long way towards team success. Providing clear instructions and constructive feedback rather than barking orders and expecting everyone to fall in line will make your team members go the extra mile when the need arises.
Interpersonal skills
Being open-minded and showing empathy towards the members of your team will create trust in your ability as a leader. It is always better to under-promise and over-deliver. This will help to build your credibility.
A good degree of emotional intelligence will also help you deal with difficult co-workers and motivate lacklustre students. Great leaders can bring out the best in others.
Time management skills
Good time management skills will show when all the work gets done on time but there is still enough time available for training new staff members as well as personal development of existing staff.
This also includes being able to plan scientific experiments in such a way that your team of scientists still get much needed time off, even if the project needs to be staffed around the clock for several days or even weeks or months.
Adaptability
Learning to be flexible and react quickly to a changing environment is another important skill. Emergencies happen. Funding might be cut, or you might have to face staff shortages. Being able to come up with innovative alternatives can save projects from being cut completely.
It is important to step out of your comfort zone, try new things and take calculated risks now and again to keep things on track. Being self-aware as well as open to feedback can help you to course-correct when things don’t go according to plan.
In addition, to these five crucial skills, it is also important to know about conflict management, project management, have basic finance skills, be able to define and communicate your vision, and hone your negotiation skills.
Many of these business skills centre around interacting with other people. Whether you’re working in academia or industry, the ability to inspire, motivate and work well with people will ensure that your team will work well together to achieve success.