Becoming a Life Sciences Leader – Challenges and solutions to making the transition from scientist to leader
Most life science leaders begin their careers as scientists. Often, they are selected as managers on the basis of their scientific expertise, their wise decision making and their clear communication skills. Once they enter a leadership role, the focus of their career changes from scientific accomplishment to facilitating accomplishment in others.
This transition can be challenging because of the strong appeal of science. The palpable pleasure of having the right answer tempts these scientist-leaders to take the floor in meetings. And the security of technical knowledge pulls them back to the science and away from leading people. The most successful leaders grow past this pull by learning the skills of leadership with the same rigor that they learned their scientific skills decades earlier. They consciously focus on conversations that bring out the ideas of others, and resist inserting too many of their own ideas.
The transition involves a shift in mind-set and values as well as in behavior, altering one’s identity from that of scientist to that of a leader. In many ways the two mind-sets (competent scientist and effective leader) are not just different, but actually antithetical. They require a shift in personal identity from being “the smartest person in the room”, to asking questions that help others to be smart. Effective life sciences leaders value the behind-the-scenes work of leadership, while enabling the scientists they lead to gain the recognition from the new discovery or the great experimental result.
Several skills characterize the effective life sciences leader.
- Eliciting wisdom and innovation from others through dialogue. At the core of this skill are conversations in which the leader asks about the scientists’ ideas, and builds on them to enhance their applicability.
- Asking questions that help scientists trace the roots of their thinking, enabling them to refine their idea in order to better match it to the challenge at hand.
- Reframing the ideas of scientists to best exploit their particular scientific niche or address a specific business challenge.
Through these skills, the leader develops the competence of scientists and creates new mind-sets. These are much more important leadership outcomes than simply managing behaviors!
Mastering the skills we’ve described may seem daunting at first. The good news is that these skills are learnable and the attitudes acquirable through a learning and development process – a process in which scientists who are leaders of scientists are guided through a shift in their own intrinsic reward systems and their sense of professional identity. They discover the satisfaction of being a facilitator rather than a doer. As they assume this new role, they observe themselves bringing out the best in others. In short, this learning model addresses the many and complex facets of scientific leadership, accelerating skill development, while assuring personal comfort with this new role.
To summarize, the challenge of transitioning from scientific thought leader to a leader of scientists is, without doubt, challenging, in large part because it represents a fundamental shift in mind-set. However, this transition can be reinforced and accelerated through structured learning and coaching activities.
We’re interested in hearing about your own leadership journey and experience with others you’ve known who were similarly engaged. Consider the following questions (or pose your own) and let us know what you think:
- What about this rings true for you?
- If you’ve made this transition, how did it happen? Who/what influenced you?
- What were the 2-3 most important leadership skills you learned – the ones that really made the difference in you becoming a good leader?
- What was most challenging for you in the transition from “scientist” to “leader”?
- What did you have to let go of to make this transition work?
- What about becoming a great leader has made the shift worthwhile?
interactive porn sex games https://cybersexgames.net/
new online casino no deposit https://casinoonlinek.com/
casino online slots https://onlinecasinoad.com/
wild casino online https://casinogamesmachines.com/
caesars online casino bonus code https://conline-casinos-hub.com/
legit online casino https://onlinecasinos4me.com/
best casino online real money https://online2casino.com/
top online casino https://casinoonlinet.com/
mohegan sun casino online https://casinosonlinex.com/
diet soda on keto https://ketogendiet.net/
chicken keto recipes https://ketogendiets.com/
write a cause and effect essay https://anenglishessay.com/
cheapest essay writing service https://topessayswriter.com/
write a reflective essay https://yoursuperessay.com/
what to write in a college essay https://howtowriteessaytips.com/
gay dating in japan https://gayprideusa.com/
gay male dating in alabama https://gayfade.com/
critical thinking math problems https://criticalthinkingbasics.com/
critical thinking pictures https://criticalthinkinginstitute.com/
is critical thinking a soft skill https://criticalthinking2020.net/
developing critical thinking skills https://uncriticalthinking.com/
500 word essay https://topvpndeals.net/
essay writer service https://tjvpn.net/
what is a rhetorical analysis essay https://thebestvpnpro.com/
college essay helper https://vpn4home.com/
topics for an opinion essay https://vpnshroud.com/
summary response essay example https://vpnsrank.com/
essay format example https://vpn4torrents.com/
admission essay https://windowsvpns.com/
3programming
manhunt gay dating https://gayfade.com
senior gay dating https://gaysugardaddydatingsites.com
gay chat cams free https://bjsgaychatroom.info/
gay dating in little rock https://gaypridee.com/
denver gay chat https://gaytgpost.com/
gay chat roullete https://gay-buddies.com/
free dating for biand gay men https://speedgaydate.com/
slots of vegas casino https://2-free-slots.com/
deal or no deal slots https://freeonlneslotmachine.com/
best way to win at slots https://candylandslotmachine.com/
black pawkeet slots guide https://pennyslotmachines.org/
gossip slots tournament https://slotmachinesworld.com/
best time to play slots https://slotmachinesforum.net/
top dollar slots in vegas https://slot-machine-sale.com/
free siberian storm slots https://beat-slot-machines.com/
big fish free slots https://download-slot-machines.com/
cleopatra slots free https://411slotmachine.com/
tiki torch slots free https://www-slotmachines.com/
456 free slots casino https://slotmachinegameinfo.com/
liberty university dissertation https://buydissertationhelp.com/
dissertation writing service https://dissertationwriting-service.com/
how long is a phd dissertation https://help-with-dissertations.com/
biology dissertation help https://mydissertationwritinghelp.com/
online dissertation help database https://dissertations-writing.org/
dissertation help cheap https://helpon-doctoral-dissertations.net/