Obviating All Too Common Pain Points

In science and technology endeavors where discovery and innovation are pivotal, it is easy to discount the impact of our leadership. Yet?the timely advance of science and technology, or any visionary?idea?is impacted by the human behavior of the people leading the effort. The?focus on what we do grabs attention from how we do it?yet?the two are intimately linked.?

What we do can be infinitely more risk-laden and simply more difficult, costly, slow, and uncomfortable without fine-tuned leadership practices that extend from our self-leadership to empowering and inspiring innovation from others. Thus, it is always good to periodically remind ourselves that while striving to maintain exemplary leadership requires?an investment of?time and attention, it carries many practical rewards.

Our bias starts with our training.

If we use success in an academic environment as a measure, it will appear that being an eccentric but brilliant lab boss does not diminish one’s ability to do great science and to?be recognized?for it.?Your?people might be happier working under a better boss?but?it’s something they can endure for a time.?However?miserable your postdoctoral fellows are, they will eventually leave with a wealth of knowledge?and experience?and a professional leg up from having worked in your lab.?You?in?turn?will have advanced your hypotheses (i.e., your claim to fame) based on their hard work. However, even though the demands on leadership skills may be more limited, the race for those rewards can get out of hand?as?evidenced by the retraction of highly cited publications, which is now more readily uncovered. Are?those missteps due to a leadership problem? In?some ways, yes. While?individual motivation is often self-fueled in an academic environment, it still needs to be?properly directed?and the lab chief maintains the moral high ground for the group. The?purpose of discovery and the advance of scientific understanding is so that they can?be built?upon. Achieving?it requires?strong,?principled leadership to produce trusted, high-value output.?

However, beyond maintaining integrity, it is not always?obvious?that translational efforts requiring technology leadership will be less successful without more comprehensive?high-performing?human leadership.?Certainly, our human behavior does not change scientific fact. Drug?design, data analysis, the assist from artificial intelligence, or the biological response in a patient is not directly dependent on our management and leadership skills.?This?can lead us to believe that the quality of our behavior?is not directly connected?to the effectiveness of our output. However, whenever we have people sitting down to conduct a bench experiment, arrive at conclusions, strategize?next?steps, or work together, multiple facets of our leadership will have an impact.?

Some research organizations can succeed within the bounds of commonly accepted academic norms without being stellar people managers or skilled leaders.?However, when it comes to industry pursuits, the need for leadership changes and intensifies.?An?academic star?although?having run a?large?academic?organization, may find it difficult to achieve timely tangible output in an industry environment without adapting and?in?many cases, expanding their leadership skills.?

The Impact of Leadership on Pain Points

While some things?are achieved?despite inadequate leadership,?just?think about what could be?achieved,?earlier, faster, and more effectively with exemplary, enabling leadership.?

Exemplary leadership is comprehensive in its approach. By?harmonizing all aspects of leadership, it averts many common challenges?altogether?while lessening others; it assures that motivation, high standards, and a focused effort are all working together to fuel the production of actionable and tangible output.?

??Imagine the cost to an organization and the pain experienced when

? needing to retool and refocus a product pipeline?

? losing talent in a tight job market?

? being caught flat-footed when up against a hurdle

? losing a corporate partner’s confidence and support

? failing?to effectively compete in an area ripe with potential?

The value of exemplary leadership is its ability to?obviate?these pain points.?

Therefore, it is good to remember that the way we deliver on our objectives not only hinges on what we do but how we do it.?In?any organization aiming for?meaningful?tangible output, leadership?will often make or break?an effort regardless of the technology.

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