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Effectively managing a conflict starts with accurately identifying its source. Leaders who can diagnose issues correctly are better equipped to implement appropriate strategies, fostering a more harmonious and productive research environment. In my experience, many researchers hope these conflicts will resolve themselves—magically. Unfortunately, they almost never do. Addressing conflicts often lies beyond our comfort zone, […]

Once I facilitated a ½ day workshop on leadership at the 1st Post-Doc Days at the Institut Pasteur in Paris. One of the topics we discussed was motivation, the topic researchers ask most questions about. Science is not for the faint-hearted: as one participant pointed out, about 90% of her experiments don’t work. Few days are graced with success.

Understanding the difference between what constitutes a conflict and what does not, is crucial in scientific research. This understanding is fundamental to effectively managing or resolving conflicts that arise during our professional lives. When I first started developing leadership modules for researchers, I noticed a common misconception: many people labelled anything that slowed down or

In my leadership development work, I meet many managers who are suffering from too much pressure in their lives and are unsure about what they can do to relieve the pressure. When I suggest a simple form of meditation or related form of relaxation, I am often met with scepticism or quizzical looks. It’s as

Not addressing conflicts is just as much a part of research as designing experiments or analysing data. In my experience, most researchers hope the conflicts will resolve themselves. Magically. Which they almost never do.That is unfortunate since, for most of us, dealing with conflict lies in our panic zone, beyond even our stretch zone. If that’s

I have been asked several times for my opinion on the Nature article, The 24/7 Lab – Working weekends. Leaving at midnight. Friday evening meetings. Does science come out the winner?  The title took me on a trip down memory lane. When I was in Dublin, we kept odd hours, and there was always someone in

Once, after hours at a workshop, the conversation went slightly off the beaten track, and people began to swap stories about what they learned from different challenging or funny moments in their careers. Several times, the topic of resilience came up. It’s one of the most important characteristics a researcher can develop. Everyone has heard

A slightly belated welcome to 2024! In this part of Germany, not much happens before January 6, which fell on a Saturday this year. I will skip the customary wishes for success, health, and happiness this year. My guess is that most of you have more than enough pressure and expectations placed upon you without

Many thanks to my colleague Kati Järvinen, for bringing Stefan Sagmeister’s TED talk to my attention. In it, he describes how he made a conscious decision to take a one-year sabbatical every seven years and the impact of this decision. Conceptually, he took five years out of the retirement phase of his life and interspersed them through

Very few people like to have to say “please listen: my project is a dog’s dinner” and, in many organisations, the culture of project management discourages raising such red flags. Gretchen Gavett’s article, “The hidden factor of a failing project” on the HBR blog touches on this topic. In my experience, it’s more a question