Simon Sinek, a speaker, and an author best known for his leadership related lectures, says “Leadership is not about being in charge. Leadership is about taking care of those in your charge”. These words reflected deeply on me. For once, I went through an experience with an advisor with very poor leadership skills. For the past four years, I watched many young, inspired scientists join him and only to leave within a year’s time. I too left nine months later. My love and passion for science was withering and almost out. I took a month to recoup, and to decide whether science was for me and if at all I was fit for research. After couple of months, I saw an open PhD student position with a topic that interested me. I applied, prepared for an interview, and got the position. Exactly one and a half years later, I published my findings, and made further progress opening additional doors for grants. I attended international conferences, received awards, was granted an innovation grant for a device I designed. I wrote a review article, secured internal research grant, applied for fellowships. All while adding a second, and third child to my family. Looking back, I realized I was not, in any shape or form, like what my first advisor constantly kept telling me. I would never have thought I would accomplish what I have accomplished, especially married, with kids. Over the years, I kept in contact with every single person who had left my previous advisor just like myself. For some reason I was not surprised to find out each and every one was successful. They have all addressed important scientific questions, published multiple findings, written, or are in the process of writing their dissertations. So, the question rose in my mind: why do early career researchers blossom in the hands of one leader, while they are completely incompetent in the hands of another? To answer this question, I researched and pondered many variables, but all roads pointed to one, poor leadership skills.
In academia, professional accomplishments are the major metric driving the promotion along the steps of the career ladder. According to Simon Sinek, such promotions land people in positions of leadership without the one skill needed to be in that position, leadership. Granted, many universities, and even private organizations offer leadership workshops and trainings to their employees, but there is very little done to enforce the application of newly gained knowledge. Then, what is the price that humanity pays for ignoring such an important point? Was it the next person to cure cancer? Or was it the next person to solve the climate crisis? No matter whose fire was put out due to lack of leadership skill, I would not want to take my chances to be the one that deprives entire humanity of its future. Lack of leadership in banking, transportation, etc. can cost companies gravely, that is true. But lack of leadership in science, in research, in academia and in pharmaceutical industry can cost humanity lives, security of clean energy, sustainable food, or technology.
My mission is…
…to make sure that no aspiring scientist is “misled” during their graduate education and that everyone’s uniqueness is cherished. Watch my TEDx talk that took place in July 2022 below:
Recent talk at Pint of Science Germany in Erlangen in May of 2023.
Reach out to me if you would like to keep the conversation going at your institution.
Contact me here.