Learning to lead

Oct. 3, 2024

In graduate and postdoctoral programs, future researchers spend years learning hard science skills — the fundamental concepts of their field, research methods, data analyzation and how to use high-powered lab equipment. 

But what about the “soft” skills, like how to successfully and effectively lead a team or manage a complicated long-term project? Most investigators aren’t explicitly taught these concepts; they just learn as they go, building their leadership skills by trial-and-error as their career progresses. 

The MU Division of Research Human Resources team noticed this pattern and tapped the RII Professional Development team to create a leadership course specifically for principal investigators, called the PI Leadership Program.

The program is intended to help PIs learn best practices and avoid common pitfalls in project management, meeting grant deliverables and team effectiveness through engaging exercises that are tailored to the research-enterprise experience.

Leading by holding back

Sam Polly went through the PI Leadership Program last year. Polly is the Pesticide Safety Education Program Coordinator in the Division of Plant Sciences and Technology where he oversees the recertification of all categories of pesticide applicators in Missouri. His work relies on obtaining grants that help train and equip field specialists.

Polly said one of the most memorable sections of the leadership program was one that covered the different cultures between institutions, specifically a large-well funded university like Mizzou versus a Minority Serving Institution (MSI), where resources and overall missions are wildly different. 

Polly recently spoke at a conference where he had a chance to apply that knowledge regarding MSIs. The conference brought together various agriculture stakeholders, including several tribal groups who have pesticide regulation programs. These tribal members had expressed their disappointment at the low level of involvement that they had been invited to share. 

“I happened to be sitting next to a tribal member and built a relationship. He invited me to lunch, and I found myself as the only person of European descent present,” Polly said. “During that lunch, I thought back to the discussion on Minority Serving Institutions — how well-funded institutions can put them into certain molds and have unrealistic expectations of them. I resigned myself to speak only when asked and focused mostly on listening and being respectful. It was a profound experience. At the end of the conference they thanked me for the respect I showed them. They have become potential partners in the future.”

Leading with better communication

Skylar King, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow studying molecular pathways that could be targeted for the prevention or treatment of cardiovascular diseases, recently went through the PI Leadership Program because her past training experiences in the lab have shown her how important effective mentorship and lab management are for successful research. 

“I found the discussions regarding effective communication strategies to be very applicable,” Dr. King said. “I learned that all teams have conflict, but most of the conflicts are a result of communication differences, unclear expectations, unreasonable time constraints and unclear performance standards.”

Dr. King also found the case studies of how to handle tricky situations with a research group helpful and eye-opening.

“A few of the case studies were surprising, but they helped me understand all the ways things can go sideways in research situations,” Dr. King said. “We worked in small groups to formulate and implement effective leadership strategies for each case, and because of this I am now a much more confident leader.”

An engaging experience 

The RII Professional Development Team has conducted research themselves, and therefore understand the types of hang-ups that academics face when leading teams and writing proposals. 

“Anyone who applies for grants should take this program,” Polly said. “The real-world experience shared was priceless. The discussion about liability and what the university does for us made me understand why we pay indirect expense out of our grants — and made me feel good about it!”

“The Professional Development team did a wonderful job," Dr. King said. "The team’s enthusiasm and energy made the workshops fun, engaging, interactive and very informative."