by Stefanie
It’s Time to Embrace Your Role
When you prepared for your role as a faculty member, what did you focus on? If you only thought about research and publishing, I have news for you: that’s just the foundation. Research and publishing are crucial, but they’re far from the whole job. Your real challenge? Becoming the leader of your research team.
You might have heard that being a faculty member is just like being a postdoc, but with the added perk of making all the calls. It sounds great—until you realize it’s only half the story. I learned this the hard way during my postdoc years, where I often took on more responsibility than was strictly necessary. I quickly realized I didn’t have all the skills needed to succeed at the next level, especially when it came to the “extra stuff” like grant writing and, crucially, leadership.
Leadership Isn’t Optional—It’s Essential
If you haven’t embraced leadership yet, it’s time to dive in. Leadership is about setting the vision for your team, inspiring your people, and guiding them toward shared goals. Management? That’s about keeping things running day-to-day. Both are important, but let’s be clear: without strong leadership, your team might achieve short-term goals, but they won’t thrive in the long term.
So, what’s the real difference between a leader and a manager?
- Vision vs. Maintenance: Leaders create a vision for the future. They ask questions like, “What will we be known for in five years? What big problems will we solve?” Managers maintain the status quo. If you’re only managing, you’re basically copying what your mentor did, without driving any real change.
- Inspiration vs. Organization: Leaders inspire their team and align everyone’s vision with the larger team goals. Managers handle the logistics—onboarding, compliance, and making sure things get done on time.
- Empowerment vs. Procedures: Leaders empower their team members to excel, helping them grow and break through barriers. Managers create processes and ensure that everyone follows them.
- Culture Building vs. Culture Maintenance: Leaders actively shape the team culture. Managers keep it going by scheduling the celebrations, reminding the team about the values, and maintaining standards.
- Future-Focused vs. Present-Focused: Leaders are always thinking two steps ahead, planning for long-term success. Managers focus on hitting today’s targets.
The question isn’t whether you’re doing one or the other—it’s about how much time you spend in each mode.
Self-Education: The Competitive Advantage You Didn’t Know You Needed
When I realized the gaps in my skills, I turned to self-education. It’s not just about picking up a book or sitting through university workshops—those help, but they often miss the mark when it comes to leadership. Instead, I looked outside academia, seeking targeted training and mentorship. This “laser education” approach helped me develop the skills I needed without the fluff of unrelated coursework.
This self-education didn’t just make me a better grant writer; it made me a better leader. And this paid off big time: within two years, I had brought in $6 million in funding. My secret? Learning directly from experts who had mastered the skills I needed.
The Missing Piece in Faculty Training: Leadership
Universities offer some training for new faculty, but it often skips over leadership entirely. Courses on lab management teach you how to budget and organize, but rarely how to lead. No one tells you that leading your team requires a completely different skill set.
So Are You Leading or Just Managing?
Reflect on how you spend your time. Are you envisioning your team’s future or just getting through the day? Are you inspiring your people or just making sure they hit deadlines? If you find yourself bogged down by managerial tasks, it’s time to delegate. Your role is to lead.
Long-term success hinges on leadership. And if not you, then who?
Until next time, lead boldly!
—Stefanie
