Image provided by TheNounProject.com
Dear friends,
It’s March 2022, and I can’t say whether time moves quickly or slowly any more. The state of our world is hitting me hard right now, and I am sending solidarity to all who share this feeling. I spoke to a small group of mid-career faculty recently, and they followed up after the meeting with the following question: “We suggest a future blog post on techniques and strategies for supporting excellence on research teams. We admire your ability to maintain high standards for your team.” My first thought was that I don’t do anything to make my team perform at such a high level- they do it themselves. I shared this question with Sarah Lisker, our lab’s program manager, and to my surprise, she pointed out three things that I do that support high standards for our team’s work. Based on our conversation, here’s my advice.
Combine high expectations with specific feedback. In my interviews for staff, students, summer interns, and in establishing mentoring relationships, I am up front about the fast-paced work environment and my steep expectations. (I learned to do this because an excellent former student gave me this feedback.) This translates into our team’s daily work. Sarah says, “when I deliver something to you that doesn’t meet your standards, I know exactly why.” Giving specific feedback is an investment that pays dividends. Sometimes you won’t have time to give feedback in the moment, and it’s worth debriefing later.
Be forthcoming with your team about the bigger picture. I share my thoughts about how our collaborative, multi-site work is going with my team. I will note if I think something a colleague did was particularly effective, and I will state honestly to my team when I feel someone is falling short, without blaming or shaming. This opens the door for us to brainstorm together about how to approach challenges.
Own your mistakes. As an extrovert who thinks by talking, I often need to walk back my words. I also tend to make decisions quickly, and those decisions frequently change with reflection or additional information. Our team wouldn’t function if I wasn’t transparent about this. Sarah pointed out that my self-reflection normalizes missteps and failures and gives my team permission to own their mistakes, too.
I’m grateful to my colleagues who asked this important question, and to Sarah for giving me the insights to be able to answer it (and for everything she does!) If, like me, you are having a hard time sustaining your energy these days, please be kind to yourself. I hope to take some time away soon. In the meantime, I have two strategies to get through the day: breaking my work down into very small tasks that feel manageable, and scheduling time to see friends. I’d love to hear what you are doing to keep yourself afloat. Please do keep in touch. I’d love to hear about and amplify your important work!
Warmly,
Urmimala