Happy March! How can time be both flying and crawling by? How is your work going? When someone asks me this question, my first instinct is always to reply “I’m so behind.” I doubt I am the only one who sets goals from a place of optimism and/or overestimation, cannot attain them, and subsequently feels inadequate.
So You Want to Be a Leader
Hi 2021
Here we are, at the beginning of 2021. This new year has brought such a mix of emotions. I am stepping into 2021 with great optimism, punctuated with frequent feelings of anxiety, grief, and frustration.
I don’t endorse any “New Year, New You” type of sentiment, but I do think the new year is a time for self-reflection. Even if you don’t want to make resolutions, it’s hard not to think about time passing and your future hopes. Instead of advice, here are some self-reflection questions/exercises for you to ponder. Please consider writing down your answers instead of thinking them. You will be surprised what makes its way from your brain to the page!
Put Your Best You Forward
I hope you are all well and safe, and taking heart in the promising vaccine trial results. Better days are ahead! As 2020 draws to a close, I know that some of you are preparing for your next step in your career, and all signs seem to be pointing to job interviews. I have been interviewing residency candidates. The career development curriculum I lead just had a panel about interviews, where two of my colleagues shared their interviewing wisdom, and I recently completed a series of interviews myself. (I’m not looking to move; I recently took a department-wide role at UCSF that complements my research and mentoring.)
Dollars and Sense
Hope this message finds all of you safe and healthy. I won’t entreat all of you to vote - I know many of you already have, and if you haven’t, I am confident you have a plan! This month I want to talk about that most sticky of subjects, money! We know that women and people of color are paid less in academia compared to white men, and of course, this is a huge intersectional problem for women of color. (I am purposely stating this as a fact and not using space to cite supporting data. I want to talk strategies.)
Rest Shouldn't Be a Four Letter Word
Since my last message to you, 2020 has not gotten better. There’s a lot, and I especially want to acknowledge the anger, frustration, and grief at the failure to hold anyone responsible for Breonna Taylor’s murder. We truly can’t go on like this. I know many of you have had incredibly difficult personal challenges too, and I hope that you will reach out if I can provide support and/ or a listening ear. It’s OK to struggle right now. (And if you are feeling guilty because other people have more difficult circumstances, I have to ask, is that guilt helping you or anyone else? Be kind to yourself.)
Brag is Not a Four Letter Word
I hope you are as well as you can be as 2020 marches on, and on, and on. One of you inspired this post, by reflecting on a wonderful boss “who recognizes contributions from people who are understated.” I know that I recently encouraged you to share your accomplishments, and some of you have even shared them with me- thank you! I hope this post will help those of you who continue to struggle to share your accomplishments.
Time in the Time of Coronavirus
I hope all of you are safe, healthy, and as well as you can possibly be at this challenging time. My father reflected to me recently that he always conceptualized his move to the US from India as similar to his own grandfather’s move from their hometown to the city of Lahore- one day’s journey. Now COVID has stretched the distances between us, and as I hit “send” I hope for the day I can see you in person!
Reinvention Time
Dear friends,
It’s July and we are still trudging down a long dark tunnel. It’s a good time to revel in small victories and appreciate positive moments amidst all the sadness and uncertainty. Reach out for the support you need!
Recently several friends have had what I’ve been calling “COVID epiphanies” in which they decide on a major life change.
Control the Narrative
Thank you for still being there. We have been climbing uphill for months now, and I am so humbled to see all that you have accomplished despite all of the heartache and adverse circumstances. I know many of you are working remotely, and even if you are going in to the office, interactions with colleagues are much more limited. Without those hallway conversations, people don’t know day-to-day what is happening with you. Most people doing research, whether faculty or trainees, have needed to change their projects and their plans over the last 3 months, for a combination of personal and logistical reasons. No-one is following the plans they laid out in February!
Emotionally Fatigued
Dear friends, Today I got an email from a mentee titled “emotionally fatigued.” They shared that it was hard to engage on a zoom meeting amidst the unspeakable deaths of Ahmaud Arbery and George Floyd and the appalling video of Amy Cooper threatening Christian Cooper with police violence. It is so hard to know what to write in the face of this inhumanity. I know many of you felt, as I did, sick to your stomach, reading and hearing about these racist attacks. I also know many people reading this have this grief compounded and amplified by a daily fear about your family’s and your own safety living your life in your own country. It is unbearable.
Like A Boss
Dear friends,
What I know is that everyone is struggling right now. Whether you are in a new and worse economic position or grieving lost family members and friends or simply trying to get through the day with kids at home, I am sending you support. Please do whatever brings you comfort, even if it is momentary.
Jump Start Your Brain!
We spoke on Thursday about productivity. To reiterate, I don't expect anyone to be at full steam right now. I can't pretend that I don't feel worry or pressure about our inability to do lab work. I think we all feel that, and it is normal to struggle with expectations when the world has been turned upside down. But going on as if things aren't any different than they were a month ago is not a solution to the problem at hand. We have to take our current situation and see what is possible for each of us. I hope in the weeks to come that we can continue to challenge ourselves to think differently about our work so that we are prepared to hit the ground running. I hope each of us will have the opportunity to better understand ourselves and be more resilient in the face of pressure.
The Cruelest Month
Do You Feel Fine
I am writing to all of you before my next planned update because these are such challenging times, and I feel the need to connect. How are you? Are you working from home? Pulling extra clinical time in preparation for a patient surge? Both? I am sending my best to you and your loved ones, especially the vulnerable people in your circle. At this moment I don’t feel like I have advice or answers; I hope my thoughts help you feel seen/ validated.
Unfocus
Today’s question: Has anyone told you to “focus” or “find your niche” or “narrow down your interests?” This is extremely common advice for early-career academics, and I think it is 100% wrong. I am a generalist by training and inclination, and I like following my interests where they lead. However, I find this advice wrong-headed for reasons that have more to do with external factors than with me.
Nice to Meeting You
Hello February! How are those resolutions going? My January was packed with meetings, an experience that you can undoubtedly relate to. While it’s easy to complain about meetings, I also believe that bringing people together is critical for creativity and effectiveness in academia. Here are my five core meeting principles:
Lessons
Dear friends,
Happy new year! I am writing this post early, in preparation for a truly unplugged vacation. I recently facilitated a time-management session with a group of UCSF junior faculty in our K-scholars’ program, all junior faculty with career development awards. It won’t surprise you to learn that I asked everyone to log their time for a week and bring their time log with them to the session. Today I want to share some of the main lessons from that group session. They’re a self-selected group of talented and busy people. I hope that their reflections help you start the year with optimism and energy!
Too Many Balls in the Air?
Dear friends,
Hope these short winter days are finding you warm and cozy! This time of year can be overwhelming with a wave of family and social obligations in addition to work craziness. Do you experience the year-end game of Hot Potato in which everyone tries to clear their own plate by handing things to collaborators? I wish I could give you a clever hack to avoid that move! It gets me every year.
Fairest of Them All
It’s November- how are you?! I’m footsore from trudging all over the neighborhood and sluggish after the candy consumption! I had a number of work setbacks in October, as did some of my mentees. This is normal, especially if you are trying new things and stretching your capabilities. After spending some time consoling myself by (1) ignoring email in favor of reading novels, and (2) eating all the chocolate, I decided it was time to try a new tool for learning from unwanted results: self-reflection.