“If we can play a small part in helping people be better leaders and managers, we not only get excellent research, but we get people treated excellently,” says Sam, who leads the training team at EMBO Solutions, a daughter non-profit company of EMBO focussed on leadership and communication training for scientists. Being a scientist is a great job he says, but there is also a lot of stress, pressure, and bad management, at detriment to the people doing the research. “I am driven by an awareness of how much people are suffering in the research community,” he says.
If we can play a small part in helping people be better leaders and managers, we not only get excellent research, but we get people treated excellently
Sam realised during his PhD and postdoctoral research that he wanted to have a helpful impact on individuals. When the offer came up to run the EMBO laboratory leadership course, he jumped at the opportunity. Although the role seemed out of his comfort zone, he felt it played to his strengths and interests – including psychology and amateur dramatics. He is thankful for the support and space EMBO gave him in the beginning to learn the content of the course but also get his head around the psychological and social science research behind the topic. “As a group leader you are asking bright, creative, thoughtful people to do risky things. You need a leadership approach that is collaborative and democratic. We offer tools to implement that style of leadership.” When he is teaching, much of the course time is taken up with talking through issues that the participants bring to the table. These exchanges are intellectually and emotionally stimulating says Sam, and very fulfilling.
The thing I appreciate about EMBO is that everyone really wants to help scientists
Currently the team is working on a long-term strategy for the training enabling participants to check back in and report some time after the course itself, as well as self-directed and blended methods of training delivered digitally. Sam hopes this will make the course accessible to a wider pool of participants.
“The thing I appreciate about EMBO is that everyone really wants to help scientists” concludes Sam. “We all love science, we all love scientists. Let’s see what we can do to help them save the world!”
