#newPI: My favorite resources
Resources for building, managing, and leading a research lab
As part of this #newPI series, I’ve tried sharing my thoughts and particular resources related to individual topics. Here, I wanted to collate some of the resources I’ve found most helpful in building my lab. I thought a curated list might be particularly relevant to those entering winter break. I find breaks to be good times for stepping back and evaluating both myself and the state of the lab.
There are few books or resources specific to starting a new research lab. Below, I’ve laid out some of these resources. However, most of the resources I share come from other disciplines, with most coming from politics or business Some of my colleagues in the academy might pooh-pooh ideas from business with claims that a university is not a business. I’ll dive into that topic in another post. However, managing yourself and leading others is the same whether or not you are in business, government, or academia. The specific objectives and tools may vary, but humans still respond to incentives. People can love their workplace or hate their manager regardless of sector.
Therefore, I think #newPI lab leaders should expand the scope of their thinking. There are so many wonderful scholars and thought leaders who think about the same questions we face as new lab leaders. A lot of money is made and lost in business based on management. Thus, there has been enormous development of business programs and colleges to study the effectiveness of different management and leadership strategies. As a scientist, I read peer-reviewed literature or take workshops on the latest techniques that might be useful in my research. As an educator, I read literature on new teaching techniques and examine data from my classes. As a lab leader, why wouldn’t I look to the peer-reviewed literature or lessons from history? Why wouldn’t leadership lessons from Lincoln or MLK Jr. apply to my role?
I include links below for various books and tools that I have found valuable. There are no affiliate links below and none of the following sponsor me.
Managing Yourself
A key step to managing a lab is first managing oneself. As a lab leader, there is an order of magnitude jump in demands on your time in terms of the diversity of responsibilities. Thus, it is critical to modify and develop your work habits to maintain some sanity. More time may allow you to answer more emails. But better systems will allow you to answer fewer emails.
Books
All of Cal Newport’s work. I resonate with Cal Newport’s work strongly as he is also a faculty member. His field is computer science, but he writes for broader audiences. Here is a rough order of how I would read through his books.
So Good They Can’t Ignore You
Deep Work (perhaps the most important book to read)
A World Without Email
Slow Productivity
The work of Brené Brown. I think Dare to Lead is especially relevant for lab leaders.
The Professor is In. Book and blog with short articles on a variety of topics important for junior faculty.
The work of Paul Silva. He has several great books and articles, but How to Write a Lot is critical for any academic.
Look to history: I enjoy reading biographies of past influential leaders. From John F. Kennedy to Angela Merkel to Billie Jean King, there is a lot to gain from understanding how leaders developed themselves and how they faced tough circumstances. You yourself may never have to deal with a Cuban Missle Crisis, but it can sure feel like it when an experiment doesn’t go well or you have a conflict with a colleague.
Other resources
Waking Up is a guided meditation app I enjoy. The app was developed and is also narrated by a neuroscientist. We might go to the gym to stay in physical shape. Why wouldn’t we do the same for our minds? (30 days free here)
App blocking apps. There are various ones on the market, but I’ve always appreciated having an app-blocking app on my phone and computer. I use the apps to block distracting websites (and also email) when I want to get in a flow of work. I’ve found that only a few weeks of these apps can help me digitally detox.
Managing and Leading Others
There is a lot of literature on management and leadership. Some of this literature is in the form of peer-reviewed literature whereas other work comes from the experience of those in management or leadership positions and what can be gleaned from historical events and figures. I find a balance of both types of literature to be valuable.
First, I should note the difference between management and leadership. Being a manager does not imply leadership and leaders don’t have to manage people. The famous business leadership author, Peter Drucker noted “Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things”. Management is about being in a position of authority where you can tell people what to do. Management is important of course. However, leadership is about inspiring people so they know what to do without you even asking.
Books
Books specific to lab leaders
Famous biographies of leaders and managers from history. I’ve benefited the most from reading biographies of leaders from politics, business, and civil rights movements.
Peter Drucker was one of the original thinkers about modern leadership and management. His work, especially The Effective Executive, still holds many lessons for today’s leaders.
Podcasts
Harvard Business Review on Leadership (e.g., Their recent podcast “The Questions Leaders Need to Be Asking Themselves”) is relevant for leaders in any sector
Apps and Websites
The #newPI Slack group is essential for finding community with others facing similar challenges at other institutions. I’ve met so many wonderful colleagues through the network.
Project management software. If you work out of checklists and your email inbox, you probably need to revise your approach. There are many options out there (e.g., Trello, Monday) that all have similar features. What is key is to have your work all organized in a single spot.
Courses
You work at a university and you have colleagues that teach courses. Take advantage! If you know nothing about budgeting and, yet, need to deal with budgets, take an accounting course. If you know nothing about pedagogy, walk over to your education department. Colleges with programs in business or public policy likely have excellent courses for you to develop your leadership and management skills. I’ve benefitted enormously by taking a few graduate courses (e.g., Financial Management/Raising and Investing Money, Managing Operations, Marketing/Building Customer Value) offered by the business college at my university. As faculty, we raise money, market our work, and manage the operations of our lab. A business is no different.
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I’d love to hear from you on your favorite resources. What inspires you to be better in your role as a principal investigator? I’d love to dive into more literature and am happy to share them with others.