Be positive, very positive, in your feedback
Arguably, the best piece of advice I have ever received about team management is that for every piece of negative feedback, you should provide ten positive ones. This advice was a revelation to me, as it contrasted with my prior experience as a student and postdoc — a feeling I believe many early career scientists can relate to.
The reasoning is clear: effective leadership is rooted in positive working relationships. Consistent positive feedback ensures that when corrective feedback is necessary, it is received with attention rather than defensiveness. A constant stream of negativity only hinders problem-solving and behavioral adjustments. So keep in mind that you can never be too positive when interacting with your team.
Don’t be prickly, be receptive to feedback
Many people, especially leaders who may have an inflated view of their capabilities, often become defensive when receiving feedback. There’s a common misconception that leadership implies infallibility and that showing any weakness is a detriment. However, being open to feedback is crucial. The reason is straightforward: feedback is vital for personal progress and for teams to develop and grow. If you react defensively, it’s likely that people will hesitate to give you further feedback. You can see how things will go downhill from there.
In genetics, relaxed selection results in pseudogenization, where genes lose their function due to a lack of selective pressure to maintain them. Similarly, in the realm of personal and professional development, the absence of feedback can lead to a gradual deterioration of your key traits and skills. Just as genes require selective pressures to remain functional, your abilities and competencies need regular evaluation and constructive criticism to stay sharp and effective.
Promote vertical adult-to-adult interactions
During the course, we discussed the importance of cultivating adult-to-adult interactions, as opposed to parent-child dynamics. You’re likely already engaging in adult-adult interactions horizontally, with fellow leaders and peers. The challenge lies in fostering this type of interaction vertically across an organization — at all levels of the hierarchy. Successful organizations embrace such structures, empowering individuals at every level to participate in decision-making and to propose solutions to issues. As a leader you should promote this culture.
A practical example of this is to allocate a budget to your students and postdocs for inviting visitors, organizing workshops and social events, etc., and allow them to manage it themselves. This approach not only fosters responsibility but also boosts engagement and initiative.
Be honest and transparent
There’s that saying about treating people like adults. Consider this: adult-to-adult conversations are characterized by openness and transparency. In contrast, parent-child dynamics often involve subterfuge, withholding information, and even manipulation. Being an effective leader means treating your team as adults, which necessitates being honest and transparent when discussing problems. An effective leader also involve their team in the decision-making process or at least explains the process.
Leaders who treat team members as though they are “unable to handle the truth” will inevitably create distance within the team and cannot expect full engagement or optimal performance in addressing issues. Don’t be that leader.
Be specific when giving credit
Let’s face it: academia is filled with driven individuals competing to showcase their intelligence and creativity. This environment can make it challenging to give credit where it’s truly due. True, we often hear the obligatory mentions at seminars that a project was led by a talented student or postdoc. And while I’m sure many of you already make such acknowledgments, can you take it a step further? How about explicitly stating that the student conceived the idea for the experiment or advocated for a particular line of inquiry? Doing so not only boosts the student’s morale and sense of ownership but also signals that you are a fair leader who recognizes and rewards contributions accurately.
Don’t sweep issues under the rug
Don’t be the type of leader who simply wishes problems would magically disappear on their own. When faced with an issue, take immediate action. Too many leaders in academia fail to do this, allowing negative situations to worsen. By the time they finally address the issue, it has often escalated to the point of becoming painfully difficult to manage.
A common scenario I have repeatedly observed involves authorship disputes. It’s much easier to have a contentious conversation prior to submission than after the paper is published. So, don’t just sweep problems under the rug. That’s not leadership; that’s dodging your obligations.
Understand what motivates you
As a leader, it is critical to understand what motivates your team and use that knowledge to inspire them to deliver on the team’s goals. However, it’s equally important to know what motivates you. What became clear during the leadership course is that we all have different motivations. Let’s consider the metaphor of a tunnel. Some people are motivated by the adventure of entering a dark tunnel, perhaps confident that there is an exit on the other side. Others are ‘closers,’ motivated by seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, particularly as they near the completion of a project or paper. Finally, some are most motivated when they exit the tunnel into a bright sunny day, with many options ahead — a feeling one can get after securing major funding.
Knowing what drives and motivates you is crucial because your own positive energy can inspire your team, creating a positive feedback loop that enhances everyone’s performance. Don’t be the jaded or overly stressed leader who ends up passing negative vibes onto their team, ultimately demotivating them.
Ask for volunteers when delegating tasks
During the leadership course, the importance of effective delegation was emphasized, but we were also cautioned that delegation can sometimes be perceived as the leader simply dumping tasks onto their team. One effective technique to counteract this perception is to ask for volunteers rather than arbitrarily assigning tasks. Do this even when you have someone in mind. This is why.
First, when people volunteer, it often indicates a level of self-motivation, suggesting they will be more diligent in carrying out the task. Second, volunteering can reveal individuals who have expertise or interests that may not be widely known, allowing you to better understand and utilize the strengths of your team. Lastly, volunteering helps to justify why a particular person is best suited for a task, especially if they are not under your direct supervision.
For example, if you need someone to host a visitor specializing in wheat diseases, your email asking for volunteers could naturally draw in those who have a direct interest in that area. This not only ensures the right fit for the task but also enhances engagement by linking the task to their personal or professional interests. Thus, instead of feeling that the task is dumped onto them, volunteers will appreciate that this opportunity enhances their career prospects. It’s a win-win.
Implement postmortem discussions
Postmortem discussions are not a standard practice for many academic teams. When faced with setbacks — be it a failed line of experimentation, a rejected paper, or an unsuccessful grant application —the reaction is often to forget and move on. As the team leader, consider calling a meeting to conduct a postmortem discussion. What went wrong? What steps can be taken to mitigate the issue so it’s less likely to recur? The postmortem is crucial for fostering self-reflection, an essential component of performance improvement.
As a leader, you have the opportunity to transform failures into teaching moments and broaden the discussion beyond those immediately involved. For example, reflecting on a failed experiment can lead to better hypotheses or improved experimental designs. Discussing why a grant was rejected can refine future applications, sharpening the aims and aligning them more closely with funding priorities. Such reflections not only improve the specific project at hand but also enhance the future success of the entire team.
Beware of your biases
We were reminded in our training that the “brain is a lazy organ,” implying that we frequently rely on our subconscious mind for snap decisions. Unfortunately, these decisions are often influenced by our inherent biases. Understanding that these biases stem from our brain’s tendency to take shortcuts in processing information can help us recognize when we might be relying too much on generalizations or stereotypes.
How do we confront our biases? Becoming self-aware of our biases is the first step towards addressing them. In academic settings, we can implement specific strategies to mitigate these biases. This includes diversifying search committees to ensure a variety of perspectives in hiring, admissions and promotion decisions. Discussions and training sessions on unconscious bias for faculty and staff can also help bring these issues to the forefront of our decision-making processes.
One effective technique I advocate for addressing bias is the “Rooney Rule,” which requires that underrepresented candidates are included on the interview list for positions. This rule doesn’t compel the hiring of any specific candidate based on their minority status but ensures that diverse candidates are considered, which can broaden the awareness of talent available and challenge preconceived notions about capability. In practice, similar approaches have led to increased diversity in leadership roles, as seen in the NFL (American Football League) where the adoption of the Rooney Rule significantly increased the hiring of African American coaches.
The key is to ensure that we pause and reflect during any shortlisting process. By giving members of underrepresented groups the opportunity to interview or participate, we may be surprised by the breadth of talent, challenging our biases and leading to more inclusive and effective academic environments.
Be aware of the “stacked deck” feeling
One of the most impactful moments during the leadership course was hearing the emotional testimonials from female participants about the recurrent challenges they face in their academic careers. The profound frustration often arises from the sensation that the deck is stacked against them — that their odds of success are not equivalent to those of their male colleagues, and that they must outperform to achieve the same recognition and success. This can be deeply unsettling and demotivating.
As a member of an under-represented group, I resonate with some aspects of my female colleagues’ experiences, as I have previously written in “Stranger in a Strange Land: My Experience as an Immigrant Researcher.” How one responds to knowing that the bar is set higher because of their background — be it immigration status, gender, or other factors — varies widely. While for some, this may serve as a motivator to excel, it is not a sustainable or fair expectation for everyone.
What can you do as a leader? First, recognize that some team members may feel that the odds are stacked against them, not due to a lack of skills, talent, or effort, but because of their gender, ethnicity, or other immutable characteristics. Identify such team members and ensure they feel fully valued and supported. Be especially vigilant about situations where they might experience bias or discrimination. Make it clear that you are their trusted ally and that they can turn to you in times of need.
It is your responsibility to foster an environment where all team members believe they have equal opportunities to succeed. This involves actively working to dismantle any systemic barriers within your organization and advocating for policies that promote equity and inclusion. Ensuring every team member feels supported and valued is not just about fairness; it’s about unlocking the full potential of your diverse team to drive innovation and success.
Don’t be a passive bystander: do something
“Evil prevails when good people do nothing,” as the Anglo-Irish statesman and philosopher Edmund Burke famously said. As an academic leader, your responsibilities extend beyond conducting your research and managing your team. It is your duty to engage with broader issues within your institution and community. Don’t look the other way; don’t be a passive bystander. If you see something wrong, take action.
What can you do? Start by educating yourself and your team about the issues at hand. Organize or participate in workshops and training sessions on relevant topics such as equity, inclusion, and ethics. Speak up in meetings and forums where decisions are made, advocating for fairness and transparency. Support and mentor individuals who are impacted by these issues. Collaborate with other departments or institutions to broaden the impact of these actions. Remember, as a leader, your actions set a tone for others, making it crucial to lead by example in promoting a just and respectful academic environment.
Acknowledgements
I’m grateful to Sue Hewitt and Dana Galili of hfp consulting for leading the training course, Diane Saunders and Sam Lingwood for organizing the event and inviting me in the first place. I’m also grateful to the course participants, my team (past and present) and many colleagues for helping to sharpen my thoughts on these issues. This article was written with assistance from ChatGPT.
This article is available on a CC-BY license via Zenodo.
Cite as: Kamoun, S. (2025) 12 tips for effective leadership. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14793032
