Leadership Development for Life Scientists

The mission statement of many colleges and universities contain the words “to train the leaders of tomorrow,” yet there are few to no opportunities to formally access leadership skills, consider the scholarship behind leadership models, or practice such skills before being assigned leadership responsibilities in the workplace after graduation. Graduate students, in particular, are usually well-prepared to conduct the science demanded of them, but are often unprepared to manage the human interactions associated with the job. Even graduate programs that contain the word “leadership” in the title often consist mostly of science-intensive courses. We have developed a leadership course for life scientists for the purpose of preparing graduate students for some of the leadership challenges they will encounter after graduation. The course has been taught for six years by a team representing a department chair and two specialists in university organizational development. It is held once a week in a three-hour block to facilitate graduate student schedules. Such a block of time allows one to present background and theory, engage in discussion, and practice a particular skill within one class period. The course begins with an assessment of what it means to be a leader. Assignments include an autobiography of one’s own leadership experiences and a biography of someone the student considers a leader. Students take several personality tests such as Myers–Briggs, StrengthFinders and Emotional Intelligence, use these to discover one’s own strengths and capabilities, and learn why others are different. Subsequent topics include gender and cultural issues related to leadership, team building, group dynamics, conflict resolution, and optimizing team performance. For the latter half of the semester, students work in small groups to present additional topics related to leadership such as strategic planning, ethics and leadership, building social networks, academic and business etiquette, motivation, shaping a culture, and others of their choice. Role playing is a critical element of the course, as well as small group exercises from which students learn various techniques and implications for their actions and decisions. The course attracts between 20 and 30 students from across the college, but more from those fields that involve a human element such as natural resources, food science, or horticulture. Students have found this course to be quite useful when learning is applied to their interactions with faculty, peers, students, and family.