Managing Laboratory Growth: Mark W. Dewhirst, DVM, PhD Gustavo S. Montana Professor Duke University

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Managing Laboratory GrowthMark W. Dewhirst,
DVM, PhDGustavo S. Montana ProfessorDuke
University Medical Center
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Acknowledgments

• Kathy Barker
• Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press
• Farshid Guilak, PhD
• Duke University

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Acknowledgments
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What makes good lab?

• The science is solid
• The head of the lab is successful, or promises to
  be
• The people in the lab are happy and productive
• The lab has a recognizable personality and an
  identifiable culture

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The Laboratory Business

• Organizational success
• A high-quality or novel product
• Proper timing
• Adequate capital
• People resources
• Effective management

• Success in research
• Good science
• Political savvy
• Funding
• Smart and enthusiastic lab members
• A leader

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If you dont know where youre going, you wont
get there

• Mission statement
• Think 5 years ahead
• 5 year plan
• Career
• Projects and lab
• Other 5 year plans
• Personal goals

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Poor Laboratory Management
Laboratory Director
Technicians
Post Doctoral
Graduate Students
No decision made without your approval You
adjudicate all conflicts many do not require
this Time is taken with trivial details
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Method to manage a large lab
Laboratory Director
Laboratory Manager Centralized Technical Support
Group Leader
Group Leader
Group Leader
Students
Students
Students
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Time Management Matrix
II QUALITY AND LEADERSHIP Reading
journals Relationship building Lab
meetings Thinking and planning Recreation and
relaxation IV WASTE Trivia, busy work Some
mail Some phone calls Time wasters
I NECESSITY Crises, personal or
professional Pressing personnel or equipment
problems Deadline-driven projects III
DECEPTION Interruptions, some calls Email, some
reports Some meetings Many administrative tasks
Important
Get a good gatekeeper
Not Important
Urgent
Not Urgent
from Covey, S.R. 1989. The Seven Habits of
Highly Effective People.
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Tips for delegating

• Define the project
• Will delegate benefit from this? Define benefit.
• Select Delegate
• Evaluate training, supervisory skills
• Communicate why delegation is requested
• Set goals, time lines, expectations, rewards
• Make sure resources are adequate
• Communicate regularly
• Feedback on results

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Different Levels of Perfectionism

• The good
• Awareness
• Attention to detail
• Beautiful grants
• Meticulous papers
• Experiments that work

• The bad
• Nothing gets finished
• Expectations never met
• Friends and colleagues are not good enough

• The ugly
• Obsession
• Hypercritical
• Nothing (yours or others) is ever good enough

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Nurturing a Lab Culture You set the Tone

• Science first!
• Transparent communication and clear expectations
• Establish a work ethic
• Build trust with predictability
• Make ethics part of the package
• Make the lab a home away from home (because it is
  for many people)

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Organizing the Lab Physical Reflects the
Philosophical

• Lab layout/seating
• The lab manual/rules
• Supplies and ordering
• Lab notebooks
• Lab jobs
• Lab meetings
• Authorship
• Standards and expectations

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Money Management is Critical

• Suddenly you will be dealing with what seem to be
  enormous amounts of money
• Let research drive your funding- not the other
  way around
• Keep tabs on all spending! You are ultimately
  responsible for the budget
• No one should have free reign to spend without
  some oversight
• Teach fiscal awareness in the lab
• Dont be afraid to talk about money, costs,
  salaries (with discretion)

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Your Lab Manual

• Lab rules
• Attendance, vacation policies
• Information for newcomers
• Travel rules
• Contact information
• Lab protocols
• Purchasing rules
• Phone and computer rules
• Safety rules
• Authorship guidelines

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Documentation - the Laboratory Notebook

• Keeping an organized and clear lab notebook is
  not optional
• The notebook belongs to the lab and stays with
  the lab
• Ensure that notebooks are properly kept and stored

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Lab notebooks..

• Table of contents
• Staple attachments.
• Outline new experiments.
• Record lab meeting discussions.
• Provide detail.
• Track notebooks.
• Save completed notebooks.

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Be Clear about Authorship

• When does a paper get written? (What makes a good
  paper?)
• Who writes the paper?
• Who handles revisions, letters, resubmissions?
• How is authorship and order of authors decided?

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Research Lab Meetings

• Formal lab meetings
• Informal lab meetings
• Multi-lab or topic meetings
• Seminars and guests
• One-on on meetings
• Set up a system that works for the size and
  culture of your lab

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Make meetings effective!

• Be on time!
• Have an agenda - and stick to it
• Set a time limit - and stick to it
• Only invite relevant and necessary people
• Encourage participation
• Dont let conflict get out of hand

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Make Communication an Essential Part of the
Culture

• What to communicate Your vision, latest results,
  funding decisions, travel experiences, successes,
  failures
• How to communicate Conversation, emails,
  meetings
• When to communicate As often as possible
• What not to communicate Feelings and emotions
  about other lab members, salaries, private
  information

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Objectives of Group Meetings

• Journal Club
• Teach critical thinking
• Hypothesis testing
• Laboratory Meeting
• Communicate on general issues, policies
• Provide forum for member presentation
• Elevator Talks
• Teach students how to communicate quickly and
  effectively
• Working Group Meetings
• Problem solving, sharing resources

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Be careful with your Emotions with Lab Members

• You are the head of the lab - it is not an equal
  relationship
• Getting too personal
• Avoid passive-aggressive remarks, tantrums, mood
  swings, insults, off-color jokes

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What is your Mentoring Style?

• Everyone is different
• Mentoring the talented is easy
• Mentor each to his or her ability
• Advice for the non-research bound
• Help the unhappy out
• Encourage other mentors

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Recruit the right people Success depends more
on the people in your lab than anything else

• Know what you need - but be flexible
• Seek advice from people already in your lab
• Work with Human Resources
• Be prepared to act during the probation period

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Sometimes you get the Wrong Person

• Easing people out
• Staff realignment
• Downsizing
• Delayering
• Firing

• I wish Id done it sooner.

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Bad people are much worse than no people!!!
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Evaluating lab members performances towards goals

• Define goals
• Regular feedback
• Research seminars
• Formal evaluations
• Self-evaluations
• DOCUMENT
• BE CONSTRUCTIVE
• BE HONEST

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The Importance of Being Critical

• Never do this in public!!!!
• Its the best thing you can do, sometimes
• It is also one of the toughest - it can be
  extremely intimate.
• Follow through- dont dump and run. Be
  constructively critical.
• Follow up to determine outcome of intervention

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Small talk isnt so Small.

• It bridges the gap for those who want to
  communicate, but need a safe place to start
• It shows you are interested in that person, even
  if you wont be probing deeper.
• It gives you time to understand the other person.
• It allows time to relax before uncomfortable
  business.

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Summary Keys to success

• Consistency in expectations
• Communication
• Effective Time Management
• Fiscal Responsibility
• Create exciting atmosphere in which to work