At the end of a Challenge of Science Leadership Distance Learning training course in 2022, one of the participants said “I’ve realised that I can learn leadership”.
It was a surprise to them as it is to many scientists when we first meet them – many see leadership as a skill that some people are born with.
After 15 years of running science leadership courses, workshops and programmes, we have seen again and again that scientists can learn leadership skills and thrive in leadership roles.
We’ve also learned that any science leadership training needs to meet several conditions. It should:
“The CSL programme has been instrumental in enabling and empowering Cefas Scientists to navigate an increasingly challenging set of changes in their leadership focus and skills from being deep specialists to becoming rounded scientists, from analysing data to integrating the collective knowledge of diverse networks of teams, and from solving problems to defining which problems we, as a science community, should be tackling.
Responses to training feedback questionnaires indicate that, on an individual level, the CSL programme has been motivating scientists to further their leadership skills.
On an organisational level, it has allowed us to harness the wider leadership power of scientists, thereby adding value and diversity to our leadership group.”
Michaela Schratzberger, Science Director (Environment), Cefas
Find out about our Challenge for Science Leadership 3 Day Training Course
Sign up for our newsletter Leadership Thinking to receive free leadership and coaching tips, inspirations, and more.