How can you find good help? Sell yourself.

A talented postdoc should be able to add their own unique perspective to the research, and they should see their role as an opportunity to be creative and to add value. However, as we plow through CVs and resumes we find applicants who expect a course to be laid out, or a lab to be already established. That’s never the case with a start up. There are so many uncertainties and variables that can lead to failure or bankruptcy. Therefore, finding a postdoc who understands this and can navigate these obstacles is critical.

Easily distracted? Want to get more done? Develop Deep work habits.

Don’t like giving difficult feedback? Change your mindset.

Giving feedback doesn’t have to mean being aggressive with your lab members, nor does it mean you have to be overly friendly to them. It just means, helping your directs to reach their goal. Therefore, you have to change your mindset. There are three mindsets that tend to exacerbate the difficulty of giving feedback as a manger; Fights, Failures, & Focus.

Remember to always focus on the success of the science, and to let that focus manage your decisions. Remind yourself that the science is the main goal. It will help adjust your mindset about the importance of giving all types of feedback. Believe that it is for the betterment of the research vision.

How we negotiated from a $1m to a $3m start up award.

There’s many ways to negotiate that can be either adversarial or cooperative. However, within a community that has a natural shared value of new scientific discoveries, those conversations can be more enjoyable rather than dreadful.

Have you negotiated your start up award already? How did that conversation go? Share your story with the rest of us.Leave a comment below.