READ THIS ARTICLE ONLINE

Lab Management Fundamentals

Time-tested tips for stepping up your management game
Nov 05, 2017 Elizabeth Sandquist, PhD

Do you ever feel you were unprepared for a career as the head of a research lab?

You chose the research profession because you were fascinated with the world around
you and wanted to discover on a molecular level the ways in which life exists.
Additionally, you wanted the freedom to choose your own field of research and study
what interests you most.

You long to be at the heart of the lab—directing experiments, analyzing data, and writing
papers—but you find yourself caught up in other tasks—ordering reagents, attending yet
another meeting, doing anything but bench research.
TOP 10 LAB MANAGEMENT TIPS

• You can learn management skills.

• Have a five-year plan for your lab.
• Set clear standards and expectations.
• Optimize your management style for each lab member.
• Listen to your lab members.
• Walk around the lab daily.
• Learn when to say no.
• Be prepared when small amounts of free time
become available.
• Get to know the people at your institution
who can help you.
• Celebrate successes with your lab.

You have found that being the head of the lab is more than just making big discoveries; it
is about managing a small business. Lab management skills, while used every day by
scientists, are not directly taught to young scientists. Rather, they are learned
secondhand. While much can be learned from this follow-by-example approach, it has
its limits.

Lab management can and should be learned in a more directed manner.

“Laboratory managers are often promoted from the ranks of the technical staff,” says
Rodney Forsman, the past president of the Clinical Laboratory Management Association
and an assistant professor emeritus at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine in Rochester,
Minnesota. “If an individual has the capacity to learn the science of laboratory medicine,
they can learn the necessary management skills, given the desire and aptitude to do so.”

Management skills are important for science careers of all types. Whether you work at the
bench or away, the ability to organize your work and supervise those under you is critical.

Management can be divided into four main categories:

▸ Planning allows a lab manager to know where the lab is going.

 ▸ Organizing is also an important job for a lab manager, because he or she determines
who does which project and technique, manages the timelines and budgets for
multiple projects, and keeps current with research in the fields.
▸ Leading is extremely important for a lab manager, because it often sets the
environment and pace of the lab. Good leadership can inspire lab members toward
productivity and creativity and help members work together.
▸ Controlling a lab involves the evaluation of lab members’ and projects’ progress and
the ability to correct problems as they arise.

Planning: Considering the big picture

With all the responsibilities that lab management entails, it is easy to make sure the t’s
get crossed but lose sight of the bigger goal.

A common suggestion from the experts is to have a five-year strategy. In a study by

McKinsey & Company, all successful, thriving labs utilized three- to five-year plans.

While lab members need technical skills to complete individual experiments, it is the lab
manager’s job to ensure that all experiments are aimed toward a common goal. The
ability to see the bigger picture allows lab members to evaluate a project’s progress and
determine future projects. A five-year plan allows you to gauge the progress of your
research and keep it goal oriented.

Similarly, a mission statement can guide a lab and keep it on track. Reminding yourself
that your mission is, say, children’s health, helps you recognize what tasks will help you
fulfill your plans and be more productive. Write a mission statement that will help you
and your lab members remember, when things get tough, why you are in science and why
your project is important.

Related Article: The SMART Lab

Also, scientists love to ask questions, but sometimes that can lead researchers down
rabbit holes. A mission statement can guide you in experiment planning so that time is
not wasted pursuing trivial or tangential research.
Organizing: More than a clean desk
Organization takes a number of forms in lab management. Time, people, and your
physical lab space must be organized and orderly for research to run smoothly. There
never will be enough time in the day to complete all the tasks you hope to accomplish, so
it is important to know when to say no.

Lab meetings are a great way to help keep a group of people organized and focused on
their goals. Meetings with the whole group allow lab members to remain informed of
events within the lab. They also can be a good forum for brainstorming and
troubleshooting.

The McKinsey & Company study of successful labs also found that top labs have regular
lab meetings, both formal and informal. One-on-one meetings also are important for
both the lab members and the manager, so experiments and issues can be discussed in
greater detail.

However, lab meetings can become an inefficient use of time if they are not organized.
Having a meeting agenda can keep conversations on track and avoid the need for
multiple meetings about a single issue. Records of lab meetings also can be used to
measure research progress.

Leading by design
Many scientists and managers noted that not all successful leaders are the same. The first
step toward reaching your leadership potential is to recognize your leadership style.
There are multiple resources online that allow you to recognize and analyze the way you
lead. Then you can focus on the strengths and weaknesses of that leadership style and
work to improve it.

Additionally, you can compare the type of leader you actually are to the kind you would
like to be. “It is advantageous to identify a successful mentor who can not only be a
model for your behavior, but also a sounding board for issues you may not have dealt
with previously,” Forsman says. “The mentor should have experience beyond the
laboratory, especially in dealing with organizational protocol and key individuals outside
the laboratory.”

Jon Lorsch, formerly a professor of biophysics at the Johns Hopkins University School of
Medicine and now director of the National Institute of General Medical Sciences,
suggests that you optimize your management style for each lab member. “You cannot
motivate or help everyone in the same way,” he says. “For example, some people
respond well to a lot of attention. Other people like to have more time to think about data
or their next experiment. You need to be able to modulate your style to optimize it for
each person in your lab.”

Richard DeFrank, an associate professor of management at the University of Houston C.T.

Bauer College of Business, emphasizes the importance of lab members knowing you are
involved and available. One way to achieve this is to walk around. Every day, make an
effort to walk around the lab and visit with each lab member.

On a related note, many people emphasized that lab managers should walk the talk. In
other words, do what you say. This action builds trust and respect from colleagues and
fellow scientists. If you desire staff to be in the lab from 8 to 5, they are far more likely to
do so if you are there from 8 to 5.

Most of the experts emphasized the importance of listening. A good leader not only
directs lab members and tells them what to do, but he or she also listens to his or her
employees.

“Make sure you are not the person doing most of the talking at lab meetings,” Lorsch
says. “If you are, there is a problem.” Instead, he suggests that you empower senior
members of the staff to teach and mentor junior members.

Taking time to listen is also important because a lot can be gained from your lab
members. One way to do
this is to organize brainstorming sessions. “This gets creativity flowing, empowers
people to think about new research directions for themselves and the rest of the group,
and often generates good ideas,” Lorsch says. Not only does this make lab members feel
appreciated, but it also provides them with a learning experience. Most importantly, it
gives you a different perspective on your research than you would have if you worked in
isolation.
Lastly, know when to relax and have fun. Taking time to celebrate as a lab is great for
morale and can act as an incentive to reach lab goals. Science is full of disappointments,
and perseverance is essential for survival. Taking time to relax and enjoy your
accomplishments will give lab members and you the energy to continue. “Have a sense of
humor,” Lorsch says. “This is probably the most important advice I can give.”

Controlling: Making sure your employees succeed

Managing a lab means that there are times when things go wrong and you are expected to
fix it.

“Managers often lament that ‘all problems come in on two feet,’ which highlights the
importance of honing your people skills,” says Forsman.

One of the best ways to prevent issues with employees is to be clear about standards and
expectations from the start. Every lab member comes from a different background. Most
of the issues rise from a lack of communication about expectations. Without clear
expectations, you cannot expect lab members to do something just how you like it. It is
equally important for lab standards to be maintained, or they will not be followed.

DeFrank and Lorsch both suggest motivating lab members through rewards rather than
fear. “When people are doing well, make sure you tell them so,” Lorsch says. “When
things are going slowly, make sure you give encouragement along with advice.” People
are more likely to be productive and create high-quality work when they are happy and
working toward a goal rather than fearing punishment.

Lastly, try to give lab members a sense of control over their work. A sense of pride and
ownership can go a long way to motivate employees, while freeing you to spend time on
other issues.

The key to returning to the work you love, science, is to manage your lab well through
planning, organizing, leading, and controlling. It may take some work, but the payoff will
be rewarding to you and your lab members. Remember: if you can learn science, you can
learn lab management.

This article is reprinted with permission from ASBMB Today.

 https://www.labmanager.com
© 1986 – 2023 LAB MANAGER. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.