Report by Aiko Voigt (2018)

Leading a Young Investigator Research Group is a tremendous opportunity for young scientists, and ideally prepares them for future roles in academia or industry. At the same time, it is a step change in their career. It is often the first time that they are responsible for Master students, PhD students and Postdocs, and it comes with a series of new tasks and challenges for which there is typically no real training beforehand. The modular workshop “Leadership Excellence” fills this gap by providing training in established management tools on the one hand, and a platform for intensive exchange with peers and the discussion of their experiences on the other hand. The tools include guidelines for personnel development, change management, conflict resolution, providing feedback, and structuring a research group.

The workshop further allows the participants to critically reflect on their personality and how they are perceived by their group members. The hands-on design is paired with candid discussions among the peers and coaches and benefits greatly from the complementary experience levels of the participants. This makes the Leadership Excellence workshop a central component of the YIN professional development program. The three modules provide practical guidance for short-, mid-, and long-term measures to further develop and improve the organization and management of the group, so as to allow the group to do better science and to prepare the Young Investigator Group Leaders for the next steps in their career path. As a matter of fact, all participants found this workshop exceptionally helpful and frequently reported on the many changes and the resulting progress within their groups that were stimulated by the discussions and insights from the previous modules. On a personal note: I whole-heartedly recommend this workshop to every YIN member.