Preparing to launch a dual career search?

Check out:

"Navigating the Dual Career Process; What Couples Need to Know"

Time Management in the Academy

Time management - it's not just for graduate school, it's for your career too. Yet many people find that joining the Academy as a faculty member doesn't necessarily equate with managing time well. A quick refresher on time management is never a waste of time.

Writing:

Write daily. Mike Arnzen who periodically writes a forum on faculty time management has a great saying; "If you dive into water, you swim. Write daily and you will get things done".

Participate in a writing group or work with a career coach and ask for feedback on your progress not just your content. Have someone who helps hold you accountable.

Teaching:

Don't reinvent the wheel unless you have tenure and have absolutely unlimited free time to leave your mark on the curriculum development within your institution. Develop templates of your "master" syllabus and adjust accordingly each term. If you use any media such as CTools learn how to develop without specific due dates (except on the calendar function), save and copy for future courses.

Manage student requests in an honest and timely manner and in a way that serves you and them well. Consider a signature line or automated response that provides a realistic time frame for your response.

Service:

Understand the time involved before saying yes. How often will the committee/group meet? Is it always in person or can it involve conference calls/video streams? When is the workload the heaviest, and then consider how will this fit with your other roles and responsibilities.

Self Renewal:

Make time on a weekly basis for engaging wholeheartedly in something other than your research and writing.

Notice the small wins, the little gains you make along the way. Give yourself credit.

For additional time management strategies related specifically to writing join us for the Multitasking in the Academy; Managing stress and competing demands workshop on November 2nd, 2009.

Multitasking in the Academy; Managing Stress and Competing Demands

Mastering the "Softer Side" of Science

Success in a science post doc is about more than simply mastering lab techniques. It also depends on 'soft' skills such as keeping perspective on the big picture, subtly influencing others and time management strategies that can help you boost your productivity and communicate your science better.

First, you should protect yourself mentally from discouraging episodes and develop a 'frustration tolerance' for paper and grant rejections, criticism by well-meaning PI's and the tedium of data collection. Distraction helps build your tolerance. Try exercise, hobbies and getting out of the lab and cultivate an active social life.

Avoid perfectionism and manage your time strategically. Writer's block can be a major challenge: sitting in front of a blank screen, lacking the desire to start writing, again. This may be related to the perfectionist trap ("I do not write unless my text is perfect"), but it could also be the result of lacking a clear writing plan or of self-confidence. For help with developing and sticking to a writing plan contact Academy Coaching. We offer one on one in person coaching as well as an individualized online writing program to help you increase your productivity. Visit AcademyCoaching.com for more information.

Creating a Successful Post Doc Opportunity

"Only you can be in control of your career and nobody cares more than you about your future."
- Peter S. Fiske, Putting Your Degree to Work

According to the National Science Foundation (NSF) there were 45,000 post docs in the US in 2004, more than ever. The numbers are growing both in the Humanities as well as the sciences and the commitment can be enormous. Although some things have changed over time, such as the number of people pursuing post docs as well as the length of time spent in a postdoctoral research position, some changes lag far behind. According to Steven B. Sample, president of the University of Southern California and chair of the Association of American Universities (AAU) Committee on Postdoctoral Education "Postdoctoral education today is almost exactly where Ph.D. education was in the 1890s - very ad hoc." Given the increasingly competitive environment both in academia as well as industry, you can't afford to leave your post doc opportunities at the whim of the institution. You have to be proactive and strategic in finding and negotiating the best position for you.

To learn five simple steps for success in your post-doc career read blog.academycoaching.com

Coaching Employee Performance; What You Need to Know

Managing talent and keeping talent is a strategic issue, a competitive issue and quite frankly, a cost issue! Supervisors who want to successfully manage the talent on their teams need a set of skills for performance coaching. Listed below are areas that drive effective coaching and some key questions to use in starting the dialogue.

Listening for skills, interests and values. "Which projects throughout the last 3 months have most challenged you? Least challenged you? Which ones felt like a success, which ones didn't? Why"?

Be honest about strengths and development needs. "If there was an area you could develop further, what would it be"? Listen to see if this aligns with what you need it to be. If it dovetails with what is needed, great, if not honestly discuss the "gap" in perceptions between the two of you and see if you can reach a common ground.

For more tips and guidance on how to coach your employees successfully register for the upcoming workshop Coaching for Exceptional Performance