Overview: While I was part of a larger research group during graduate school, I did not mindfully consider how that group was structured to encourage communication, professional development, and research productivity. It seemed to me that everyone just thrived in that research group, and we never discussed a need for ‘pixie dust’ or new formats to the group structure, so I assumed that I could “run” a research group after earning my PhD that would be just as effective. I also assumed that my style could simply be a mirror of my advisor and that his style would work for me. Being a member of his group was a wonderful experience and so, I reasoned that if I donned his leadership style students in my research group would also have a wonderful experience. Neither of those assumptions turned out to be true. Thankfully, I had great students who rolled with it as I attempted to find my rhythm, structure and style. When it became evident that either I or my group members needed something different, I tried to find new operation methods and then ran a trial for at least one semester. I reached out to colleagues who graciously shared some of their best practices and by assembling these I have found my (current) structure. This post highlights some of the key suggestions that I incorporated along with suggestions from my colleagues John Ballato and Thompson Mefford.
