Author: Tasmin Head (Page 1 of 2)

By King’s Careers & Employability, Careers Consultants for Researchers Team

Leadership isn’t just for people with “manager” in their job title – it’s a vital capability for anyone who wants to make their ideas a reality. For researchers, leadership is about influence, direction, and the ability to bring people and projects together to achieve impact, whether this is in or beyond academia. It also clearly demonstrates the ability to take the initiative, be innovative, take responsibility and influence others. At the end of this article we have provided a few opportunities to build your leadership skills at King’s.

Why develop leadership skills?

Research increasingly depends on collaboration, whether in interdisciplinary projects, supervising students, coordinating with industry or policy partners and to secure research funding. Strong leadership helps you motivate others, make sound decisions, and communicate a clear vision – qualities that shape not only successful research teams but also resilient, innovative careers more broadly.

In many fellowship applications this is reflected in the narrative CV under the heading that is usually something like ‘Development of others and maintenance of effective working relationships’ where you can demonstrate your research leadership capability through leading a team, collaborators, partnerships and/or networks.

Leadership is one of the most frequently mentioned skills in UK job adverts and came under the broader cluster of ‘strategic management and governance’ as found by research led by Imperial that analysed over 65 million UK job adverts. The World Economic Forum lists leadership and social influence among the fastest-growing skills across all sectors which is no surprise when you consider that this is probably the most important skill for employees dealing with and supporting others with change. Whether you aim for a lectureship, a policy post, or an R&D role in industry, developing leadership skills makes you more adaptable and employable.

What’s the benefit?

Leadership skills translate directly into effectiveness at work: you’ll manage time and resources better, foster inclusive collaboration, and be able to guide teams through uncertainty – a daily reality in the current workplace. They also enhance your confidence in influencing upwards (for example, when negotiating project scope or impact) and sideways (when coordinating across disciplines or institutions).

Crucially, leadership development supports wellbeing. Knowing how to delegate, give feedback, and handle conflict has been linked to reducing burnout and creating healthier research and work cultures.

How can I develop leadership skills?

• Start small: Lead a project meeting, coordinate a reading group, or supervise an undergraduate project. Every opportunity to guide others builds experience.
• Seek feedback: Ask colleagues and supervisors for feedback on your communication and decision-making style.
• Learn formally: King’s offers short courses including research leadership and project management and you also have access to LinkedIn Learning
• Observe and reflect: Notice how effective leaders around you handle challenges and motivation.
• Look beyond academia: Volunteering, community projects, meaningful work experience opportunities and entrepreneurship all provide ways to practise leadership.

Leadership is often one of the skills that is most highly rated by academia and industry for your future roles yet it is seldom formally taught during a PhD. Our recent ‘Careers in your Ears’ podcast episode with Dr. Matthew Betts talks about exactly this and recommends being proactive and speaking to your supervisors or other academics about the kind of leadership skills that are required.

Acquiring leadership skills is something you can do to prepare for your next career stage and you may also discover new interests and connections along the way.

Leadership development opportunities at King’s include:

• King’s Careers & Employability’s Insights Programme: three week virtual consultancy project
• King’s Entrepreneurship Institute: training and development opportunities for doctoral researchers
• King’s Doctoral College: variety of training opportunities including “The Leading Researcher: What is your leadership style and how can you enhance your influence?” Friday 12 December, 09:30-12:45, online – Visit SkillsForge (PGR323) to find out more and to book your place.
• King’s Doctoral College Community Wellbeing Fund: bid for funding and lead your own project to build your doctoral community
• KDSA: There are a couple of roles remaining for doctoral representatives on the King’s Doctoral Student Association including: part-time PGRs, healthcare professionals, NMES faculty, KBS faculty, Guys campus, Francis Crick. Email kdsa@kclsu.org if interested.

Find out more about our careers support for researchers at King’s including our podcast Careers in Your Ears, one-to-one appointments, online resources and a variety of workshops and events.

Nigel Eady, Director of Research Talent.

Far and away the most important relationship during your PhD is with your primary supervisor.

Many successful academics were launched into their careers by a fantastic supervisor. However, it’s not a given that everything runs smoothly.

We know how important good supervision is and are part of a UK-wide project to develop the very best continuing professional development for research supervisors.

Having worked with numerous PhD students and supervisors in various guises since I finished my own PhD in 2003/4, here are my top 10 tips for getting the best from your supervisory relationship.

1. Discuss expectations and agree ways of working early on

It’s not a given that a student and supervisor’s expectations of how to work effectively together will match. You might be fortunate, but don’t make assumptions. Ideally in your first few supervisory meetings you should discuss how you’re going to work together and what you can expect of each other.

Your faculty should have a template document to guide you and your supervisor in this conversation. You can also download our template to get you started.  If you didn’t have that conversation at the start, don’t worry, have it now!

2. Review ways of working regularly

It’s also important to revisit the expectations conversation every now and then. As you progress in your PhD, your needs will change and the support your supervisor provides will likely change too. So revisit that conversation.

3. Remember your supervisor isn’t perfect!

It sounds obvious, but some students definitely have an unrealistic view of their supervisor. Remember they are human and likely have many other draws on their time, whether other students or other responsibilities, at work and at home. Be careful of slipping into bad habits – submitting work at the last minute and expecting a speedy response, for example.

4. Ask for help when you need it

Most PhD students are highly successful, hard-working people, used to getting top grades. Seriously! That’s you! As such, a PhD can be a challenge. You’re (suddenly) expected to be self-directed and you may come up against all sorts of issues. Your ideas are critiqued and pulled apart. Seemingly fruitful avenues of enquiry turn out to be dead ends. Experiments don’t work, archives don’t yield the information and insights you hoped for, fieldwork takes twice as long to plan as you’d imagined! Something happens in your personal life. You’ll need help. It’s normal.

5. If there are problems then raise them, don’t let them fester

Just ask for help sooner rather than later! There’s no shame in it. You’ll probably address the problems more quickly if you nip them in the bud. We’ve all been there, I can assure you.

There are lots of routes you can go depending on the issue:

• Is there a PGR officer in your dept? Someone in Professional Services who can help with practice things.
• Maybe you need to speak to your academic PGR Coordinator.
• There may be confidential advisors or personal tutors, depending on your faculty.
• There is also the Associate Dean for Doctoral Studies, your faculty PGR lead.
• And there is lots of support through Student Services – for mental health and wellbeing, counselling, money & housing advice and more
• Our PGR Wellbeing Hub has all the links and information com/pgrwh
  

6. Make use of your second supervisor

I hope you know who your second supervisor is! There’s no one shape for what a second supervisor can offer. Just make use of them. Have regular meetings even if they’re not that frequent. They might be a sounding board for new ideas. They might have a specific skill/interest/expertise that will enrich your research/thesis. They might be very experienced and therefore be a fount of knowledge or provide access to networks. Like I say, there’s no one type.

7. Manage upwards

If you’re not getting what you need from your supervisor then you may need to be more assertive. We can help you with that… book for our workshop

Getting the Best from your Supervisor (PGR324)

This course will help you to understand your supervisor’s perspective and expectations and will highlight areas for autonomy and supervision throughout a doctoral journey. Learn how to be assertive and persuasive in the way that you communicate with your supervisors to achieve mutually beneficial outcomes.

8. Celebrate your supervisor if they’re doing a good job!

A lot of supervisors put a lot of time and energy into supervision. If that’s your supervisor then I can assure you that a kind word of thanks goes a long way.

If your supervisor really is excellent then you might like to nominate them for one of our Supervisory Excellence Awards.

Supervisory Excellence Award Winners 2022/23

9. Remember it’s your PhD!

I’m probably speaking more to scientists and lab-based researchers here but fundamentally the PhD is yours! In some disciplines your supervisor may play a very close guiding role, especially the start, but don’t let that lull you into a false sense of dependence. You will have to defend your thesis in the final exam. So don’t be afraid to try things you think are important and to discuss options robustly with your supervisor(s). As you progress in your research you should be becoming an expert, so don’t give way to critique too quickly.

In other disciplines, you may be only too aware that it’s your PhD! So…

10. Draw on as many sources of wisdom and support as you can

It can be easy to get stuck in a rut. So don’t!

Seek out other sources of support, find a mentor or two. Attend seminars in other related departments. Approach other researchers and academics. Make the most of being at a comprehensive research-intensive institution. Time spent thinking about bigger issues, the broader research context is rarely wasted and may yield information, stimulate new ideas and help you move forward.

I wish you all the very best in your doctoral research.

Nigel Eady
Director of Research Talent

Nigel Eady, Director of Research Talent.

Who are the people who are helping you to be successful? Are you making the most of that support? Is there more support you could draw on?

I’ve been watching a lot of the Athletics recently. My father loved running and whilst he wasn’t ever close to being national standard, he had friends who were pretty close to it. When I was young, the TV would always be on if there was a big event happening, especially the Olympics or European Championships.

I think athletics is a pretty good analogy for the journey of the PhD.

We tend to think of athletics as an individual sport, but it struck me how many of the athletes talked about all the other people who had enabled them to be successful – family, friends, coaches, other current athletes, former athletes, the list went on.

When it comes down to it, like the athlete in the championship on the race track, there’s only one person who writes the thesis and goes through the oral exam.

Yet also like the athlete, to be really successful, you need a whole host of people supporting you and cheering you on.

Thirty or more years ago, a PhD was a solitary pursuit. You did everything on your own, with just the guidance of your solitary supervisor. However those days should be long gone. It’s well recognised that effective training of inexperienced researchers requires much more than one person! So who is on your team? Every athlete draws on a slightly different group of people, or perhaps draws on some people more than others.

Here is a Top 10 of people whom you might draw on. There’s no ‘one size fits all’. However, I’d dare to suggest if you’re not making use of most of these possible supporters, then you’re giving yourself an unnecessary handicap!

1. Supervisor

Certainly the most crucial person in your team. How well are you working together? When I’m discussing challenges with doctoral researchers, it’s often the case that there are mismatches in expectations between student and supervisor. Maybe you discussed expectations when you started your research degree but things change. If you’re in the final phases of the PhD and writing up, you’re likely entering new territory in your relationship. What can you expect from your supervisor then? What do you think you need? Have you had a proper conversation about writing the thesis or is it all based on assumption, what you’ve heard from others? Use your time effectively by having a clear discussion with your supervisor about what you think you need and what they can offer you. And this is true throughout the PhD.

2. Second supervisor

Hopefully you know who your second supervisor is! How often do you meet them? What do you discuss? Every second supervisor will be a bit different. Maybe yours brings a particular interest or skill to the table. Maybe their research interests are related but in a somewhat different area. What do you need from them? Maybe it’s just general discussions about how to tackle the PhD. Do you know their strengths? What can you learn from them? How can they add either to your research or your skills?

3. Other academic colleagues, researchers/staff at different levels

Sometimes you just need someone who gets the academic and research environment but isn’t connected to your project. Someone else in your department or even in another School or Faculty. Maybe you share an interest outside your research. Maybe you’ve had an interesting conversation in a dept seminar and they seemed like someone you’d get on with. It’s great to have a few people around you who understand your world and can offer advice, contacts or experience.

4. Mentors

Do you have a mentor? There are many ways to get a mentor – formal schemes and informal approaches. A mentor can be invaluable for navigating complex environments or for considering what next. Having run mentoring schemes in the past, I think you get the most value from a mentor when you, as a mentee, are in the driving seat, making sure the mentoring is providing what you need.

5. Peers

I hope you have a few people around you who know exactly what you’re going through now. You may be fortunate and have lab colleagues or peers in your dept who share an office with you. Downloading your woes to someone who understands can definitely be cathartic (as long as you promise to be that person for them when they need you!)

6. Staff who support doctoral students – academics and professional services

You should have a PGR Coordinator or equivalent in your department, whose role is to support and advise doctoral researchers. You may also have PS staff who support PhDs. They may be the people you ask very basic questions about the PhD and the process, they may be the ones who can guide you if problems arise, whether complex ones or very simple ones.

7. One-to-one expert support

Did you know you can meet one-to-one with a careers consultant to discuss any career related issue or question? You might have no idea what to do next or what you want to do? They’ll help you to start working that out. You might need advice on a job application or an interview. You can also meet one-to-one with a professional writer to help you with your writing. Maybe you’re struggling to get words on paper. Maybe you’ve got the words down but you’re struggling for clarity or to communicate your argument.

8. Support services

In a similar vein, there is lots of support at King’s – start with Student Services (housing, money and more), who will point you to the relevant team. Ask for help before it all gets too much.

9. Friends

Sometimes you just need someone to tell you to forget your research for a few hours or a weekend and do something completely different. As a friend of mine says, “Have breaks, make breakthroughs!”

10. Family

I know not everyone is close to their family, but if you are, they are clearly a great resource. Perhaps your family are far away? If so, why not plan ahead – put a home visit in the diary, something to look forward to.

Like I say, different people need different help at different times. Just don’t suffer in silence!

Nigel Eady
Director of Research Talent