How can I enable my employees to tackle a problem more autonomously and secure the outcome? How can I motivate staff to devote more time, attention and initiative to projects?

Providing professional advice and support to junior scientists is an important part of leadership in science and often involves a considerable investment of time. Research assistants who work in a proactive, results- and goal-oriented manner take the pressure off professors and supervisors.

Essential coaching techniques support the removal of hurdles and obstacles that stand in the way of the independent and goal-oriented solution finding of employees. At the same time, the potential of employees and doctoral candidates is promoted.

Disappointment, misunderstandings, conflicting roles… Even though the working relationship between supervisor and PhD candidate seems to be fairly straightforward, there can be pitfalls along the way. A supervisor must combine discussing issues on an expert level with the role of technical supervisor, which comes with different expectations and demands. This role is often hard to define, because it does not entail disciplinary responsibility. The workshop will show you how to avoid becoming caught between different roles and position yourself in the right way vis-à-vis all actors in your working environment. To this end, we will look at typical conflict scenarios and identify adequate communication strategies.

What changes are visible? This workshop dedicated to professors has been designed to help participants from the first workshop reflect upon the progress they have made and facilitates the transfer of lessons learned to their everyday life. Specific examples from the field can and will be analyzed to discuss both challenging and positive experiences. Peer advice will help you take a closer look at your own group of staff, the delegation process, potential motivation strategies and your own decision-making approach.

“How will I ever have enough time to return to my research activities…?” Holding a professorship means juggling many different tasks and roles. Management techniques and leadership tools will help you cope with the huge number of requirements you are facing. This workshop focuses on structuring your own area of leadership in an efficient and effective way. Based on specific, individual leadership situations it teaches methods that will help you structure your tasks and nurture a “climate of creativity and inspiration” that is results-driven. The objective is to enable participants to identify and free up time for research activities.