How did I get here?
I became a leader by accident. I discovered my purpose through failure. I now create change through intentionality.
When I decided to pursue a career in academic research, I thought I was signing up for a science job. What I didn’t realize is that I was actually getting a leadership job. Yes, I had to build and maintain a productive and well-funded research program. However, that was going to happen through my ability to recruit, empower, and inspire a group of research students and staff, and that required a set of leadership skills that I hadn’t learned yet.
Just as I was starting to thrive as a leader and my research group was hitting our stride, I had the worst day of my life. My tenure vote came along, and it didn’t go how I expected. I was devastated. But, thanks to the supportive people I was surrounded by, it became the most important day of my career. That failure gave life to my career goal of creating a healthier academic culture for future generations of researchers.
I’ve since come to appreciate that positive change typically doesn’t happen by accident. Rather, it is the result of a clear vision built on consistent values and animated into tangible actions. I still make mistakes in my leadership (and we can laugh together about those!) and I’m still figuring out what I want to be when I “grow up” but I’m committed to doing something each day to create a place where people are treated with dignity, kindness, and respect.