Natalie Schock, PhD
leadership, operations & technical assistance
SOUND FAMILIAR?
1. You just got promoted to a leadership role on your R&D team because you're a talented researcher/engineer/analyst. But you lack experience in management--of projects or of humans--so you're struggling to communicate with your team. Employees are frustrated, and if turnover isn't bad yet, it's about to be.
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2. You run a program that is busy, well-liked, and disorganized. Procedures aren't standardized, and in many cases aren't even written down. Your operations manual is 10 years old and has been replaced with a hodgepodge of Word documents, saved emails, and texting. If you were to lose a lot of employees, your program couldn't run. You need to get organized.
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3. You just got a foundation grant. You're obligated to show evidence of effectiveness. But your staff is focused on service, not data. Your people need training and process design asap so you'll be able to prove you were worth the investment.
the solution
In the current funding and cultural climate, accountability is evermore important. Research and technical teams need to defend their cost, and they need to do more with less. Demands won't shrink, so capacity must grow.
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I help teams grow capacity, prove investment worthiness, and run more smoothly. To do so, ​I take a multipronged approach. Clients choose from services such as training design and guidance, leadership coaching, process design, and materials development (e.g., checklists). These services are especially valuable for grant-funded teams, whose institutions often provide abundant pre-award support, but nothing post-award.
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Teams who invest in communication, leadership, culture, and processes run more smoothly and are more sustainable. Vacancies fill, morale goes up, cohesion improves, and PIs and managers are freed up to focus on high-level matters.
my approach
I use an educator model of leadership that emphasizes creating a strong culture and sustainable procedures. The (unattainable) goal we work toward is a team that could flourish without you. As a leader, your ongoing obligation is to sweat the small details and create and maintain a positive culture so that your supervisees can focus on brilliant work. This model requires humility.
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Transparency is the foundation, the bricks, and the mortar of my approach. Transparency makes trust and trust makes teams. If your institution or function is political, transparency will require extra work. It will be worth it.
Let's see if we're a good fit.