Group leaders at the GMI have access to leadership training through the Vienna BioCenter Leadership Program. The program brings together research group leaders and team leaders in administration, facilities and infrastructure to help develop their leadership skills. GMI group leaders Liam Dolan and Arturo Marí-Ordóñez completed the initial program in 2023. They explore how their perspectives on leadership have evolved and the value of leadership training in improving science at the institute. 

Why are initiatives like the Vienna BioCenter Leadership Training Program important? 

Liam Dolan: Leadership is important at all levels of a research group and organization. For example, people have different roles in the lab. If each member of the lab is proactive and adopts the role of a leader, the lab works much more efficiently. Similarly, at an institutional level, if individuals adopt leadership roles the organization works more efficiently. To achieve this, it is important that people are empowered to adopt these roles. This can make their jobs more rewarding and enjoyable at the same time as benefiting the organization. 

Arturo Marí-Ordóñez: People who take the course learn that leaders aren’t born but can grow into this role. This course also broadens your awareness and definition of leadership. Personally, I learned that to lead people is to make sure they also succeed. Their success is my success. 

Which tools or techniques from the course have been the most useful in your day-to-day leadership responsibilities? 

Arturo Marí-Ordóñez: As Liam pointed out, empowering people is a focus of strong team leadership. It helps them to become more independent, but they also become more open about their needs: When mentoring, for example, I help my lab members come up with a solution instead of pushing them into my point of view. 

Liam Dolan: A real eye-opener for me was the demonstration that activity within a small group can have an effect outside the group, on the wider institution. Very often, important contributions to the running of an organization come through informal routes. This means that in efficiently-run organizations, informal inputs can have a dramatic, positive effect on operations. 

The course emphasized how important it is to have clear goals for meetings. Focused discussions, in turn, enable decisions to be made efficiently. We’re time-limited, so efficient meetings maximize the time you can spend on science – or whatever your major responsibility is. It’s a joke now at the Vienna BioCenter that most meetings start with somebody saying, “Okay, before we start, I would like to set the frame for today’s meeting.” It encourages everyone to align on the purpose of the discussion before diving into the agenda. 

How has the leadership training program helped you improve the quality of your scientific research? 

Arturo Marí-Ordóñez: I think research at the institute level will dramatically change if everyone goes through the leadership program. I discuss a lot more research with people who have taken the program because we know how to listen to each other, and we have the tools to help each other.  

Liam Dolan: I entirely agree. One of the real strengths of this course is that you have scientists and administrative staff in the same room. Both groups gain a mutual understanding of each other's challenges. This mutual appreciation eases operations of the institute and the Vienna BioCenter. 

Arturo Marí-Ordóñez: We are all here to pursue science collectively – as a group and as an institution. To achieve this, it is essential to shift from a mindset of competition for resources to one of collaboration. Operating in that mindset, listening to others' needs and enabling a supportive, cooperative atmosphere naturally leads to more thoughtful and effective decisions.