The Education-Career Development Session “Leader’s Digest: The Art of Scientific Leadership” was devoted to discussing the art of scientific leadership in different settings, including academia, government, and the private sector.
Leadership is essential to bring disparate team members together, provide hope, and inspire team members to attain tasks that seem out of reach. In most toxicology programs and work settings, actual instruction in leadership skills is informal. This SOT session was intended to take the mystery out of becoming an effective scientific leader.
Highlights of the session include:
- Aaron Bowman of Purdue University describing characteristics of an effective academic leader: be accessible, authentic, and objective, as well as appreciate and recognize contributions of team members.
- Leigh Ann Burns Naas, who has led many prestigious scientific societies such as SOT and the American College of Toxicology (ACT), describing leadership from her unique vantage point of being a cat whisperer, remarking that “leadership in scientific societies is like herding cats.” To her credit, her leadership skills at these organizations demonstrate that it is possible to motivate and align very different team members with great success.
Building on Dr. Burns Naas’s feline metaphor is a great quote by Alexander the Great, one of the world’s most effective military leaders. Eons ago, he said, “I am not afraid of an army of lions led by sheep; I am afraid of an army of sheep led by a lion.” This quote is a great reminder of the power of a single dynamic leader. SOT should be congratulated on focusing resources designed to develop future toxicology leaders who will lead the charge toward advancing the field of toxicology.
This blog reports on the Education-Career Development Session titled “Leader’s Digest: The Art of Scientific Leadership” that was held during the 2023 SOT Annual Meeting and ToxExpo. An on-demand recording of this session is available for meeting registrants on the SOT Online Planner and SOT Event App.
This blog was prepared by an SOT Reporter and represents the views of the author. SOT Reporters are SOT members who volunteer to write about sessions and events in which they participate during the SOT Annual Meeting and ToxExpo. SOT does not propose or endorse any position by posting this article. If you are interested in participating in the SOT Reporter program in the future, please email SOT Headquarters.
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