Written by Dr Lara Goscé

On 26–28 February 2024, the EMBO Laboratory Leadership Course for Group Leaders ran in London as part of the capacity-building efforts of Women in CMMID (WinC).

The three-day long course was delivered by Dr Samuel Krahl and Dr Céline Carret. It is a highly rated leadership course designed for mid-career to senior researchers who are running, or close to start running, their own research groups.

The course brought together academics from CMMID and other institutions from UK and around the world, and this cohort was comprised entirely of women working in infectious disease modelling. The course was designed to explore the participants’ own approach to leadership, to hear each other’s approaches, and to use this to refine how to lead and manage their own teams. The course was delivered in a workshop style where the trainers provided techniques and insights for promoting good communication and healthy resolution of conflict, tailored specifically to the research setting.

During the first day, participants focused on understanding what was their own definition of good leadership and their own role as group leaders. The second day focused on communication, how to give feedback and criticism, and how to motivate the team. On the final day participants reflected on the perspectives of the different groups in their working environment, how to manage conflict and handle delegation.

For WinC, the course provided an opportunity to gather and link women in infectious disease modelling at similar stages in our academic career and to share awareness of our potential as leaders. One key activity was the reflection on what values we wish to incorporate in our working environment that can ensure productivity and fulfilment. Introducing a small set of shared values can not only improve the efficiency of the team, but also nurture a positive environment and reduce conflicts.

Through the personality model Enneagram, the course invited everyone to also understand our own type of Emotional Intelligence and identify the ones of our colleagues. Our personality is strictly connected to how we perceive the world and our reactions, and understanding this provides important evidence on our natural strengths and weaknesses as leaders.

The EMBO Leadership Course provided an invaluable opportunity to share experiences and grow as research leaders, and the discussions and connections we created continue to this day.