Leadership skills

Leadership skills include, but are not limited to, the ability to facilitate group discussions/conduct meeitings, manage conflict, motivate others to complete projects, mentor, and collaborate. Whether you hone these skills in an informal or formal position, doing so will benefit you no matter what career path you choose. You will likely be working on these skills for your entire career, but getting a head start on what it means to be a leader and practicing being a leader are important for your graduate school experience.

Off-campus resources:

• Leaders of Tomorow Summit
  • Check back for info on this event for 2016

Online resources:

• "Leadership Training for Early Career Researchers" by Julie Clayton, Science (2015)
• "Getting Involved: Tales from an Introverted Grad Student" by Kaitlin Gallagher, GradHacker (2012)
• "Leadership Tips for Women" by Elisabeth Pain, Science (2013)
• Information on Leadership Development Programs from Penn State Career Services
• "Do postdocs need leadership skills?" from Smart Science Career (2014)
• "The ABCs of Transitioning to Leadership" by David G. Jensen, Science (2008)
• "Enhance your Career with Leadership Skills" by Sharon Ann Holgate, Science (2012)
• "Learning from leadership's missing manual" TED talk by Fields Wicker-Miurin
• "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" by Stephen R. Covey (2004)
• "Leadership is Not a Skill" by Susan de la Vergne (2012)
• "Academic Leadership: Turning Visition into Reality" by Michael R. Moore and Michael A. Diamond, Ernst and Young (2000)
• "How to Be a Leader in Your Field: A Guide for Students in Professional Schools" by Philip E. Agre, UCLA (2005)
• Leadership Skills Resources from the University of Oregon Holden Leadership Center
• Leadership Skills: Become an Exceptional Leader from MindTools
• "Leadership Styles" from the Wall Street Journal

Activities:

• Take on a leadership role in a student organization at Penn State
  • Huck Graduate Student Advisory Committee
  • Huck program-specific graduate student association (MCIBS, Ecology, BG (Genomix))
  • Plant Biology speaker series
  • Graduate and Professional Student Association
  • Black Graduate Student Association (BGSA)
  • Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics Graduate Student Association
  • Graduate Women in Science (GWIS)
  • College of Agriculture Graduate Student Advisory Council
  • Eberly College of Science Graduate Student Association
  • Center for Molecular Immunology and Infectious Disease (CMIID) Graduate Student and Postdoc Group
  • Center for Science Advocacy
  • Strategy Club
• Take on a leadership role in one of your professional organizations
• TA for a class in your adviser's home department
• Plan an event (seminar, symposium, etc.) in your discpline
• Talk with your adviser about mentoring a high school or undergraduate student in your lab