Weekly Dwell #7

This week, rather than dwelling on a particular topic, I spent a lot of time dwelling on an issue I was having regarding people management, and specifically about how to navigate both managing down and also managing up. I am on a project currently where I have several research assistants I am working with to complete the many tasks at hand, while also being the only person between them and the PI for the project. In this case, the PI, myself, and the RAs are consistently in contact with each other, to a point where it becomes unclear where my authority starts and ends, as it appears they might bypass me and go straight to him instead. Relatedly, the PI was the one to bring on the RAs, without much of my consultation, thus further establishing the relationship between the RAs and the PIs, and somewhere between both I lie. Therefore, in order to establish myself as the head of the management of the project, I previously sent out a note outlining the different roles and responsibilities for each individual being brought onto the team, empowering them to take on the role as outlined with the request to include me in communications for transparency and tracking reasons. 

However, none of the RAs feels empowered to do what they've been outlined to do, for undisclosed reasons. So, instead of knowing what each RA should be driving action on and feeling confident they are doing so, I am assigning specific tasks with specific deadlines, and following up when deadlines are not fulfilled. Meanwhile, the PI continues to drive forward team discussions with only myself, rather than bringing in the designated RA for that group of tasks. Overall, the project is unstructured, but not for lack of trying. 

What I am learning from this experience is setting clear expectations alongside the PI and ensuring every RA signs off on what they are expected to do. Then, build in a regular cadence of check-ins to ensure they are tracking appropriately. This Just-In-Time reflection can be effective because I can make changes in real time. While it feels late to go through expectations at this stage, since the project is decently kicked off at this point, I can figure out the best cadence to ensure everyone is driving forward their sections of the project to stay on track and on time. 

Overall, people management is a difficult part of the work, and setting up expectations are critical for achieving success.