How Positive Leadership Drives Success in the Lab
Tips to motivate lab staff and promote innovative thinking
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Leadership styles can significantly impact a laboratory’s ability to innovate. Positive leadership fosters a collaborative and innovative environment, while negative approaches can hinder progress and stifle creativity. Here, Anthony Cammarano, winner of Lab Manager’s 2024 Overall Lab Manager Excellence Award, and Tywauna Wilson, keynote speaker at the 2024 Leadership Summit, share their perspectives on how leadership can influence innovation.
Q: How would you describe your approach to leadership?
AC: I take a much more personal approach to leadership. In my time working at both large established organizations and companies starting from scratch, I have found people are much more receptive when you lead with a less formalized style. I have seen a lot of people try to lead using textbook styles and it almost never works out for them.
Working as a lab manager, you often find yourself in positions leading more than your small team. When helping a lab ops person, chemist, biologist, or even our security team you always need to lead by example. Don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty, help your staff unpack equipment, or count inventory if they are overwhelmed. I have found that this style of leadership works well to motivate everyone to work as a team.
TW: My approach to leadership is centered on empowering individuals by recognizing their unique strengths and fostering a sense of ownership and purpose. I want my leaders to know that I trust their decision-making, and when problems arise, I believe in their ability to make choices that are in the best interest of our patients, team members, and organizations. I inspire and motivate my team members by leading by example (leading with heart, compassion, empathy, and integrity), setting SMART goals, and providing continuous support and feedback. I also work to create a vision that is in alignment with both organizational goals while encouraging the growth and development of my team members. This approach not only builds trust, but also motivates team members to strive for excellence inside and outside the lab.
Q: How do you foster a culture of innovation and collaboration within the laboratory?
AC: I believe the best way to build innovation is to ask questions, make choices, and learn from your mistakes. If you or a team member is stuck with creative block or struggling to work, help them figure out what is wrong. As a lab manager with a heavy in-vivo background, I am no expert in chemistry. That doesn’t mean I can’t talk through a problem with one of my lab employees or offer any assistance I can. We are a team! Sometimes all it takes is someone talking out a problem for them to find a solution.
TW: To build a culture of innovation and collaboration, one must first build strong relationships within the lab team, where there is connection, open communication, and trust. Incorporate opportunities for interdisciplinary projects, brainstorming sessions, and group projects that allow for collaboration of diverse perspectives, experiences, and education. This will help the team to avoid group thinking and allow for more innovative ideas.
Q: What do you consider to be the key challenges or roadblocks of innovation in the lab?
AC: There are a lot of organizations out there that create their own roadblocks by trying to be too innovative and doing too much at once. The pattern that can happen when companies are too innovative is that every single new idea becomes their mission and leadership changes direction constantly, not allowing a natural flow. What you wind up with is an organization with a culture where people are not on the same page with the task at hand and there is no clear mission or purpose.
TW: Resistance to change, lack of understanding, and fear of the unknown, especially if the team has been used to doing their work in only one way for a long period of time. There could be hesitation to change practice because the outcomes may be unpredictable. Also, limited resources and funding can pose roadblocks, preventing labs from investing in new innovative technologies. Lastly, group think, especially when labs are siloed and work in isolation, can present a challenge to creative and innovative solutions.
Q: What can a lab manager do to help overcome these challenges?
AC: There is an old army sergeant of mine who used to say, “slow is smooth and smooth is fast.” Having the ability to focus on fewer projects at a time and allowing teams to work through some of the problems instead of always looking for a brand-new solution creates innovation. People are instead focusing on small innovations to problems instead of reinventing the wheel. Each one of these small innovations build on one another until boom you wind up with a creative new product while staying focused on the task at hand.
TW: Commit to continuous improvement, where the manager actively listens to the concerns of their team and acts on the ideas submitted. Managers should also provide transparent explanations of new initiatives and explain how they may affect their team's work. Also, allocate proper resources (financial and staffing) for projects and equipment to allow for innovation and development.
Q: What are the key factors or requirements for successful lab innovation?
AC: Positivity is always my number one requirement for successful lab innovation. There are times when it feels like things are working against you. Your data may not be as clear as you want it to be, your supplies may not show up when you need them to, or the equipment may fail on you, but having a negative mindset tends to stunt the mood of an organization. People that can clearly, calmly, and positively overcome issues are much more likely to succeed.
My second requirement for a high functioning organization is being organized across all teams. Standardize your nomenclature, be consistent about the way you save files, and choose an ELN that is user friendly. So many places have great data and employees and yet they fail due to a lack of organization. I believe that being positive and organized creates a solid foundation for labs. This foundation is the support system for successful innovation.
TW: Lab leaders need to create a safe space for growth and development, where failures are seen as learning opportunities. Subscribe to continuous learning to stay abreast of new and emerging technologies, trends, and best practices. Provide recognition and reward innovative ideas. Track the success and metrics of innovative implementations. If these strategies are implemented, they will drive innovation and collaboration, creating a successful laboratory.
Anthony Cammarano is the lab manager at a brand-new stealth mode biotech. He started his journey in life science at the University of Rhode Island, where he studied pre-veterinary medicine. While in school, Anthony joined the Army National Guard, where he served for six years. Post-college, he worked for Charles River Laboratories, working in GLP toxicology and later Pharmacokinetics.
Tywauna Wilson, MBA, MLS(ASCP)CM, is an accomplished laboratory leader, author, podcast host, and coach. With her expertise, she guides laboratory professionals on a journey of career advancement, teaching them how to enhance their leadership skills, expand their influence, and make a lasting impact. With nearly 20 years of diverse experience in the medical laboratory and progressive healthcare leadership, Ms. Wilson is committed to her mission of empowering and training one million leaders to lead with confidence and leave a legacy they can be proud of.