Leading in Collaborations Program

Leading with Pride: Celebrating Diversity in Every Hue of Leadership!

Assess, practice & develop your leadership!

In the vast and intricate world of physics research, collaboration is the key to unlocking groundbreaking discoveries. But as collaborations grow in scale, so do the challenges of effective leadership. Nevertheless, we experience a lack of emphasis on leadership, communication, conflict management, and decision making, which are critical prerequisites for success. On the other hand, the current training practices primarily target leadership within the traditional power hierarchy. They fail to address the complexities of an international scientific collaboration with a limited power hierarchy structure and the needs of our junior collaborators who may be delegated significant responsibilities.

Program Overview

Resilient Leaders Elements (RLE) has designed a world-class leadership program that is uniquely tailored by its participants. Before embarking on the first workshop, each attendee will undergo a proven assessment. This initial session will center around the theme: "What does leadership entail in large international physics collaborations?" Drawing from the insights of the assessment, the collective discussion, and the lead facilitator's extensive experience and resources, the program will be finely calibrated to mold every participant into a resilient leader.

Resilient Leaders Elements

RLE's proven leadership programs have been successful in a variety of contexts as they support participants in building sustainable resilient leadership muscle. The core aspects focus on:

• 
  "What I do" - clarity of direction and resilient decision making. It is setting a context, knowing where you are, where you want to get to and focusing on results.

• "Who I am" - awareness and leadership presence. It is channelling your emotions, motivating yourself and others in a positive and purposeful way.

Lead Training Facilitator

A network of Resilient Leaders Consultants are individually selected based on their experience for each program. The lead training facilitator will be Chris Russell. He is a highly experienced Resilient Leaders Consultant who has worked with hundreds of researchers over the years.

About Chris

I take my experience as a researcher into Higher Education Institutions around the world, helping researchers from all fields improve their projects, foster their creativity, and make their research meaningful. I relish the innovation and leadership on offer in research, and seek to inspire those I work with to flourish as they shape the world, both inside and outside academia. I do this through the development and delivery of innovative training courses that are practical, purposeful and playful.

My training and development business is based in Exeter, in south west England. I specialise in leadership and helping people navigate the boundaries of multidisciplinary and cross-sector research. I am a former scientist whose research sat between physics and medicine using light to diagnose early stage cancer. I worked for a small charity and collaborated across various university departments and the NHS, before moving into training and development in 2007.

My current role has seen me working in Universities all across the UK and in 12 different countries globally. Still a scientist at heart I describe myself as a people-focussed physicist who loves analysis and building collaborative communities based on compassion, care and creativity.

More information

• RLE Consultants page
• LinkedIn

“Chris is an excellent choice; I can wholeheartedly recommend him. He used to collaborate with us, and every single session he delivered received fantastic feedback. He left an impression of a professional, focused, mindful, and creative leader, so you should be in good hands.

-- Kasia Bronk, UCL Academic Development Manager

Program Highlights

Tailored Program

The program is based on Resilient Leaders Development Programme (RLDP™) an innovative self and feedback assessment that will show you what’s going on for you right now.  The RLDP™ is a simple online, engaging interface with instantaneous results. It generates a tailored development plan that supports and challenges you to take responsibility for your development. The program concludes with a retrospection and measures of impact and development.

Buddy System Coaching 

Participation in this program is a two-fold journey: deriving value and contributing value. We believe that every participant not only stands to gain immensely from the training but also has unique insights and experiences to offer. This reciprocal exchange is fundamental to buddy system coaching, where participants pair up to enrich each other's learning journey.

Training Fellowships

The need for such a program is evident by many who have experienced a limited duration leadership role in a large international collaboration. This program is an attempt to implement a solution and build towards a sustainable implementation. To that end, we have put our money where our mouth is and will cover all the training costs for successful applicants. Attendees will have to cover travel costs for (a mandatory) two consecutive days in London.

In-person Workshops with Industry Engagement

Our initial two workshops will be held in the magnificent setting of UCL's Business Management School in Canary Wharf, located on level 50 of One Canada Square. The panoramic views from this venue will serve as a backdrop for Workshop 1 and 2 starting around noon on November 14th and ending by 13h on November 15th. For the evening of the 14th, Industry leaders that participate in our industry-driven PhD projects have been invited for an evening social hour to share their extensive leadership wisdom.

Virtual Workshops and Clinics

Embracing the convenience and inclusiveness of virtual engagements, Workshops 3 and 4 will be virtual. Two clinics or check-ins with the lead facilitator will also be scheduled before workshops 3 and 4 to aid in material exploration and discuss experiences aiding in growth. 

Who Should Attend?

• Physicists who are managers of managers. If your direct reports within the collaboration each lead a team, then you are the target for this program. For example:
  • coordinator who manages multiple group/activity conveners,
  • group/activity convener who manages multiple sub-group conveners,
  • sub-group convener who manages multiple team leaders,
  • anyone who can make a case for their attendance. We are willing to be convinced!
• We are looking for Individuals in these roles who want to:
  • learn about leadership from experienced, professional leadership trainers,
  • be empowered to lead a team without direct authority,
  • embed a practice of leadership development within the community,
  • create a culture of engaged people in leadership matters.
• Preference will be given to those who do not have many leadership training opportunities available to them (i.e. post-doctoral scholars, advanced fellows, etc.)
• UCL is steadfast in its commitment to fostering an environment where everyone can 'Think differently, do differently.' We champion equality, diversity, and inclusion ensuring that everyone feels valued and included. Through training like this, we aim to empower those often overshadowed communities to make a resounding impact in collaborations at the frontiers of science.

In-person attendance

While the trend has shifted towards virtual engagements, we firmly believe in the power of face-to-face interactions to forge genuine bonds and establish a shared practice. Therefore, attendance in person is mandatory for two consecutive days in London for the first two workshops. If travel costs pose a challenge, please reach out to us, and we'll explore how we can assist.

Financials

Interested members are invited to apply for a training fellowship which covers the training costs. For the successful applicants, the remaining costs are:

• Registration fee: £50.
• Travel to London.
• One night stay in central London with access to Canary Wharf.

Certificates of attendance will be issued for reimbursement claims. 

Timeline

Moving quickly

Thank you!

We would like to acknowledge support and thank:

• Professor Raman Prinja (UCL) for the financial support to create novel opportunities, 
• Colette Barrett (UCL) and Kasia Bronk-Zaborowska (UCL) for their kind guidance and support in developing this opportunity,
• Rachel McGill and Jeremey Mead (RLE) for extremely valuable discussions in defining the goals and deliverables of this program, 
• Elizabeth Eastwood-Barzdo (CERN) for her insightful feedback and encouragement.

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