Reflecting on what makes an academic career meaningful for you, and how this might have changed over the course of your career, can help you make more informed decisions about what next. This episode of the Changing Academic Life podcast includes a discussion with Prof. Lindsay Oades on academic wellbeing, connecting to strengths, meaning and purpose, and not taking the system too seriously. It takes a relatable and honest look at the realities of academic life, sharing practical insights from someone who has successfully navigated the promotion journey to Professor, drawing on tools and approaches from positive psychology, including strengths-reflection using the VIA survey, job crafting, annual development conversations and aligning your work with what energises you, instead of getting caught up in metrics and systems pressures. What will you take forward? One thing to consider: Which aspects of your work give you energy rather than drain it, and how present are they in how you currently spend your time?
Get to grips with promotions criteria, process and people
Many people have misconceptions about the criteria for promotion and how they are evaluated. To effectively assess yourself and plan your development, rely on accurate information and trusted advice, not on myths or assumptions. Download your institutional promotions guidance and talk it through with a mentor. You can find your institution’s guidance here: Work with your mentor to understand what is really being looked for under each criterion and where you might need to gain some greater experience. For example: At the same time, get to grips with the annual cycles and deadlines for the process and find out if there are people within the Department or Institution who you might draw upon for help. What will you take forward? What do you currently assume counts for progression, and how confident are you that this is based on evidence rather than myth?
Recognise how your role has evolved over time
The nature of contributions you make to projects and your department will evolve over time. However, it is rare that we stop to reflect on how we have developed, what we have learned from experiences and opportunities and how we have built on that learning. The European Competence Framework for researchers defines the skills and behaviours of effective researchers for today’s evolving research landscape. Use this to reflect on how the types of contributions you are making evolve as you progress through your career. For example, you might have moved from ensuring good ethical practices in your own work, to drawing up guidance for collaborations, then to delivering training or contributing to policy or decision making around ethics at Faculty or Institutional level. What will you take forward? How has the nature of your contribution shifted over the last few years? What does that suggest about what you should prioritise next (and therefore what to deprioritise)?
Map your contributions
It’s easy to dismiss or forget quite how much you have achieved and keep focusing on ‘what’s next’ or what’s missing. Remind yourself of the range of contributions that you have made to your department, wider research discipline and other communities who engage with or benefit from you and your research. Narrative CVs were introduced by funders to reflect that there is no one ‘correct’ career path for academics. Your own path may look very different to that of others and reflecting on what you have achieved can help you to tell your story in learning how to put that across in a way that reflects your individual strengths and values. Download the UKRI Résumé 4 Research and Innovation template below and start to populate each of the four themes with activities and roles from your experience. For each of these, ask yourself how you might clearly demonstrate the contribution you made and how this has influenced your discipline or Institution. For example, if you were part of a committee, what did you achieve in this role? People often find it easier to write these by brainstorming with colleagues, join a narrative CV workshop at your institution, or you can look at the University of Sheffield’s example CVs to see the sorts of contributions people talk …
Use mentoring and sponsorship
In their report ‘RAIL: A model for keeping the academic Mid-career on track’, Eastern Academic Research Consortium found that overwhelmingly learning from ‘lived experience’ was the most cited enabler for academic careers. Lived experience came in many forms but broadly was about having more senior people guide you through your career path. Mentoring and Sponsorship were highlighted as key enablers to mid-career success. To learn more about these, make use of the guidance offered by the White Rose University Consortium: If you want to approach a potential sponsor, then you may find the advice on identifying and approaching a sponsor from the FLF Development Network’s Influencing Toolkit helpful. What will you take forward? One thing to try: Identify one person you could approach and one small next step you will take.
Stand in the future and look back
When planning for the future, adopt the perspective of standing in the future and looking back, rather than remaining in the present and looking forward. This approach fosters a positive mindset, shifting from “How on earth do I get there?” to “I made this happen—how did I do it?”. As a reflective exercise, imagine visiting yourself two or three years from now. Spend five minutes free-writing a vivid description of this future version of yourself. Consider: For each key element of your vision, trace your path backwards in time. Identify the steps you took to reach that point and consider the milestones along the way. For further guidance, refer to the first section of the FLF Being strategic blog or watch the strategy videos linked to in ‘Strategic planning – envision and plan into the future.’ What will you take forward? Which part of your future self’s story feels most energising, and what is the first small practical step you can take now, to move in their direction?
Planning multiple activity/ year strands: use a Work Breakdown Structure approach
At an established career stage, work rarely comes in neat, single-track projects. Most established researchers are holding multiple strands at once: long-running research programmes, teaching and supervision, leadership or departmental roles, external commitments, and opportunities that arrive mid-cycle. These strands sit on different timescales, are owned by different people, and often come with expectations that are only partly explicit. Individually, each strand may feel manageable. Collectively, they can create a persistent sense of overload, uncertainty, or even stress and anxiety. One experienced academic described their solution simply: “Every year or so, I need to see everything in one place.” Their approach was deliberately practical. They started by mapping all current and anticipated tasks and activities on a single large whiteboard, often beginning with a loose mind map. The map would soon reveal themes or work strands. For each strand, they identified the person who ultimately defined success (not necessarily themselves!). This might be a programme director, head of department, collaborator, or mentor. Naming this authority helped replace assumptions that could lead to overwhelm with conversations. Each strand was then built out to include: They also added a final layer: purpose. Why does this matter? What does it contribute to career …
Acknowledge that it’s impossible to excel at everything simultaneously
Give yourself a break. Understand and plan for the fact that different elements of your career and personal life will progress at varying times and rates, and that’s perfectly fine. Many established researchers often feel demotivated, believing they’re not making significant progress across all areas—whether it’s research outputs, visibility and reputation, teaching programmes, research group development, or personal roles like being a parent, spouse, or carer. Instead of dwelling on what you haven’t achieved, focus on celebrating what you have accomplished. Adopt a positive psychology approach by intentionally dedicating periods of time to excel in one area. For example, decide, “This day/week/month/year, I’m focusing on advancing element X of my career and feeling good about this progress. I accept that elements Y and Z may slow down or pause, but next day/week/month/year, I’ll shift my focus to element Y, allowing X to take a back seat.” Each month, make an appointment with yourself to take a few minutes to reflect on and celebrate the progress you’ve made and the tasks you’ve completed, rather than focussing solely on what remains on your to-do list. Seeking inspiration? This blog from Tress Academic suggests five small wins to celebrate and serves as a …
Strategic planning – envision and plan into the future
This two-part video series from the Imperial Academic’s Success Guide, helps you to start developing a career strategy. It gives you prompts and ways of thinking to turn vague and aspirational ideas into something more actionable that you can share with others. You can use the prompts to envision your career strategy in general, or to apply to a specific research idea or funding proposal. It may also help you to put together a strategy to present to a probation review panel, a funder or your research group. Whilst it is focussed on research leadership strategy, you can easily apply the questions to other leadership roles in education, outreach, commercialisation, etc. Being Strategic part 1 In this video, you are prompted to explore the big picture and envision the future – this can help you to get the important ‘headlines’ in place. Being Strategic part 2 In this video for Part 2 you will look at practical ways to turn the big picture in to a plan with a coherent narrative. You can also download the horizon scanning questions and a PESTLE Analysis (doc) that is referred to in this video. What will you take forward? One thing to consider: What is …
Understand your group culture
As your responsibilities grow, it’s likely that you are spending less and less time ‘on the ground’ with your research group. A quick culture “temperature check” can help you to understand team dynamics, identify emerging issues, and ensure a positive, productive environment. Here are some quick ideas to help you get a sense of what the culture is like in your research group, lab or collaboration: What will you take forward? One thing to consider: If your team described the culture in one word today, would it match your intention, and what would you want to strengthen or shift?
Peer Discussion Guide: Putting your energy where it matters
This guide is designed for peer-facilitated discussion to help you get more from the established researcher resources. It curates a small selection of related resources and offers a light structure for reflection and conversation. They are not training sessions. They are structured opportunities to pause, think, and learn with others. There is no expert facilitator in the room. Everyone participates as an equal, taking shared responsibility for holding the structure, time, and quality of the conversation. Our Peer Discussion Guides Find out more about our Peer Discussion Guides and how you can use them to help you get more from our established researcher resources.
Finding and working with a mentor
Never is working with a good mentor more important than when you are an established researcher, jugging multiple demands and needing a trusted and knowledgeable sounding board. Don’t wait for an official mentoring scheme to find a mentor. Choosing, recruiting, and working with a mentor is a resource developed by Dr Kay Guccione. It explains how choosing and working with a mentor can give you structured time to think through your career, navigate your Institution, and make better‑informed decisions at any stage of your academic journey. It offers practical guidance on identifying the right mentor for you, setting expectations, and getting the most out of conversations so that they genuinely support your professional and career development. What will you take forward? One thing to try: What’s the one challenge where a mentor’s guidance would help you most right now? And who, someone you genuinely trust and find credible, will you reach out to for an informal discussion?
Quick overview of leadership and management advice and tools for research leaders
The range of leadership and management tools, models and advice that will help you navigate your role is overwhelming. Here’s a collection of basics from Imperial’s Academic’s Success Guide. Perhaps take a look at a different topic each month. What will you take forward? One thing to try: Choose just one area to strengthen in the next few months. Which would have the greatest positive impact on your research group, team or collaboration?
Plan an effective induction to the lab
This induction resource from eLife was developed specifically to support you with designing a programme for new members of staff, research students, or visitors to your lab, to help them get off to a better and more productive start. It includes: What will you take forward? One thing to consider: Are there unwritten rules in your lab that you assume people will pick up, and what would change if they were named explicitly?
Know the landscape: concordats, charters and commitments that support you as a research leader
As an established researcher, you are no longer just navigating your own career. You are shaping the environment for others. That can feel daunting, particularly when people ask about their development entitlements, research integrity requirements, support for technical staff etc. Much of this is covered by various codes of practice and concordats. Your role is not to memorise every policy or personally implement every commitment. You are responsible for: Key UK Charters and Concordats Below is a summary of the main frameworks you are likely to encounter. You do not need to know every detail, but you should be aware of their purpose and relevance to your leadership role. For a brief explanation of each of the following and a link to further information, see the FLF Development Network’s Research Landscape Toolkit. Career Development and Research Culture. These influence how researchers are developed, assessed and supported across career stages. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion These frameworks shape institutional commitments to equity, representation and inclusive culture. Integrity and Responsibility These define expectations around ethical practice, transparency and environmental responsibility. Technical and Professional Roles: This commitment recognises the vital role of technical colleagues in research and promotes visibility, career development and sustainability of …
Learn from research exemplars: lab management practices
This PLOS One publication shares core lab management practices used by PIs to promote rigorous research and ensure a positive and proactive attitude towards health and safety and other compliance expectations. It’s useful for research leaders and academic administrators aiming to improve the quality and integrity of scientific work and address challenges such as inconsistent data quality across projects or confusion over responsibilities for different lab members. (Go direct to table of exemplars here). What will you take forward? One thing to try: Which one practice from these exemplars will you adopt straight away to improve clarity or consistency in your own lab?
Create a group charter or lab book
A research group charter or team / lab manual helps set clear expectations, shared values, and standard practices so that your group can collaborate efficiently and avoid confusion. They can be a valuable resource for getting new recruits up to speed quickly, saving you time during induction. Some research leaders send the manual to prospective students or postdocs so that they can see what to expect from the team. There are many examples of these available for you to adapt to your own circumstances. However, one of the most important things is that these are living documents, and the team feel a sense of ownership over them. The conversations around what should go in them are as valuable as the documents themselves. The following resources help you think about how you might approach writing a manual, charter or handbook for your group. If one of the aims of your team charter is to ensure your team is inclusive, you may find these resources provide some helpful considerations: Finally, this handbook-type resource was created by the Turing Institute to reflect some of the collaborative and interdisciplinary challenges in data science, with practical tools and solutions to address these. It includes advice …
Toolkit for mentors: advancing your practice
This mentoring toolkit produced by the Future Leaders Fellows Development network supports new and experienced mentors to reflect on their mentoring skills and practice. It draws on insight from both mentors and mentees in academic mentoring programmes, covering topics such as setting clear expectations for the partnership, use coaching frameworks, asking better questions, and support mentees’ confidence and growth (including when challenged by the sorts of ‘imposter-type’ feelings that are common in academia). If you are completely new to mentoring, here are two resources that may also be of interest: What will your take forward? One thing to consider: How intentional are you about what you want your mentees to gain from working with you, and how clearly is that currently articulated?
Coaching skills for research leaders – develop a coaching approach
As you progress in your career you will be balancing research leadership and administration demands with often complex team dynamics, managing individuals at various career and contract stages. It’s impossible to be the expert in everything and you may find that trying to give advice simply isn’t working. A coaching approach can help you to support your team members to grow in confidence, step up to new challenges and responsibilities and take ownership of their own careers. This Imperial resource explains the value of a coaching approach, sharing practical tools such as powerful questioning and listening techniques which will help you build and apply these skills to improve both your leadership effectiveness and your team’s performance. What will you take forward? One thing to try: Where might asking better questions, rather than giving advice, change how you develop independence for someone in your team?
Effective induction practices – from the Academic’s Success Guide
Induction sets the tone for how people experience your research group. These resources offer a clear, structured way to support new staff and doctoral researchers at key transition points, helping them settle quickly, understand expectations, and access the right support without adding unnecessary burden to you as a PI. This short induction guide (scroll down to the Induction section) provides practical guidance for inducting new research staff and doctoral researchers, from pre-arrival through the first weeks and early expectation-setting. It helps established PIs support new starters to settle quickly, understand expectations, and access appropriate support from the outset. Some materials are adapted from Imperial College London and are included for their principles rather than as direct templates. Induction processes differ across institutions. Here are the relevant web pages for the White Rose universities: See also: The Induction guidelines provided as part of the Future Leaders Fellows resource on effective recruitment. What will you take forward? One thing to consider: What assumptions do you currently make about what new starters should already know, and which of these would benefit from being made explicit?
Review and enhance your recruitment practices
Your recruitment decisions have far-reaching and long-standing consequences for your career and impact – the right decisions can help you to delegate well, expand your research, and develop your ideas. The wrong ones can result in hours or days of performance management, stress, and anxiety for all parties involved. The Recruitment Toolkit created by the Future Leaders Fellows Development Network, is a practical, structured resource for research leaders who are recruiting for the first time or want to improve how they hire team members. This is especially helpful for those new to UK recruitment practices, or those wishing to avoid recruitment fails that they have experienced before. The toolkit: It guides you through every stage of academic/research hiring: The toolkit includes: What will you take forward? One thing to try: If you could apply just one piece of advice from the toolkit, which single aspect of your current recruitment practice would you enhance? A more robust person spec? Use of a different interview approach? An improvement to your induction practice?
Explore tailored research leadership resources
Established researchers express a wide range of leadership and management needs such as recruitment, performance conversations, delegation, effective meetings, coaching and mentoring skills etc. There is an overwhelming amount of advice out there: some relevant to established researchers, some less so. Rather than re-create it all here, we recommend and connect you directly to open access resources that are tailored to research and academic leaders: What will you take forward? One thing to consider: What is one leadership challenge you’re dealing with at the moment? Which single external resource could you engage with this week to move forward?