How does an institution like Berkeley Lab train its leaders? One initiative that is designed to do so is the Director’s Stewardship Summit, an intensive multi-day leadership & management program led by the Lab’s Learning and Culture Office. In January, 174 emerging and experienced managers and leaders from across the Lab participated in a hybrid, multipart program led by a cadre of facilitators, expert speakers, and alumni mentors, who engaged participants in individual and group work.
The workshop components themselves were virtual and synchronous as a live gathering, covering topics from the science of interpersonal dynamics to embedding IDEA in day-to-day work, to systems-thinking and decision-making under pressure. Each participant also identified and workshopped a team-based challenge that they are facing as a manager.
Participants were assigned to “home groups,” small groups of six to eight participants who are in similar points in their careers as managers but sit in different positions and divisions across the Lab. This small group experience allowed participants to check in, mentor one another, and share best practices. There were also several social & networking events throughout the program.
The three-day kickoff program is followed by 12 “management practicums” offered over the subsequent six months, culminating in a graduation in July.
“The Director’s Stewardship Summit is designed so that participants can learn how to maximize their impact as managers so that their direct reports and teams come to work feeling motivated, inspired, and deeply integrated into the broader Lab community,” said Aditi Chakravarty, the Lab’s Chief Culture Officer and leader of the Learning & Culture office. “It’s a significant investment that the Lab is making to expand leadership skills and capacity across the Lab.”
Participants, by and large, found the summit to be very valuable and even transformative. Kristen Granados, user program administrator at the Molecular Foundry and Summit participant, noted, “The Stewardship Summit significantly enhanced my leadership skills by providing me with invaluable tools and strategies, and helped me be a more confident and capable leader.”
Héctor García Martín, staff scientist in the Biosciences Area, highlighted the knowledge sharing that the Summit provided, “I learned that there is extensive knowledge on leadership and management that can be tapped easily. I don’t need to learn all these skills through trial and error.”
Kristen, who also goes by “KMc” (pronounced “K-Mac”), agreed, saying, “The summit gave me the opportunity to network with other leaders at the Lab, share experiences, and learn from their successes and challenges.”
Anna Spurlock, deputy department head in the Energy Technologies Area’s Sustainable Energy and Environmental Systems Department, noted that the Summit encouraged her to approach leadership in a different way.
“The summit provided some valuable tools for self-reflection and made me realize that being a better leader, in my case and context, meant letting go and trusting my team to rise to the challenge, rather than imposing more structure or closer monitoring,” she said. Anna shared a new favorite quote from General George Patton that she picked up at the summit, “Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity.”
“I learned that good leadership is much more about self-work, building resilience and compassion in yourself, and building the strength to trust others, than it is about ideal systems or management structures,” added Anna. “Lift people up, give them tools they need to grow as leaders themselves, and they will become pillars alongside you holding up the work and allowing it to reach higher heights.”
There were countless other takeaways from the Summit. One of these, Héctor said, was about working on global projects or projects with multicultural teams. “I learned that there are several studies on the topic of the importance of cultural differences when managing international groups.”
Kristen said that the Summit provided a good reminder about the importance of continuous learning and self-improvement. “Embracing opportunities to expand our knowledge, developing new skills, and refining our leadership abilities is essential for staying relevant and effective in today’s rapidly evolving work environment,” she said.
Applications for the 2025 Director’s Stewardship Summit will open in September 2024. Visit stewardshipsummit.lbl.gov for more information.
