COURSE CONTENT
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8.S396 - Part I
- What it takes to succeed in academia; learn to use “academic success matrix” as a tool for self-evaluation wrt the often unspoken rules and expectations in the academic landscape; self-evaluation for “happiness level” at work and how to communicate with advisors/supervisors/peers
- Public speaking & communication; how to give not just good but great talks; scientific writing for different audiences; structuring papers, proposals, outreach/media articles
- How to write/format a CV, benefits of having an online presence/persona; proposal writing; includes how to apply for facility/resource time shares, postdoc jobs, etc.
- What it means to lead, how to be a good advisor; understanding group dynamics and how to fit in; navigating difficult situations at work; dealing with high-conflict people
- Networking and conferences; how to make the most of attending a conference; work-life balance; incl. time management, issue of combining career & family without going insane
- Developing outreach projects; includes how to maximize impact while minimizing one’s work load; other topics of interest to course participants
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8.S397 - Part II
- Gaining self - awareness with Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Test to understand your natural tendencies and how you appear to others – ask others about yourself using the Reflected Best-Self Exercise, practicing simple feedback analysis
- Awareness of others and communicating with different personality types – establishing a clear communication strategy, learning to listen not just to what is expressed in words, leadership styles for different situations, how to influence
- Team building practices – creating the team charter, assigning positions and responsibilities, using work plans, adjusting and monitoring the process, recognizing dysfunction, tips for early intervention
- Strategies for recognizing and resolving conflict, seeing conflict as an indicator for needed change and improvement, learning how to emotionally disengage, meditation training for difficult decisions, finding strength to do the “right” thing, bargaining and negotiation training
- Bias, diversity and inclusion – understanding bias as a necessary human survival tool for emergency situations that needs to be deconstructed to approach "objectivity" in our decisions and actions, bystander training for inappropriate and uncomfortable situations
- Supervision, training and delegating – adapting your leadership style to the situation and the team, managing your energy (time is finite), learning resilience, trusting others, being less controlling, developing and mentoring those around you
