Testimonials
“Our responsibility is what I call the stewardship of the Laboratory. That means taking care of the quality of the research in the Laboratory, but it’s also about taking care of our most important asset: the people who work here.”
-Director Mike Witherell
“I used to think difficult conversations should be avoided whenever possible. Now I think it’s a concrete opportunity to practice empathy and learn and grow myself and with others. ”
Early-Career Manager, Science (2021)
After having attended many professional development training sessions over the years, they have tended to be transitory and on the whole merely ‘in vogue’ at that moment. This experience that focuses on a cultural shift may bear fruit in ways I haven’t seen before so I’m leaving feeling re-invigorated.
Experienced Manager, Science (2022)
I used to think that more experienced professionals at the Lab were either intimidating or not interested in connecting with me, a relative newcomer, and now I think that there are many excellent colleagues at the Lab with whom I can intentionally build a supportive community.
Experienced Manager, Science (2022)
I used to think my leadership style was independent of my organization’s culture. Now I think they are entirely intertwined.
2021 Participant
I used to think supervision was about telling people what tasks they had. Now I think it’s about helping, guiding, and promoting a positive team atmosphere.
2021 Participant
I used to think that the prevailing Lab management style would never change, but now, after this experience, I think we can change the culture at the Lab.
Experienced Manager, Operations (2021)
“I used to think stewardship values are a set of principles to follow, which they are, but now I think they are also the core values which we should use to initiate continuous, open-ended conversations and discussions to transform our culture in a positive way built on these principles. This is just the beginning.”
Early-Career Manager, Operations (2021)
I also thought that I had different challenges as a manager but now I know that we all have similar challenges. I also think that our Lab is highly committed to the leaders of the future in a way that I haven’t quite seen before.
Senior Leader, Operations (2022)
I used to think stewardship values are a set of principles to follow, which they are, but now I think they are also the core values which we should use to initiate continuous, open-ended conversations and discussions to transform our culture in a positive way built on these principles. This is just the beginning.
2021 Participant
I used to focus most of my energies on challenges and roadblocks.
Now, I feel that I can focus more on opportunities to innovate and implement small experiments for change. I feel as if I have a set of tools around conflict management and effective relationship building to lean on.
2021 Participant