IVR Molecular Ophthalmology Laboratory Boss Expectations

In addition to the things that all members of the lab should do, the boss should:

• Have a set of goals and a plan for achieving those goals.


• Explain (sell) the plan to his co-workers with sufficient frequency and enthusiasm that all of his coworkers:
  1. can understand the importance of the goals in real, human terms;
  2. will know their role in the plan and feel that it is appropriate and important;
  3. will feel that the majority of the plan is exactly the right thing to be doing; and,
  4. can see tangible progress toward the goals.


• Work to obtain sufficient financial and political power to be able to:
  1. execute the plan;
  2. acknowledge and appreciate his coworkers for their excellent work;
  3. rotect his coworkers from unexpected adversity.


• Publish and present the group’s work in a timely fashion so that it can have the greatest possible impact on the scientific community


• Always display a positive attitude. He should be unfailingly optimistic that the group’s goals can and will be achieved


• Be a problem solver. He should establish a track record of behavior that inspires confidence that he can overcome virtually any obstacle that should present itself to one of his coworkers.


• Take criticism constructively, even when it is not given in a constructive way.


• Work at least as hard as anyone who works for him.


• Avoid being the bottleneck. When the boss becomes the limiting factor in any process, he should strive to delegate the limiting parts of the process to others. He should constantly share his management strategies and experience with his coworkers so that when he does delegate a task, the person to whom it is delegated will be able to successfully execute the task.


• Maintain one on one contact with as many of his coworkers as possible.


• Treat every one of his coworkers with the same respect and consideration that he expects from them.


• Never act in such a way that loyalty to himself would result in disloyalty to the group or the group’s goals.


• Accept all the responsibility for the mistakes and failures of the group, while sharing credit and recognition for success with its members.


• Remember that a little bit of criticism goes a long way.


• Require and maintain a sense of fairness in the workplace.


• Have high expectations for his coworkers. He should not allow anyone to work below their ability, nor should he knowingly place people in situations where they are likely to fail. He should never give unearned praise or undeserved criticism.