Lurking in the GigerShadow
Thoughts in the ether before I drift away.
So, we're in the market for a Lab Director at work. Essentially our VP who hired me in and has run the lab since its inception can no longer wear the many hats he needs effectively, and while I'd call office morale high, we're all swamped with work. We really do need a hammer to come in and be available, be the buffer and keep shit prioritized, and I can tell you from my marginal management run so far, I don't envy the job.
This will be the first time I operate under a boss who doesn't have a pure science education. I doubt that will be a huge problem given the candidates we've seen, but it will definitely be a change. Frankly, I'm already into year two here, so change seems to follow me even if I stay put.
We're basically down to two candidates after a third practically laughed himself out of contention with several miscues (cited moral obligations, came off a bit erratic in anecdotes and, uh, had to leave the interview early)
Candidate A has the goods, a couple decades of lab direction experience and apparently did their homework on our company. Good rapport, kept up with questions and had good deflections. Stroked egos when appropriate, presented a complete package.
Candidate B also has the goods but pitched a more pro-business theme, truly flexing some impressive skills from a fresh MBA. Ambitious, probably has good killer instinct to get solutions effected. Confident almost to the point of arrogance, but a strong emphasis on communication and a grasp on influence assuages any fears of suffocation.
Of course, interviewing your own future boss is sorta perfunctory. I think the lab gets one collective vote and our current boss probably reserves the right to ignore it anyway, but clearing out three half days for interviews must be worth something in return, so I do take it seriously. If I had to bet, I'd say Candidate A gets it on being less threatening and demonstrating a nose for what the needs of the group are. Candidate B will easily get the offer on a second round, but probably intimidates both those above and below in what kind of power grab might ensue.
Fun stuff. All this MBA talk makes me feel like my Dad is overwhelming me with Six Sigma again, and not the chirpy Anime soldiers.
Oh yeah, I'm running a Half Marathon on Sunday for kicks. Bizarre that last year's Mount Olympus is this year's baseline gauge. I figure I hit a sub-2 and I'm on track for the full race in the Fall.
So, we're in the market for a Lab Director at work. Essentially our VP who hired me in and has run the lab since its inception can no longer wear the many hats he needs effectively, and while I'd call office morale high, we're all swamped with work. We really do need a hammer to come in and be available, be the buffer and keep shit prioritized, and I can tell you from my marginal management run so far, I don't envy the job.
This will be the first time I operate under a boss who doesn't have a pure science education. I doubt that will be a huge problem given the candidates we've seen, but it will definitely be a change. Frankly, I'm already into year two here, so change seems to follow me even if I stay put.
We're basically down to two candidates after a third practically laughed himself out of contention with several miscues (cited moral obligations, came off a bit erratic in anecdotes and, uh, had to leave the interview early)
Candidate A has the goods, a couple decades of lab direction experience and apparently did their homework on our company. Good rapport, kept up with questions and had good deflections. Stroked egos when appropriate, presented a complete package.
Candidate B also has the goods but pitched a more pro-business theme, truly flexing some impressive skills from a fresh MBA. Ambitious, probably has good killer instinct to get solutions effected. Confident almost to the point of arrogance, but a strong emphasis on communication and a grasp on influence assuages any fears of suffocation.
Of course, interviewing your own future boss is sorta perfunctory. I think the lab gets one collective vote and our current boss probably reserves the right to ignore it anyway, but clearing out three half days for interviews must be worth something in return, so I do take it seriously. If I had to bet, I'd say Candidate A gets it on being less threatening and demonstrating a nose for what the needs of the group are. Candidate B will easily get the offer on a second round, but probably intimidates both those above and below in what kind of power grab might ensue.
Fun stuff. All this MBA talk makes me feel like my Dad is overwhelming me with Six Sigma again, and not the chirpy Anime soldiers.
Oh yeah, I'm running a Half Marathon on Sunday for kicks. Bizarre that last year's Mount Olympus is this year's baseline gauge. I figure I hit a sub-2 and I'm on track for the full race in the Fall.