Heading a laboratory means running a business as well as being a scientist, and such a position requires several skills.
Growing up as a manager is not easy, it is important to acquire knowledge other than a strictly scientific background, one of the best ways would be to find a mentor or someone you can trust to take this path.
Having a mentor definitely helps in accelerating the learning curve.
A fundamental quality to be a good manager is time management, the more successful you are, the more you find yourself facing new challenges and new tasks, evaluating new projects etc.
Having good time management is crucial, it is important to prioritize tasks and eliminate distractions.
Learning well to delegate certain tasks is another key to success, as much as a manager may be capable he cannot do everything, furthermore drastically reducing the time for oneself means being fatigued, sleepy, stressed, less lucid and with a greater risk of error.
Last but not least, a manager can often be out of the laboratory, there are various tools to use for meetings or other tasks.
The skills necessary in managing a laboratory can be learned, if the topic interests you we recommend that you read the article by Lab Manager
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