Want to Switch from the Bench to the C-Suite?

Dear Valerie: I’m a cosmetic chemist who wants to eventually move into a lab leadership or R&D management role. What skills and experiences should I start developing now to make myself a strong candidate for leadership?

—FUTURE BOSS

Dear Future,

I remember when I was a young chemist and was approached by the CEO of my company about becoming the R&D director for our lab. I turned the offer down, stating I wanted to remain in the lab, working on the bench. It turns out I didn’t exactly have a choice in the matter. The promotion started immediately.

When I told the CEO I wasn’t ready, he simply said, “You’ll be ready.” He encouraged me to seek out executive leadership training, which turned out to be some of the best advice I ever received. 

I had to first learn to leave the bench behind. While I was initially promised that I could still work in the lab and do some projects, the reality was that they needed me to lead my department. Soon after I took over R&D, I also acquired quality, regulatory and packaging. As you can imagine, the amount of time I got to spend at the bench rapidly dwindled. That was difficult for me to accept.

So… One of the first questions I’d ask yourself is: Are you prepared to step away from the bench? Or are you someone who really needs to remain hands-on? When you move into leadership, it isn’t always possible to continue doing the technical work yourself. Your job becomes making sure other people have what they need to do their work successfully. You have to decide if you’re ready for that transition.

The second challenge was going from being someone’s coworker to being their boss. This was probably the biggest challenge for me. In some ways, it might have been easier if I’d become a leader in a completely different organization where I hadn’t previously been a peer.

It wasn’t necessarily difficult—from my perspective—to manage people who had once been my coworkers. I had tremendous support from many in my department, but not everyone is going to support the CEO’s decision to elevate you into a leadership role. Those once friendships can create tenuous circumstances and you have to be okay with managing people, setting expectations, redirecting performance, and having difficult conversations. That has probably remained one of the most challenging parts of leadership for me.

Another thing I’d recommend is observing the leaders around you. Pay attention to how they work and how their teams are structured. Do they lead by example? What strategies do they use to keep their teams engaged? How are they perceived by the people who work for them? Leaders don’t necessarily have to be liked by their team, but they have to be respected. If they’re respected, that’s usually a good indicator that people are willing to work for them, even if they don’t particularly like them.

Also think about leaders for whom you have worked in the past. What were their strengths in terms of leading the department? Where could they have improved?

If you can take a leadership course or participate in an executive leadership program, do it. Don’t assume that because someone has become a boss, they automatically know how to lead. While leadership can be inherent to some, many people never receive any formal leadership training at all. One of the first things I learned in executive leadership training was to ask myself what leadership training my boss had. It’s usually none!

The truth is that many people don’t invest much time in learning how to be a leader. Leadership isn’t just about being fun, motivating, or inspiring. It’s about moving a group of people in the same direction toward a unified outcome that supports the strategic vision of the company. And when you’re dealing with many different personalities, motivations, and working styles, that can be quite a challenge.

Another quality I think makes a great leader is being of service to others. A leader is only as strong as their team. I’ve always found that the most rewarding part of my job was showing up to work and figuring out what my team needed from me to be successful. Working outside of yourself shows people that you’re committed not just to your own success, but to theirs as well. That goes a long way.

One final quality I think is essential to a leader is accountability. Ultimately, your team is your responsibility. This is something I really took to heart from “Extreme Ownership” by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin. The basic philosophy is that leaders have to take ownership of what happens on their team. You don’t go to your boss and throw one of your employees under the bus because they didn’t do their job. At the end of the day, you’re responsible for that person, you’re responsible for the work, and you’re responsible for creating an environment where the team can succeed. 

So if you’re looking toward lab leadership or R&D management, start developing your technical expertise, certainly, but also start learning how to manage people, think strategically, delegate and take accountability. And most importantly, start thinking less about what you can accomplish and more about what you can help an entire team accomplish.

For more answers to your questions from Valerie George, click here.

Valerie George

[email protected]

Valerie George is a cosmetic chemist, science communicator, educator, leader, and avid proponent of transparency in the beauty industry. She works on the latest research in hair color and hair care at her company, Simply Formulas, and is the co-host of The Beauty Brains podcast. You can find her on Instagram at @cosmetic_chemist or showcasing her favorite ingredients to small brands and home formulators at simply-ingredients.com