How To Develop Leadership Skills For R&D Professionals

Research and development (R&D) has always been about untangling tricky problems and using technical know-how and analysis to drive innovation - but these days, that’s not quite enough. Today's R&D professional also needs to pack some effective leadership skills under his or her belt to get ahead. Research and development involves a unique blend of techpertise and creativity and professionals often operate in uncertain environments which demand innovation. As well as allowing peopleto communicate complex ideas to others, leadership skills build a bridge between smart decision making and efficient execution through collaboration, strategic thinking and emotional intelligence. In this article, we look at how to develop leadership skills for successful R&D professionals.

Develop Strong Communication Skills

It should go without saying (but hey, we’ll say it anyway) that communication is the heart and soul of development, no matter what industry you’re in. The ability to take a complicated concept and find a way to explain it to other people in an engaging and understandable way is the one skill that every successful leader needs.

Communication isn’t just about speaking, though - it’s also about listening.  You need an environment where feedback is not only encouraged but is heard and acted upon, and creating it is of paramount importance. As well as building trust and keeping all team members invested, feedback can be a great way of gaining new ideas and points of view.

Promoting Collaboration Between Teams

No R&D manager is an island - in fact, in most cases, it’s necessary to build a comprehensive network of skilled scientists, engineers, finance folk and creative types like marketers in order to get an idea off the ground. For this reason, the ability to facilitate proper collaboration - including trouble shooting and conflict resolution - is a skillset that every leader needs if they want to make sure that the project will succeed in an efficient and inclusive manner.

Encourage Innovation and Creativity

“Creativity” might not be the first word that springs to mind when you think about research and development.  But maybe it should be. Innovative thinking is the very lifeblood of R&D and is something that a strong manager should prioritize.  Of course, we’re not talking about turning your blueprints into works of art or getting poetic with your planning.  This is about encouraging teams to stop being afraid of experimenting. This is done by removing the word “failure” from the vocabulary and, instead, creating an opportunity for learning, not complaining, when something doesn’t go quite to plan.

Without creativity, a project - and a business - ends up simply treading water and so a great leader will encourage innovation and reward it with praise and incentives. By doing this, you’re inspiring and motivating your team to think outside the box which, in a great many cases, leads to some really great things.

Develop Emotional Intelligence

Don’t worry, we’re not going to suggest starting every meeting with a group hug (but hey, you can do that if it’s your thing). This is more about using awareness and empathy to take the emotional temperature of your team and then react accordingly. R&D is often a stressful place to be and employees who don’t feel supported are rarely performing at their best. As well as keeping an eye on how your staff are feeling, you need to do the same for yourself as your behaviour will always have a knock on effect on theirs.

Learn to Manage Uncertainty

At the top of this article, we mentioned that our intrepid manager often operates in an unpredictable environment and that outcomes are often a long time in coming. Because of this, they should be able to guide their teams through the unknown … and this starts with conducting a comprehensive risk assessment.

By predicting and analysing problems and challenges, you’re better equipped to deal with them, to think up solutions and to keep your team motivated when setbacks rear their ugly heads. This also allows you to bring critical thinking into play to help you make better (and faster) decisions and allocate resources more efficiently.

Build Strategic Thinking Skills

The effective R&D leader knows that his or her work is part of a bigger picture; in other words, everything they do needs to align with the business’s overall plan. Because of this, learning to think strategically is a vital part of the research and development toolbox.  This creates a multifaceted role that needs a pinch of innovation, a talent for prioritisation and an ability to use resources while limiting waste. Strategic thinking means looking beyond what’s happening right now and keeping your finger on the pulse of industry trends and market factors.  In this way, you’ll always be one step ahead. A good example of this kind of thinking would be Programs like Canada’s SRED (Scientific Research and Experimental Development) which makes great use of connecting research with business outcomes.

Encourage Continuous Learning

As we all know, today’s world moves at the speed of light, including technology, strategy and innovation and so learning is never a one time deal if you don’t want to get left behind. A great leader will always keep learning front and centre in everything they do - and this should be evolving and continuous. The R&D professional needs to make it his or her business to find out the team’s strengths and weaknesses and then to use mentorship, feedback, support and development opportunities to make sure that everyone is given their chance to shine.



As we’ve shown in this article, research and development leadership is not a sole endeavour - it’s about finding your place in the bigger picture and then guiding your team - and yourself - to use expertise and innovation to create new opportunities and more successful outcomes.

Balance Technical and Leadership Responsibilities

Quite often, a problem occurs when an R&D professional is promoted to a leadership position and finds it difficult to let go of their hands-on work. While it’s natural to feel this way, a good leader it does not make!

Every management or leadership role begins with delegation - without which, employees feel frustrated and the leader isn’t focusing on their own job. Having said that, a manager should retain a grip on developments within the industry and technology in order to maintain credibility - which means that this role is definitely a balancing act of technical and management objectives.

Conclusion

In order to advance from R&D follower to R&D leader, anyone needs skills that enable them to manage teams, stay organized and drive innovation. This means that although maintaining your technical know-how is of course necessary, so too is working on soft skills like emotional intelligence, communication and creative thinking. It may take a bit of perfecting but, once you get there, this combination of skills will help you to thrive within a dynamic environment and give you real potential for a great future.