Scoring research bosses

So far, over my career of around 35 years, I’ve worked for various employers. They all had in common that they perform industrial research, which positions itself in between academic research and industrial development. During this time, I’ve had my fair share of managers, N+1s, N+2s, and so on, as several of my colleagues like to say. Personally, I prefer to call them “bosses.” This makes the hierarchical context clear to everyone (even though the Netherlands is far from hierarchical).

Based on many lunchtime conversations with colleagues in the company canteen, I’ve developed a theory, which I would like to share with you. It’s based on three distinct boss profiles, qualities one hopes to find in such a role. Maybe I should add as a disclaimer “in an industrial research environment,” as that’s all I know and where the theory has proven its value – even though I expect the validity to go well beyond this niche.

Boss type 1 is a visionary thought leader in the applicable research domain. He or she knows very well where we’re coming from and even better where we should be heading. In the applicable domain, this type of person is knowledgeable on many details but never loses the grand challenges out of sight.

The type-2 boss is a customer-oriented networker and an excellent salesperson; this can apply to either external and/or internal customers. Whatever the team produces, he/she’s proud of it and transfers it to potential customers.

Boss type 3 is a true people manager, who cares not only for the size and spirit of the entire team but also for the well-being of the individual team members. He/she has a seemingly unlimited budget for team drinks and off-site events and is the go-to person in case of personal hardship.

These are, in a nutshell, the descriptions of my three distinct boss types. You may recognize one or more of them. If your career is long enough, you may have encountered all of them.

Of course, the theory is oversimplified. You can score any boss on these profiles. Everyone likes to have a boss who does well across the board. Perhaps that’s a bit too much to ask for. Consider yourself lucky if your boss has high scores on two out of three profiles, especially if you’re strong in the remaining one. And even if your boss scores well on only one of the three profiles, count your blessings!