Running A Lab

I have been meditating recently on what it is like to run an academic lab on a daily basis. It is often like herding cats, running a small company and having interns all at the same time. The most unexpected thing about it is personnel issues. Graduate school and postdoctoral research teach you how to be a good researcher but fail to teach how to manage people. Finding a management style that works is tough and I often feel as if I am still finding mine. It evolves as well over time. When you first start out you are close in age and experience to your students and your relationships tend to be, for better or for worse, less formal than later relationships. It can be tough to find the line and be the boss. And often is.