All too frequently, scientists act as if the sole purpose of their work is to conduct experiments and reflect upon the results. Unfortunately, if they ignore the many needs of the people who hire them, pay their salary, or fund their grants, they run the risk of shipwrecking their careers. The solution? They simply need to master a few lessons in politics, the art of relating to people to achieve your goals. I would like to offer some examples of classical political mistakes that I have observed among scientists, and suggest how they can be avoided.

(1) Burning bridges when you leave your postdoc or move to another position.

I have observed a number of postdocs who, buoyed by winning a research appointment at a major university, ignored the basic courtesies they owed to their mentors. Some exiting postdocs fail to inform other people in the lab about their unfinished experiments, the locations of materials they have been using, or the status of articles that they are writing up with colleagues. Others may be so reckless as to steal cultures or animals for their new labs - a mistake that can quickly cause them to be drummed out of their new jobs, and possibly sued or imprisoned.

In their zeal to move on, young scientists can forget that last impressions are crucial. As they progress in their career, former advisers and lab members will probably review their papers, answer questions from prospective employers, provide recommendations to tenure committees, and serve as reviewers for their grants. A poor last impression may haunt them 10 or more years after leaving the lab. A considerate departure will serve them well.

(2) Ignoring the importance of persuasion.

Scientists often feel that communicating their work is simply a matter of explaining what they did, as if they were speaking to colleagues in their subfield who could immediately recognize the significance of their work. However, in many situations, this approach isn't appropriate. Scientists should tailor their presentations to persuade the reader or listener that their work is important, by providing the briefest explanation necessary to be persuasive.

For example, in initial job interviews for industry, young scientists might be examined by lab directors who understand very little about the details of their research. The interviewer really needs to be impressed by the researcher's overall capacities and motivations to help the company. Similarly, when writing grants and journal articles, the author must persuade the editor or funding agency that her work will benefit their interests.

Thus, I counsel my clients to spend considerable amounts of time writing the titles and abstracts for their grants and articles, while anticipating the readers' needs. In effect, the title and abstract are informative advertisements that should capture the readers' attention and interest. Once published, a persuasive article title will help attract readers of the journal and future MEDLINE searchers for years to come.

(3) Assuming others value your work or care about scientific excellence as much as you do.

Whether in an academic department or in industry, your leaders have their own political and personal agendas. These agendas may not be related to your scientific work, or they may even be opposed to them, and they may have nothing to do with good science. If you enter a department where your chair's scientific theories conflict with your own, you may end up in a territorial dispute where you will lose. In a research corporation, your boss or his boss might not value your science because it conflicts with his interests in promoting his own pet projects.

(4) Failure to communicate regularly, both above and below your position.

You should also regularly share your own success with your superiors (without boasting). When taking on a new project, first communicate your confidence that you can do it. Next, report your progress regularly, without waiting for your supervisor to ask. Finally, at the end of the project, consider summarizing (in writing) the benchmarks that you and your team successfully passed. To paraphrase one successful supervisor, "I spend 80 percent of my time working intensively on my projects. I spend 10 percent of the rest of the time praising people for their successes, and 10 percent telling everyone about what I have accomplished."

(5) Losing your temper.

The best way to alienate fellow scientists and supervisors is to blow your top. I have personally observed how this has resulted in broken collaborations, long delays in writing papers, lasting resentments, and even dismissal. Just don't do it. Train yourself to excuse yourself from the meeting when you sense that you are ready to explode. A hastily called bathroom break is all you need to prevent a tantrum and recover your composure.

(6) Ignoring your personal appearance.

As a scientist, you probably don't need to "dress for success." On the other hand, I recently heard of a researcher who was denied tenure at a top university largely because his sloppy appearance and bad hygiene offended several people on the tenure committee. You may pay a dear price for enjoying an appearance that offends others. Paying attention to the basic standards in the department, at meetings, and at interviews is an easy way to show and gain respect with others.

(7) Back-stabbing, or criticizing others in their absence.

A professor recently advised (with irony) that to succeed in academia one should remember: "Stab 'em in the back! Stab 'em in the back!" A couple of months ago I read an article stating that he was leaving the university without any future plans.

Back-stabbing, however common, signals to the listener that he might be the next absent victim of this two-faced form of abuse. People who hear slander may go back to the victim and report it. In one case, a tenure committee received a letter in which a scientist made false allegations about a rival who was coming up for tenure. A member of the tenure committee quietly told the professor. Even if back-stabbers surround you, avoid the temptation to join in. It is far better to gain the trust and confidence of your colleagues. It's also the right thing to do.

P>Most of the above suggestions are based on sheer common sense, yet they often go unrecognized in the scientific culture. Good politics can also be good ethics and good management practice. By recognizing the needs and wants of your scientific community, you will have more power to conduct the research you enjoy.

Christopher G. Edwards is a Boston-based science management consultant, writer, and editor.

Andrzej Krauze is an illustrator, poster maker, cartoonist, and painter who illustrates regularly for HMS Beagle, The Guardian, The Sunday Telegraph, Bookseller, and New Statesman.

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Endlinks

Researchers Setting Up Labs Must Learn Skills on the Fly and Scientists Say There's No Easy Way to Handle Lab Conflicts - two articles from The Scientist that discuss the skills a scientist needs to run a lab.

Career Management - a series of articles providing advice on career-related topics including lab management skills and on how to manage your career in science. Written by David Jensen, an executive recruiter with Search Masters International.

Career Planning Center - a National Academy of Sciences site providing guidance and information for beginning scientists and engineers.

Science's Next Wave - career advice for the next generation of scientists. Maintained by the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

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• Lab Judo: Defending Against Hostile Colleagues - an Adapt of Die article outlining techniques to counter hostile behavior in the lab.
• Driven to Abstraction - a Press Box article offering one scientist's opinion about a major flaw in our ability to communicate research findings.

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