r/labrats • u/Florida_Shine • 2d ago

New lab manager seeking any advice!

Hello!!

What is your best advice for a new lab manager? What are some mistakes you made and leaned from? Any advise for supervising technicians?

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u/dirty8man 1d ago

Before the wall of text, I’ll give a shameless plug for LabOps Unite. Join. It’s free. The community is amazing and will have most of the answers you need.

While being a lab manager is all about customer service, you can not be a passive lab manager. That room/floor/building is your baby and it’s your job to nurture and discipline as needed.

The best pieces of advice I give my junior ops staff are that they can not expect people to read between the lines. Always be direct. You also have to know that lab like the back of your hand. Have backup plans for your cold storage shitting the bed. Don’t be afraid to enforce boundaries, including “I’m sorry, I don’t have time for that.”

Become friends with other lab managers. Do not underestimate the importance of this network. When you’re realizing your 25ml seros are on backorder but you need some now, they’ll be the first to offer some if you ask. Want one plate to test something without buying a case? They’ve got your back.

But for people managing? It’s not rocket science. It’s empathy and treating them as you’d want to be treated without becoming a doormat. Learn how they want to grow and find ways to provide those opportunities. And always have your teams back. I jump on grenades for my crew and shield them from things to the best of my ability.

These are broad strokes, but I’m always happy to answer any questions if you need a brain to pick.

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u/Florida_Shine 1h ago

Thank you for your input! I'm looking into labops now.