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Soft Skills

Like many fields, research administration requires proficiency in several "soft skills" — such as interpersonal communication and time management, as well as more specific skills, like the ability to navigate regulations that are often vague and at times inconsistent with one another.

Leadership

True leadership is exhibited in how we treat others, work collaboratively, support our institutional goals and grow as an individual. In this session, we discuss a number of key principles related to “open door” leadership, including: prioritization; personal transformation; personal discomfort; accountability; and team development.

This training describes the difference between a diminisher and multiplier to become a better leader and co-worker.

  • Audience: All
  • Delivery: Webinar

Managing Stress

Fear, anxiety and stress are realities for employees, particularly during pandemics. This NCURA webinar covers some areas that employers and employees should address in order to minimize the effects that fear, anxiety and stress can create. The presenters provide practical tools, strategies, and approaches to address and embrace fear, anxiety and stress.

Productivity

Do you ever find yourself extremely busy all the time, yet at the end of the day you feel that you have been completely unproductive? This session is for you. Being busy is frantic while being productive is focused. Being busy is fueled by perfectionism while being productive is fueled by purpose. Being busy is about being good at everything while being productive is about being great at a few important things.

This NCURA webinar addresses the history and theory of working smarter — using tools and processes available to anyone, at any level. You have the power to implement these types of changes, no matter where you fall in the chain of command.

 In 2011, Oklahoma Senator Tom Coburn’s report, “The National Science Foundation: Under the Microscope,” highlighted a study by marine biologist David Scholnick. Coburn accused Scholnick of spending $3 million in taxpayer money to build a treadmill for shrimp. Scholnick’s shrimp treadmill was featured on media outlets, but both the financial specifics of the funding and the scientific impact of his research were largely missing from the narrative. How did a study about the effect of changing ocean temperatures on marine organisms’ ability to fight infection become the center of the battle against wasteful government spending? What can your institution do if its research is presented negatively in the headlines?

Onboarding newly hired employees includes welcoming and successfully integrating them into your office. This webinar provides organizational socialization strategies and tips from three different perspectives to ensure new staff are set up for success and retention.

Publicizing Research

Research administrators spend a lot of time navigating the gray — interpreting vague regulations, accommodating non-standard situations and considering special requests for exceptions. This NCURA webinar discusses strategies for coping with the vagaries of the research administration profession.