PI's: Your role as a leader
PI’s have a great responsibility not only at the workplace level but also in the human aspect, since they are the leaders of a group of people, and they are responsible for the wellbeing of their teams. Therefore, we leave here a couple of practical points that will help you interact with your team and learn how to communicate with them.
Talk to your colleagues and team, ask questions, and share. If you talk about it, it will be easier for others to open up.
Appreciate these interactions, value the effort they require
Allow sense of humor to be used in meetings and lectures
Speak clearly and openly but with emotional responsibility.
Don’t give advice you don’t know; learn to say “I don’t know about this subject”, “I can’t imagine what you are going through”.
If you do it, your team will feel more comfortable to do it as well.
If you have had a similar experience, offer that information but wait for the person to ask you how you handled it. Don’t impose your solutions on someone else, they may work for you but may not for others. Everyone deals with it differently.
Another important role as a leader is to know how to take care of yourself and not overextend yourself or fall short; if you as a leader are going through a period of work stress, turn to your team and the institution for support, and try to follow this same advice.
Again, reiterate the importance of reaching out to professionals to get the help you need.
Also, do not take the mental health of others as an absolute responsibility; try to help within your limits, and learn to be supportive while taking care of yourself.