In research environments, where roles can be scarce and recognition is often hard-won, competition among colleagues is sensitive. When people from the same group go for the same position, it’s not just about qualifications. It’s about relationships, trust, and long-term dynamics.
This puts research leads in a delicate spot. You’re not the one making the final decision, but you are still part of the process in a very real way. Each person applying is looking to you, not for a verdict, but for support, guidance, and fairness.
That’s where the real work begins. Supporting everyone equally doesn’t mean treating them identically. It means offering each of them the same level of time, encouragement, and honesty. It means helping them sharpen their case, not deciding who has the strongest one.
The process can stir up feelings no one talks about. Ambition mixes with anxiety. Confidence can get mistaken for entitlement. Disappointment is often quiet, but it lingers. And the group doesn’t simply reset once the position is filled. Everyone stays, and how they feel about what happened stays too.
That’s why how someone loses an opportunity often matters more than who gets it. Winning feels personal. So does losing. And while the win might change one person’s path, how the loss is handled can shape the tone of the entire group. When people walk away feeling overlooked or sidelined, it’s not the position they resent. It’s the process. It’s how they were made to feel in the moment they needed support most.
No, you’re not choosing the person. But you are shaping the environment they compete in, and the one they return to afterward. That part of the job doesn’t show up on a committee list. But it’s what defines good leadership in the long run.
-- João
This puts research leads in a delicate spot. You’re not the one making the final decision, but you are still part of the process in a very real way. Each person applying is looking to you, not for a verdict, but for support, guidance, and fairness.
That’s where the real work begins. Supporting everyone equally doesn’t mean treating them identically. It means offering each of them the same level of time, encouragement, and honesty. It means helping them sharpen their case, not deciding who has the strongest one.
The process can stir up feelings no one talks about. Ambition mixes with anxiety. Confidence can get mistaken for entitlement. Disappointment is often quiet, but it lingers. And the group doesn’t simply reset once the position is filled. Everyone stays, and how they feel about what happened stays too.
That’s why how someone loses an opportunity often matters more than who gets it. Winning feels personal. So does losing. And while the win might change one person’s path, how the loss is handled can shape the tone of the entire group. When people walk away feeling overlooked or sidelined, it’s not the position they resent. It’s the process. It’s how they were made to feel in the moment they needed support most.
No, you’re not choosing the person. But you are shaping the environment they compete in, and the one they return to afterward. That part of the job doesn’t show up on a committee list. But it’s what defines good leadership in the long run.
-- João