THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR CELL BIOLOGY
CHAPTER 1 • THE HEAD GAME 9your inner voice that you are doing things for
the right reasons. Some examples of these are
included below.
Being a good citizen.While managing
time is a prime goal, good citizenship is
expected, too. Agreeing to laboratory, univer-
sity and public duties is an essential part of
the scientific and educational endeavor.
Science is largely self-motivated and self-
governed. We all need to take part, but you
don’t need to be a saint.
Responsibility. Faculty members, stu-
dents, post-docs, teachers, researchers, and
administrators have certain duties and
responsibilities to teach, serve on committees,
mentor and engage in public service. It is irre-
sponsible to shirk these responsibilities, or to
do such a bad job that you will not be asked
to do them in the future.Career Advancement.Visibility and recog-
nition of research activities and teaching are
essential to move ahead in a career as a scien-
tist. A career involves investment and sacri-
fice, such as agreeing to write review articles,
giving research seminars, attending meet-
ings, reviewing papers and grants, and get-
ting involved in the activities of your school
and professional societies. Be as selective as
possible to achieve the most from the most
efficient expenditure of time. Quality counts
more than quantity.
Interest. Define your specific interests
when setting priorities. If you are passionate
about encouraging girls to get interested in
science, mentoring graduate students, or
interacting with politicians, then say “Yes” toactivities that have these goals, even at the
expense of other requests.Why to Say “Yes”
Analyze why you say “Yes.” Do you agree
to do things for the wrong reasons? Here is a
small set of examples:
Flattery. Are you seduced into saying
“Yes,” because you are told that you are the
only one who would do a stellar job? Are you
flattered to be asked to give a lecture by a
caller who tells you how wonderful your last
article is, and how only you will make their
lecture series complete? Perhaps you are
approached by an old graduate school buddy
to review a grant, manuscript, or college pro-
gram because you have the unique and perfect
qualifications to do a good job. Accept the
compliment graciously, but do not agree to the
flatterer’s request as payment for the praise.
Recognition that is only of value as a com-
modity is not worth the paper it is written on.Criticism. This is just as effective as praise
for getting people to do things they do not
want to do. The hint that someone is not a
dedicated teacher or a sensitive mentor low-
ers self-esteem and coerces others into mak-
ing a commitment for fear of offending some-
one. Take time to evaluate your imperfec-
tions, the source of the criticism, and its intent
before agreeing to do something.
Desire for approval.Do you say “Yes” to
teaching an additional course during a semes-Science is largely self-motivated
and self-governed. We all need
to take part, but you don’t need
to be a saint.Are you flattered to be asked to
give a lecture by a caller who
tells you how wonderful your
last article is, and how only you
will make their lecture series
complete?