Janet Buckingham
The 2014 Presidential Initiative Workgroup on Developing Training in Statistical Leadership will offer the first course on improving leadership in the statistics profession August 2–3 during the Joint Statistical Meetings. The course, “Preparing Statisticians for Statistical Leadership: How to See the Big Picture and Have More Influence,” is limited to 30 participants who will work in groups on leadership-structured exercises. Reflection and class discussion will be used to gain leadership insights from speakers, fellow attendees, and facilitators.What is leadership? Much has been written and discussed within the statistics profession in the last few years on the topic and its importance in advancing our profession. Many statisticians have never considered their potential for leadership. Some see leadership as a role limited to the chosen few—department chairs, executives, and elected leaders of our associations. In reality, leadership is a vitally important ability that matters to all statisticians.
Robert N. Rodriguez, Senior Director, Statistical R&D, SAS Institute
Sally C. Morton, Chair, Department of Biostatistics, University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health
Lisa M. LaVange, Director, Office of Biostatistics, FDA Center for Drug Evaluation and Research Facilitators and Coordinator
Gary Sullivan, Senior Director, Global Statistical Sciences and Advanced Analytics, Eli Lilly
Bonnie LaFleur, Senior Manager, Biostatistics and Data Management, Ventana Medical Systems
Marilyn Seastrom, Chief Statistician, National Center for Education Statistics
Jim Hess, Retired Vice President of Operations Services, Leggett & Platt
Statistics is an interdisciplinary endeavor. Our success—as individuals and as a profession—depends on getting others to understand and act on our work. Statistical leaders are needed at all levels to help advance the goals of business, academic, government, and research organizations. To exert influence, statisticians need to have a good understanding of basic business principles driving the organizations and teams with which they work; they need to understand the “big picture.”
Leadership training is a lifelong journey of learning, rather than a one-time event. This course is the first of others the workgroup is planning and will give you an understanding of what—and how—you will need to learn along the way.
You also will gain an understanding of leadership and how statisticians can improve and demonstrate leadership to have a greater effect on their organizations. It will feature leaders from all sectors of statistics who will speak about their journeys and provide guidance on personal leadership development with a focus on the larger organizational/business view and influence. You will work with your colleagues to discuss and resolve leadership situations statisticians face.
Finally, you will come away with a plan for developing your own leadership and connect with a network of other statisticians who can help you move forward on your leadership journey.
This course includes participation from accomplished, experienced, and influential statisticians who will discuss how they developed their leadership skills, how to acquire greater knowledge in organizational/business acumen, how to acquire influence skills in your organization, and how to convincingly assert your ideas and effectively challenge the ideas of others.
The course is designed for the following:
- Statisticians who have a desire to take a significant step forward in their leadership development
- Statisticians with an open mind; an eagerness to learn and improve; and a willingness to share their thoughts, insights, and experiences with others
- Statisticians who have at least five years of work experience outside their academic training
For details, visit the JSM online program.
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