In the world of academic bios and grant applications, we’ve all written versions of a mission before — usually something ambitious, strategically vague, and polished enough to pass IRB review.
But this time, I’m asking you to write a different kind of mission. One that feels less like a press release and more like a compass. One that actually helps you make decisions when you’re overwhelmed. One that pulls you back when you’re drifting. One you write for you — not your department chair, not NIH, not your LinkedIn summary.
Because when you’re leading people, programs, or ideas in research, you need more than goals. You need direction.
Your Mission is Not Your Job Description
Let’s get one thing straight: your mission is not the same as your job title, your CV, or the set of responsibilities handed to you in year one and never updated again.
Your mission is the through-line. The steady signal beneath the noise. It captures what you’re really here to do — and why it matters. When you name it clearly, everything else starts to orient around it.
You stop spinning in circles and start moving with purpose.
You stop saying yes out of guilt and start saying yes out of alignment.
And even on the worst days — the days of reviewer #3, broken pipettes, and passive-aggressive email threads — you remember what you’re actually building.
Start Here: What Do You Build?
Forget the jargon. Forget what sounds impressive. Instead, ask:
- What am I really here to build?
- What breaks my heart when it’s missing from this work?
- What feels worth protecting, even when I’m exhausted?
These questions don’t just spark vision. They reveal values. And values are what your mission should protect.
Take a moment now — really — and answer one of those questions in your planner or notes app. Write badly. Ramble. Don’t overthink the syntax.
Just get the truth out first. We’ll pretty it up later.
When the Words Feel Right, You’ll Know
Eventually, you’ll find a phrase that just clicks. It won’t be perfect, but it will feel like something you want to return to again and again. Something that reflects the leader you already are — and the one you’re becoming.
In case it helps, here’s mine:
“To lead with strategy and innovation to build intentional systems that eliminate traditional boundaries in academic biomedical discovery and promote the joy of research.”
It’s long. It’s specific. And I don’t care that it wouldn’t fit on a tote bag.
Because it works. For me.
Now it’s your turn.
This Week’s Practice
Set a 10-minute timer. Draft a mission that makes you feel something. It doesn’t need to be clever. It needs to be clear.
Then post it somewhere private — inside your office cabinet door, your planner, the inside of your laptop sleeve — anywhere you’ll actually see it when you need it most.
Next week, we’ll talk values — the steady traits that fuel how you lead, even when things get chaotic. Because your mission tells you where you’re going. Your values remind you how to get there.
See you soon.
Article publié pour la première fois le 06/10/2025
