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Set expectations

Team leads that struggle try to deliver on unrealistic expectations, but team leads that thrive set expectations and make sure they have the resources to deliver.

Expectations for bioinformatics teams are often higher than their capabilities, especially if the hiring manager has no bioinformatics experience. They will rely on you to set expectations and help with resource planning.

There are two common causes of unrealistic expectations:

  1. The bioinformatics team lead is overly optimistic
  2. A manager of the bioinformatics team lead is setting deadlines without consulting the bioinformatics team lead

If you find yourself in the second situation, it's your responsibility to push back on unrealistic expectations. If you see a path towards meeting those expectations with additional resources – like an additional hire, increased spend on computing, or cutting scope elsewhere – sharing that path helps recalibrate expectations.

caution

Asking for more hires is dangerous. As a new hire yourself, you probably aren't confident in how much an additional hire would accelerate a milestone. If you seem overconfident in knowing the effects of an additional hire, that can decrease trust.

Setting expectations helps build confidence. Every time promises are met due to realistic expectations, trust is built.