Operational Excellence for Tech Transfer Offices

Maintaining a continual focus on planning, prioritization, and execution of projects and tasks for your Technology Transfer Office is complex and requires effective integration of numerous interrelated operational processes to ensure that the allocation and engagement of your staff is optimized for your organization. In fact, as a leader and manager for your team, it is difficult to argue that this dimension is not your most critical responsibility. I offer the following leadership guidance to position your organization for consistent and optimal performance across your entire team.

1. Translate strategy into action plans. Leaders translate the vision, strategy, goals, and objectives into specific actions plans for each staff member to ensure the overall success of the organization.
2. Confront reality. Effective leaders are well grounded with a solid grasp of the real challenges and issues that your organization is facing and provide the requisite guidance to deal with adversity and opportunities directly while looking at each challenge and experience as a learning opportunity.
3. Set high expectations to fully leverage available resources throughout the organization. Leaders establish challenging, but realistic and attainable goals for each member within their organization that are synergistic with the overall goals and objectives of the enterprise.
4. Inspire the team to succeed. Leaders have an obligation and responsibility to motivate and inspire their subordinates to exceed the goals and expectations for their organization.
5. Delivering results with integrity. We have been continuously reminded during this past decade of the consequences that result from leaders who do not set an exemplary example of leading and delivering results with integrity. Leaders have an awesome responsibility to set and maintain an example in each and every action she or he takes.