Science administration: knowing when to fold

Eventually there are battles you can’t win–in science administration as in life. Knowing when to fold your hand (in the poker sense of those words) helps minimize losses and at the same time preserves political capital for another day.

But it’s a fine line–because there are many important issues that are worth the fight and it’s often one’s apparent single-mindedness, stubborn refusal to give in that carries the day in the end.

So when to fold? I think the general answer to that is on two occaisions: first, you fold when your argument is clearly positioned by your opposition as counter to the best interests of the larger institution or company. Second you fold when continuing to push is overtly against the best interests of your direct report. In the former case, you fold because it’s good policy, in the latter because it’s good politics.

Jim