Make all tasks and achievements in- and outside academia visible in your CV. Show what you actually accomplish, besides research, teaching, administrative work, in public and social areas as well as in care work.

Great pressure weighs on everyone in the current academic system. The focus on quantifiable performance criteria, such as the number of publications and the sums gained in third-party funding, blank out a large part of the (often unpaid) work performed. This includes not only the scientific area (public lectures, interviews, political consulting, etc.) but also the care work (care and nursing work) and volunteer work. However, it is precisely the experience gained in non-university care work that is central to good team and care work at the university.

Recognize the diversity of academic excellence, because society also benefits from a changed understanding of academic excellence. To achieve sustainability and transformation, research should also be open to inter- and transdisciplinary approaches. However, these are often subordinated to traditional performance criteria. Engagement with and in society has advantages, also for scientists.

#equalopportunities #excellence #sustainability #transdisciplinarity #cv #recognition

Take time to think, to read, to write. Some time of leisure without performance of academic duties benefits your concentration and creativity. Such a retreat gives your work a boost!

Academic work requires creativity so that new ideas can be developed or new projects implemented. This requires space in which creativity can develop freely. Pressure to perform and the (subjectively perceived) expectation of constant availability often reduce this prerequisite for innovation in teaching and research.

With a complete absence from your work, you communicate that there is more to your life than work. Respect the fact that your colleagues do not write back outside of working hours: they make a conscious decision, and with a good reason.

The digital media keep us all on a short leash and tempt us to bridge short and long waiting times. Nevertheless, consciously take time to think, during which you do not take on other tasks or work off old to-dos. These time-outs and breaks stimulate your creativity. The best ideas come when we do not force them.

#leisuretime #commitments #creativity #freedoms #precarization

In research as well as teaching, always choose quality over quantity. Expect everyone, including yourself, to do his or her best, but do not expect perfection. This is excellence.

Think about it: What is quality? What do you expect from your own performance and that of others? Ask yourself where your work must be excellent and where "good" is good enough. Good and sustainable teaching takes time: Quality is not measured by quantity but by content.

Give preference to quality over quantity when assessing research proposals and applications. Contribute to improving conditions by questioning, for example, the lack of meaningfulness of quantitative output measurements.

Create quality in teaching: Be attentive, take your time and devote yourself to the topic and your students. Be present, listen, work in a reflective manner.

When you are satisfied with your own performance, you have a positive effect on your working environment. Rather than getting lost in the evaluation of the number of peer-reviewed papers or successful third-party funding applications, strive to meet the requirements for important career steps (such as tenure & promotion). This allows you to focus on quality and recognize the need for balance.

#impactfactors #quality #performance #expectations

Know your resources and priorities: Think about the tasks for which you can and want to take responsibility and strive for an optimal distribution of your work between research, teaching, and administration.

Good work and reliability are also characterized by deciding where "good" work is enough and where perfection is important. Think about it: To whom or what do you say yes? Can this promise be fulfilled within the scope of your possibilities? Taking on a task for which you have no time or resources will bring neither you nor your team any added value.

What is more, some tasks should be left alone instead of trying to perform them more efficiently. For example, by clearly limiting the performance requirements of courses, you can create capacities for other activities.

Wherever possible, create space to set your own priorities and take responsibility for tasks that are really important to you.

#term of excellence #distribution of work #decisionmaking #setting limits #non-essential work

Communicate carefully. Write thoughtful emails and influence the culture of communication positively. Show that there is more to life than work. Allow yourself and others to not answer emails in the evening and on weekends.

Excellence means that you take the time to communicate with others. Whether in conversation or in writing, pay attention to your tone and avoid misunderstandings.

Do not draw conclusions about quality based on names, affiliations or language. Choose an appreciative tone, especially when offering criticism, such as in a peer review.

Often our inbox is so full that we don't have time to answer all emails. Writing fewer and more careful emails can help giving you more time to think, to read, and to write.

By allowing yourself to be unavailable in the evening and at weekends, and not expecting others to be available, you are acknowledging the fact that there is a life outside of academia. Make this decision visible: Complete your email signature with a short note regarding your availability.

#communication #email #availability #expectations

Enable a healthy academic culture for everyone: Allow criticism and show appreciation. Take time to supervise your students, doctoral candidates and postdocs, and encourage and support young researchers.

Academic work is characterized by the fact that research - even if it is as part of a team - is done and processed individually. This can lead to loneliness and isolation. You can counteract this by promoting exchange with your students and among your staff. Careful and open interaction with them creates an environment for constructive criticism and discussion. Contribute to making academic work meaningful for everyone.

Be aware that some students have to do more paid work than others to finance their studies. Create equal opportunities for everyone and support those who have more difficult conditions. Provide support by fulfilling your duties as a supervisor or teacher.

#estimation #care #criticism #support

When evaluating academic work, do so according to the DORA Declaration*: Evaluate and reward work or research proposals that place quality over quantity. Evaluate and reward teaching, administration, public outreach, data collection, committee work, and other commitments.

The practice of assessing scientific performance on the basis of impact factors stems from the problematic demand to make scientific performance measurable and comparable: With an instrument developed by publication bodies, an attempt is made to bring objectivity into the evaluation of academic activity.

The DORA Declaration, which has also been signed by the University of Berne and other Swiss universities, calls for a move away from "Journal Impact Factors" as the sole criterion to evaluate academic performance for decisions of recruitment, promotion, or funding. There are more meaningful and holistic criteria for measuring the quality of individual research projects.

When making assessments, pay attention to all the work done: in addition to publications, also acknowledge teaching, administrative activities, public relations, and other scientific work.

Avoid redundant publication output by always publishing high-quality articles yourself. When evaluating research proposals and applications, focus on quality rather than quantity. Question the lack of significance of quantitative output measurements.

*The DORA Declaration makes recommendations on how scientific work should be evaluated comprehensively and fairly: https://sfdora.org.

#doradeclaration #holistic #attention #quality #rating

As a leader, work consciously in a team and show appreciation for the work done by your team members in all areas of work. Create a safe working atmosphere with a positive error culture. Pay attention to what is good for you and the team.

The working environment of the market-oriented university and the associated high pressure to perform leads to competitive thinking, a high workload, and psychological problems. Consciously show appreciation instead of unloading your stress onto others and criticizing them. You can praise more, acknowledge, or constructively assess the work of others, ask how the other person is doing and offer support in difficult situations. Understand your work as care work: By responding to the needs of the individual members of your team, you promote a careful interaction with each other and make working together more pleasant and enjoyable.

Respectful, open interaction among the team members gives room for discussion and criticism.

#teamwork #appreciation #company #caringworkrelations

As a leader, create the space for co-workers to say 'no' and make sure that tasks are distributed fairly within the team.

A stress factor of today's university can be the feeling that everyone else is working longer and better than we are. By ensuring a fair distribution of work, you counteract this stress trigger.

Set limits for yourself and consider the limits of your employees. Manage the resources in your team carefully: be aware of who does how much and who is assigned which tasks. Also show recognition and appreciation for less prestigious tasks. Encourage a benevolent atmosphere in the team that allows everyone to say "no" to tasks that can be overwhelming. Say "yes" to tasks for which you have time and energy, so that you can add value and take responsibility for your actions.

#consideration of limits #task distribution #resource management

Do not underestimate your influence on the students and your staff. Recognise your responsibility, be a role model, and create space for better science.

As a supervisor and teacher, you have privileges and opportunities that your employees and students do not have. Take advantage of them: You can provide others with access to rooms, skills, knowledge, jobs, or funding opportunities. Organise meetings beyond traditional events to allow for a deeper exchange between different status groups and to find out what your staff and students need.

Help to question the myths of academia. Contribute to the destigmatization of personal failure: Support your employees and students in overcoming crises and relieve them wherever you can to prevent expulsion, for example due to parenthood. Help to enable all those who want to study and work at the university to participate. At the same time, you can help to break down barriers that prevent others from consciously deciding against science or an academic degree.

Be aware of your influence and your role model function and work to empower others.

#influence #rolemodel #values #orientation