Fund provides a Means for mentorship

General Article

Peggy Means Leadership Development Fund cultivates future Center leaders; apply for grants by Feb. 28

Dr. Barbara Trask, Human Biology Division, and Han Nachtrieb, Human Resources, sit on the selection committee for the new leadership fund honoring retired administrator Peggy Means (center). Photo by Dean Forbes

Peggy Means made many contributions to the growth of the Hutchinson Center during her 16-year career as chief operating officer and senior vice president for strategic development.

And yet for all of the institutional milestones the retired administrator helped the Center achieve, she is equally admired for the career goals she helped individuals reach through coaching, coaxing and encouragement.

"She is very good at spotting people with potential for leadership and helping them get the skills and experience they need and putting them up to challenges to see if they could blossom," said Dr. Barbara Trask, head of the Human Biology Division.

To honor Means and her legacy as a mentor, her former colleagues have established the Peggy Means Leadership Development Fund. Like Means, the fund will support the growth of effective and capable leaders, accelerate the professional development of scientists and managers and increase their value to the Center.

"It is wonderful to have my name associated with a fund like this one," said Means, who retired Sept. 30. "Most administrators and scientists have to learn how to lead scientific institutions by doing the job because there aren't degree-granting programs or organized coursework that is very relevant. Plus the costs associated with many of the opportunities are high and most people won't consider it on their own. Having a fund that allows individuals to secure resources for development is terrific."

Any Center employee — scientific as well as administrative — is eligible to apply for a grant provided he or she has worked at the Center for at least four years and plans to use the grant to enhance their leadership skills. "This is not for continuing education in their field of technical expertise," said Han Nachtrieb, vice president for Human Resources. "The purpose of these grants is to support activities that cultivate the future leaders of the Center. I can imagine awarding grants as small as the fee for a one-day seminar to as large as supporting somebody's pursuit of an executive master's degree in business administration."

This year, the fund, which is generated through private donations, will support a total of $20,000 in training expenses, apportioned among up to five individuals. A selection committee consisting of Trask, Nachtrieb and Janet Leeds, administrator for the Fred Hutchinson/University of Washington Cancer Consortium, will choose winners. Applicants and their supervisor must submit applications jointly. Criteria include commitment to the Center, the applicant's potential to be a leader and how effective the applicant's desired activity would be in supporting their growth. The committee will begin accepting applications in January with a Feb. 28 deadline. For forms and details, check the Center Web site at https://centernet.fhcrc.org/CN/depts/hr/training/peggymeans.

Mentored by Means

Leeds is among the many Center employees from all divisions and levels who credit Means with steering them toward opportunities and supporting their growth as leaders. "It was just part of her everyday routine," Leeds said. "She was very proactive and direct with her advice. She saw potential in people they didn't see in themselves. She instilled confidence in me because she believed in me."

As a mentor, Means always was very attuned to the needs of the Center, Nachtrieb said, and always allowed others room to grow. "There are leaders who don't know how to let go and share responsibility," he said. "Peggy was very good at letting other people on board."

Means, who still works at the Center one day a week as a consultant, said she enjoyed acting as a mentor. "First, it is just a lot of fun to watch people grow and develop confidence in their ability to get things done," she said. "Second, an institution is only as strong as its leaders. You can have the best scientists in the world, but if the leadership is interfering with their ability to do their work, few breakthroughs will happen."

Means said she especially enjoyed working with incoming division directors when they took on their new jobs. "That's an extraordinarily challenging position, especially when you consider that they all continue to do scientific work," she said.

Trask is one of those division directors whose transition into administration was assisted by Means. "Peggy has an acute sense of direction and a wonderful way of sharing her insights that has helped me lead and manage people better," Trask said. "My hope is that the fund will help others appreciate and learn at least some of the skills that made Peggy such an extraordinary leader."

Dr. Lee Hartwell, Center president and director and a driving force behind the Means Fund, offers similar praise. "When I became Center director, I discovered how out of my element I was and discovered how much Peggy knew," he said. "Over the years, I saw how many things were enabled at the Center that might not have happened without her concern, dedication and creativity. That made me realize that scientific creativity is not just a property of the individual scientists, but is shared by creative people in administration who can shepherd scientific desires into tangible outcomes. We need to foster more 'Peggy' types at this institution, and that is the purpose of the fund."

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