Your approach to clinical research can make or break your success. We often hear our mentors and advisors urging us to explore more to “find our niche,” but at the same time, many advise us to be very careful about what to say “Yes” to.
Today, we explore two contradictory pieces of wisdom: “Move fast and break things” and “Go slow to go fast.” — which one we should embrace and when.
Move Fast and Break Things
Mark Zuckerberg once said:
“Move fast and break things.”
This principle, from Zuckerberg’s 2012 letter to investors, emphasizes the importance of speed in innovation. It’s about rapid action leading to rapid learning. For new researchers, this is gold.
Your first goal is game access. Selection comes later.
Why Move Fast?
- Gain Access: At the beginning, focus on getting in. Connect with mentors, join research groups, find a way to access datasets, and secure funding. Access is everything. For example, I got matched with my current primary mentor through a mentorship program from the American College of Rheumatology. Networking and seeking out opportunities are crucial.
- Generate Research Ideas: In the early stages, explore widely. Test different hypotheses, methodologies, and data sets. Don’t be afraid of making mistakes; they are part of the learning process. I used to go to my mentor meetings with a new research idea every week for my first grant (so much so that my mentor was starting to get frustrated).
- Learn Quickly: Speed lets you iterate fast. Test, learn, repeat. Sharpen your skills and knowledge. Learning new things fast is likely the most valuable skill today. Note: using ChatGPT to learn is something I have found very useful. I used it to learn R fast.
When designing your first study, embrace rapid prototyping. Draft hypotheses, design studies, collect pilot data, analyze results. Iterate. Refine. Improve.
Go Slow to Go Fast
Then there’s the flip side: “go slow to go fast,” a Navy SEALs mantra:
“Slow is smooth, smooth is fast.”
Once you’ve gained access, the focus shifts to selection. This is where deliberate action ensures long-term success.
Why Go Slow?
- Build Stability: Once you find a niche and successful methods, go deeper, not wider. This is the time when you will have many opportunities that you will have to say “NO” to. This is my current default. Unless I say no to committees, lectureships, and interviews, I will not be able to do the main thing, i.e., my research.
- Scale Up: Expanding your research? Plan carefully for sustainable growth. Invest time in training your team. Establish reliable systems.
- Ensure Quality: High-impact research demands rigor. Slow down to validate your results. Double-check your analyses. Thoroughly review your manuscripts. This enhances the credibility and impact of your work. For instance, when you’re preparing to submit a manuscript to a high-ranking journal, meticulous attention to detail in your writing, data presentation, and adherence to submission guidelines can make the difference between acceptance and rejection.
Find Your Balance
The secret? Knowing when to use each approach.
| Move Fast When: | Go Slow When: |
|---|---|
| – Early in your career | – When somewhat established |
| – Brainstorming new ideas | – Writing and refining manuscripts |
| – Piloting studies | – Establishing lab protocols |
| – Exploring new methods | – Scaling your team |
| – Engaging new collaborations | – Ensuring accuracy and reproducibility |
Clinical research is a dance between speed and deliberation. Speed matters. Use it to learn, iterate, and innovate. Slow down to build systems, transfer knowledge, and ensure quality.
Balance both, and you’ll navigate your career with agility and precision. Ready to take the next step?
This Week’s Action Step
Move Fast: Reach out to a potential mentor or collaborator you’ve been eyeing. Make that connection and set up a meeting. Access is key.
Go Slow: Validate your results thoroughly and ensure every detail is accurate. Precision matters here.