For New Faculty: Who Are Friends & Who Are Foes?

How do you know which of your new colleagues are going to support you and which are going to undercut you? At Vitae, you can read the advice of several faculty members (here).

My advice. Listen a lot, and take your time reaching conclusions. Find not just one mentor, but several mentors. At least one of those mentors may, in good faith, offer bad advice. To get good advice, you need to listen to more than one person. Pay attention to interfaculty relationships; which faculty members are friends with which faculty members? These relationships can tell you a lot about your colleagues.

I don’t mean to give these suggestions with a negative tone. Expect the best out of people, but take your time in making new friends.

(ljs)