A Message from Chuck Black
insights from the CFN Director
January 25, 2023
Chuck Black
For me, every new year brings along a sunny optimism. I always return from the holiday break with renewed energy, and full of ideas and enthusiasm for how we can push ahead with our important work. And so even with this year already off and running, I'd like to share a very specific goal that I’m planning to work on, and encourage everyone to work on it, too. But for you to best understand my idea and why it’s important, we should first go back in time to last fall so I can tell you about some conversations from our annual CFN department retreat.
The CFN retreat is a special event for us, as it’s a day for us to be together and reflect on the year, and discuss ways that we can improve as an organization. This year was extra special because it was our first in-person retreat since 2019!
One of our retreat activities this year was discussing the question: “What makes a great team?”
We’ve all been on great teams, and those experiences stand out. We remember them, sometimes for our entire life. Maybe it was a sports team or club from when you were younger? Or maybe you were part of a musical orchestra, a singing choir, or in the cast of a play? Or maybe you worked on a project for work or school, and the team “just clicked”? Have you ever thought about why? What made those teams special for you, compared to others that weren’t?
At our CFN retreat, we talked about great teams and what makes them great. We made a sort-of “great team checklist.” Here’s what we decided:
- Great teams have a shared purpose. Everyone understands the goal the team is working towards, and everyone agrees that the goal is important. The team understands that everyone has an important role, and that everyone is critical to the team’s overall success.
- Great teams are doing something difficult. The team is working to achieve something that is hard and requires sacrifice, such as long hours or many practices. The team is confident in their abilities, but it’s not certain they will achieve their goal. It’s risky!
- Great teams go "all-in." The team members are all intensely focused on doing their parts and not letting each other down. For me, I've always especially liked the clarity that comes with having this singular focus. Going “all-in” feels good.
At our retreat, we talked about our aspiration for CFN to be a place where great teams of staff and users work together, going all-in to make transformative nanoscience advances in support of national science initiatives.
One of the 2022 accomplishments I’m proudest of is our transitioning the CFN back to full-time, normal operations. We can all be proud that last year the CFN supported the research of 640 users, the most ever in a single year!
And while it’s tempting to think “we’re back,” I don’t think we’re quite finished yet. We haven’t yet recovered the essence of our CFN culture—the collegiality and togetherness. It's too quiet in our hallways. It’s too empty in our gathering spaces. Our doors are too often closed. Since 2020, we've become too accustomed to life in isolation. We’re not yet a “great team” again, not until we can reclaim our sense of togetherness.
And so with that in mind, let’s dedicate this year to finding our way back to each other. When we’re at work in CFN, let’s take purposeful breaks and walk around the building from time to time. Knock on a door to say hello to people you haven’t seen in a while—or better yet, introduce yourself to someone you haven’t yet met. I encourage everyone to join me in retraining ourselves in those important skills, which may be a little bit rusty. Let’s go all-in! Let's keep working together to make a difference.
— Dr. Charles Black
Director, Center for Functional Nanomaterials
2023-21060 | INT/EXT | Newsroom
