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Build the Lab You Want Before Small Problems Become Structural Issues

Whether you’re hiring your first staff member or fixing persistent performance problems, get clarity on what’s actually blocking your lab’s success and what to do about it.

Schedule a Free Consultation

The Problem

You Were Trained to Be a Scientist. Not a CEO.

Academia promoted you based on your research, but gave you zero training on how to actually manage people.

The result? You're running a complex organization using tools meant for solo work.

Do you struggle with:

  1. Underperforming Staff — Technically capable people who create constant friction, miss deadlines, or require repeated micromanagement

  2. The "Groundhog Day" Frustration — Repeating the same instructions five times, yet the work still isn't done to standard

  3. The "Brain Drain" — Losing critical data, methods, or momentum every time a senior trainee graduates

  4. The "Open Door" Trap — Spending more time managing people's problems than doing actual science

Here's the truth most PIs eventually discover: Most underperformance isn't a training problem. It's a selection and systems problem.

When hiring is done without structure, onboarding is improvised, and expectations exist only in your head, even smart, well-intentioned people will struggle.

These problems rarely come from bad intentions. They come from missing infrastructure at the moment it matters most.

We Can Help

Management Isn’t Your Weakness. It’s a Skill You Were Never Taught.

At People 1st Consulting, we know that lab dysfunction is usually a systems problem, not necessarily a people problem. Many lab members are operating in an environment where success is unclear, feedback is inconsistent, and the rules are unwritten.

We help you build management systems grounded in behavioral science, not generic corporate frameworks that ignore how labs actually function. Our approach accounts for grant pressure, trainee turnover, and the reality that PIs weren't trained for this and have little bandwidth to operate.

We help you move from "trial-and-error management" to an Explicit Operating System that works whether you're building your first team or stabilizing an existing one.

The Plan

A Clear, Collaborative Approach to Lab Management

  • Step 1: Free Consultation - We discuss your specific situation: what’s working, what’s not, and where the biggest friction points are. No pitch. Just clarity.

  • Step 2: Diagnostic & Design - If it makes sense to work together, we assess your current systems and co-create the infrastructure your lab actually needs, not generic templates.

  • Step 3: Implementation & Support - We work alongside you to install the frameworks, test them in real situations, and adjust until they fit your lab’s reality.

  • Every engagement is customized to your:

    • Lab size and structure

    • Current pain points

    • Leadership style

    • Time constraints

    • Institutional environment

We Help You Build:

  1. Structured hiring processes — Figure out exactly the type of person you’re looking for, and use interview questions to find the right people

  2. Clear role expectations - Documented standards so “good work” isn’t just in your head

  3. Effective onboarding systems - 30-60-90 day frameworks that confirm fit early

  4. Performance management protocols - Feedback, delegation, and accountability structures that actually work.

  5. Knowledge capture processes - Offboarding systems that prevent “brain drain” when people leave

  6. Meeting and communication frameworks - Your team will never think “this should’ve been an email”.

    The Result: A lab that functions without requiring constant PI intervention

Testimonials

  • “As a new manager, I was struggling with how to lead my team effectively and inspire their best work. At our organization we want our work to be intentional and transformative, and I wanted to learn how to be a similarly transformative leader. People 1st helped me align my goals with my actions with some simple but impactful tweaks. Rather than learning through trial and error, I have a set of tools to guide me. I’ve seen the shifts in myself, my team, and our work almost immediately.”

    AMC, Ph.D., Assistant Professor

  • "As a new project director, I found myself facing my first hiring experience with no idea where to start. People 1st guided me through every step, from creating the job post and defining my hiring criteria to crafting interview questions and writing an offer. These resources were invaluable because they were either unavailable or too costly at my institution. Thanks to People 1st, I navigated the hiring process with confidence and efficiency."

    MMT, Ph.D., MPH, Assistant Professor

  • "Being a researcher and teacher, I received extensive training in methodology and research techniques. However, formal management training was lacking. That's when I discovered this program. It brilliantly bridged the gap by applying concepts of behaviors and psychology to team management. The discussions helped me define clear goals and values for my team, while providing structured recommendations on interview techniques and assessments. It has been invaluable in shaping my hiring process with practicality and organization."

    NJ., Clinical Psychologist

  • “Working with People 1st has been a game-changer for me as a manager. From interview preparation to handling difficult subordinates and overcoming imposter syndrome, their expert coaching and support have transformed my approach to leadership. I wholeheartedly recommend People 1st to any manager seeking to excel in the challenging world of emergency management.”

    AG, Deputy Director

  • "As a newly-funded NIH investigator, I quickly realized managing a team requires a different set of skills. Jimmy helped me address inefficiencies, understand my strengths and weaknesses, and effectively hire and delegate tasks. His tailored guidance, especially for short-term staff - like the undergraduate research assistants, was invaluable. Thanks to Jimmy, my lab, with a part-time research assistant and 5 undergrads, is running smoother than I imagined. Setting up a new lab feels like running a small non-profit with high turnover, and his advice was crucial."

    AG Ph.D., Assistant Professor

  • "As a new faculty member starting my lab, I tremendously benefited from People 1st. I most appreciate their ability to approach common challenges with a fresh perspective informed by the unique combination of their familiarity with academic jobs and outside experience. I was energized to reevaluate and revamp my current workflow and systems for project and personnel management. Importantly, the consultations aligned with my work philosophy that we are working with human beings, not just on tasks."

    SL, Ph.D., Assistant Professor

About People 1st

We’re management and behavioral science nerds.

We incorporate the latest research from the behavioral sciences to maximize the effectiveness and productivity of your teams. With over 20+ years of professional experience, we’ve worked in for-profit corporations, political campaigns, and nonprofits providing direct services.

At our core, we are systems people. We are firm believers that there’s a process that exists for everything. That process is going to be unique to your organization and the skillsets of the actual individual human beings that work there.

FAQ

  • Absolutely. The assessment helps early-stage PIs identify which foundational systems to build before making expensive hiring mistakes. Prevention is always cheaper than intervention.

  • This is extremely common. The assessment will help you identify whether the issue is role clarity, expectations, feedback systems, or selection criteria—not intelligence or motivation.

  • Many trainings focus on abstract principles or recommend “hiring the right people”. This program focuses on specific behaviors, systems, and decision points. We recommend what to say, when to say it, and how to structure work so problems don’t keep recurring.

    The emphasis is on practical implementation and behavior change, not theory alone.

  • Each session includes light pre-work or reflection designed to be completed in under 30 minutes.

    The goal is not to add more work, but to help you compare your current processes to the recommended best practices. We can’t watch you manage others, but we can have you tell us how you think and what you physically do.

  • From our observations, there are some major gaps between the available training and the actual implementation of those best practices. This program is not a replacement for existing tools or policies. Instead, it helps participants make sense of what already exists and decide how to apply it effectively in their specific context.

    Many participants find this bridges the gap between having resources and actually using them well. We recommend what to physically say and do and why those strategies are effective.

  • That’s common. Many participants come in with a specific challenge in mind. The program helps identify upstream factors like role clarity, expectations, feedback, training, and systems that often contribute to underperformance.

    While outcomes vary by situation, participants typically leave with clearer next steps and more confidence addressing the issue.