At the age of 43, while working full-time and raising my family, I decided to pursue a doctorate, studying the most successful physician-scientists of our generation. I wanted to investigate whether there was anything special about their habits, mindsets or lifestyles: something that could be later replicated in researchers’ training programmes.
What defines success is a mixed bag, and if you ask someone for their definition, it varies — depending especially on their gender and seniority. In some related research, I found that junior physician-scientists focused on metrics that affect promotion, such as publications and grants; senior physician-scientists, by contrast, focused on aspects of their legacy, such as their contributions to the field, and their mentoring work.
I have found that, in general, scientists are not driven by ‘extrinsic motivators’: promotions, accolades, diplomas or awards. If they were, those I interviewed would have quit doing science after winning a Nobel prize. Instead, many leading scientists are still doing research long after they qualify for retirement. They simply love it — the pursuit of the unknown; being on the cusp of something transformative; the challenge of seeing where their curiosity will take them.
There are always challenges, from failed grants to rejected papers. However, the high achievers approach these obstacles differently from many of us. Ultimately, they fear not trying more than they fear failing. They work diligently to ‘control what they can control’, and they don’t ruminate over issues and challenges that are outside their jurisdiction.High achievers do not rest on their laurels.