I met my Advisor at Brookhaven National Lab (BNL) at the beginning of a Science and Engineering Research Semester (SERS) in 1991. The first thing he did was to make sure that I had an office with a nice desk and a computer. He made me feel very much at home.
Next, he started having meetings with me to bring me up to speed on the research they were doing to prepare for the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC). He introduced me to the people on the team who I would be working with. It soon became obvious that he treated everyone with respect.
He created an environment where people could thrive.
I ended up working with him longer than that one semester. I saw how he managed several different people who each had big egos. Even when he disagreed with someone, he treated that person with respect. He made each person feel seen. He minimized interpersonal conflict. He drove everyone toward finding solutions rather than complaining about problems.
It’s the first direct experience I had seeing such an extraordinary leader in action. If I’ve ever been effective in leading others, it’s due to the many things I learned about leadership from Dr. Samuel Aronson.
I remain grateful for having the opportunity to know this man.
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