When I was a postdoc, I didn’t realize how good I had it.

I had my own projects, no one relying on me, just a handful of meetings each week, and long stretches of quiet time to focus. It suited me perfectly — because I’m an introvert at heart.

But once I moved into a leadership position, everything changed.

Suddenly, people relied on me. My calendar filled up with hours of meetings every day. At the end of the day, I often felt like I’d accomplished nothing — because, as an introvert, meetings drain me rather than energize me.

It took me a while to figure this out: the outcome of leadership isn’t the meetings themselves — it’s the results your team produces.

The more effectively you can coach your team to create better, faster, higher-quality output, the better you’re doing as a leader.

But even knowing that, I still sometimes miss those postdoc days when I could sit quietly in my office, work on my own projects, and not worry about anything else.

So if you’re thinking about your career path — whether you want to move into a leadership position or stay closer to the work — it’s worth asking yourself:

Does the role fit who you really are?

Are you someone who thrives in meetings and being at the center of everything?

Or are you someone who does your best work quietly, on your own timeline?

There’s no right answer — but understanding what energizes and drains you can save you a lot of frustration later.