In Charge

National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins says that by surrounding himself with people smarter than himself, he becomes a better leader. He tells the Washington Post that “one of my favorite quotes is from Woodrow Wilson: ‘I not only use all the brains that I have, but all that I can borrow.’” In addition, to keep people working at NIH from getting discouraged, the employees celebrate new advances. Collins says he thinks “it is helpful for employees to see concrete evidence that their work is leading to great things on a regular basis.” However, he does say he's concerned about recruiting younger researchers to the institute because they hear a lot about budget woes. “One of my challenges is to make sure that the message about the sustainability and future promise of biomedical research is coming across, even if we have to tighten our belts right now,” Collins adds.