Most of us enter science because we like doing research. Yet, as we move up in science, achieve success, become respected and recognised, we spend less and less time actually doing experiments and more time managing and directing. But it does not stop there. In academia and industry, further success is likely to mean that you are promoted to positions of influence, which may take you even further away from your lab. The most obvious of these is the position of head of department, which may be rotating and therefore held for just two or three years, or in some cases until retirement, and varies of course depending on the size of the department. Within academia, posts with even wider responsibility include those of dean, institute head, pro-vice chancellor and vice chancellor, and, in industry, equivalent positions may be research director or vice president of research. Those who are chosen for such positions are usually selected on the basis of their success in research rather than their skills at management, but have also proven themselves to be clever, ambitious, organised and hopefully fair. The offer of such a position is very tempting. It brings prestige and respect, responsibility, influence and power, and often a better salary.