The Clinical Trial Manager (CTM) role is a leadership role. But for many new and aspiring CTMs, this is your first time leading. And you’ll quickly find out that leadership requires more than your technical knowledge. 

Clinical Trial Managers have a lot to learn and a lot to know. The easiest way to handle the steep learning curve is to focus on checking boxes. I led a CRA training session (check); I created a recruitment and retention plan (check); I completed the Study Start-Up process (check). 

But you’re doing yourself a disservice by only checking boxes. The CTM role is more than the tasks and the skills. 

The most successful and highest-rated CTMs have something in common: they learn the tasks while also building a foundation. A strong foundation includes leadership skills, such as empowerment, effective communication, and emotional intelligence. 

Your foundation as a Clinical Trial Manager matters. We’ll share why — and how to start building yours. 

The #1 Mistake CTMs Make: Not Delegating

One of the biggest shifts for new Clinical Trial Managers is going from “doing” to “leading.” That takes time because most Clinical Research positions that transition to CTM “do” a lot and “lead” very little. 

And this shift is why not delegating is the mistake so many new CTMs make. It’s tough. There’s a task you know you can do, so you do it. But, often, it’s something you could also have asked your Clinical Trial Assistant (CTA) to do. 

Did that task take you away from something else? Did it make you miss a different deadline? Did you not respond to an important email because you were distracted by the task? 

Not delegating has negative impacts over time. When you insist on doing it all, you risk:

• Becoming a bottleneck, in which your team is waiting on you
• Burning out, because it isn’t realistic to do everyone else’s job along with your own
• Missing opportunities for team development (remember: there’s no “I” in “team!”)

How can you be a new CTM who knows how to delegate? When you first join a project, have a 1:1 with individual team members. Schedule meetings with your assigned CTA, Medical Monitor (MM), and Data Management (DM) teams. Understand each person’s roles and responsibilities on the project. 

• Yes, as a CTM, you can send mass communications. However, this is part of the CTA’s job responsibilities and an easier lift for them. During your meeting with the CTA, discuss the process for sending out communications so you’re on the same page. 
• Yes, as a CTM, you can also pull DM reports from the Electronic Data Capture (EDC) system. However, the DM team often has access to more complex reports that have a better overall summary of the data. Work with the DM team to set up weekly report outputs that arrive in your inbox on autopilot. This saves you time from digging around in the EDC for reports yourself.

Delegation isn’t about giving work away — it’s about making space for leadership. The sooner you practice it, the stronger your foundation as a CTM will be.

Your Foundation Can Upgrade Your Readiness — and Your Resume

Your years of experience matter. Certifications and taking advantage of extra learning opportunities help you stand out.  

But many hiring managers assess your readiness to level up to CTM by evaluating your communication, organizational, and efficiency skills, critical thinking, and leadership.

Along with experience, certifications, and proactive learning, you can focus on these additional resume-boosters:

• On-the-job learning: Tell a CTM that your goal is to level up and that you’d appreciate the opportunity to attend meetings or be involved in other ways to learn about the role.
• Exposure to CTM responsibilities: Ask a CTM to help with a specific task or be the primary contact for a vendor or department.
• Skill development: Figure out a skill you can improve like email organization or breaking down a complex protocol into layman terms, and then develop that skill. Look for YouTube videos (like this one on organizing your email inbox or this one on how to review a study protocol), blog posts, and other resources to get started.

Strengthening your hands-on experience and leadership skills will set you apart, both during the interview process and when you start your new role. Focus on learning, visibility, and skill development — the foundations that truly prepare you for the CTM role.

The 3 Core Leadership Skills Every CTM Needs

There’s a long list of soft skills that are helpful for Clinical Trial Managers. But you can’t expect yourself or others to excel in every skill. Instead, these three leadership skills form the backbone of the CTM role.

1. Empowerment 

The definition of empowerment is “the authority or power given to someone to do something” and “the process of becoming stronger and more confident.” You can see how empowerment relates to delegation. 

One of the best ways CTMs can empower their team is to delegate responsibilities. But it isn’t just about giving other people work to do. Empowerment goes a step beyond that.

Empowerment is always more successful when you assign work with clear expectations. And once you provide the necessary clarity for the team member’s tasks, you can empower them further by trusting them to execute their responsibilities. 

2. Effective Communication

Communicating effectively isn’t about saying more or writing longer emails. Instead, effective communicators are purposeful, so the messages are relevant and don’t include unnecessary details. They deliver messages with confidence.

Other characteristics of effective communication include:

• Clarity: easy to understand and clearly defined
• Active listening: trying to understand and not just talk; others feel heard and respected
• Consistency: verbal and written messages and expectations match
• Transparency: messages are honest and questions are acknowledged
• Timeliness: messages are given at the right time; issues are addressed early
• Action-oriented: next steps, owners, and deadlines are clear

3. Emotional Intelligence

Emotional intelligence is “the ability to recognize, understand, and deal skillfully with one’s own emotions and the emotions of others.”

If you lead with emotional intelligence, you are aware of your audience and can adjust your tone, language, and style to meet their needs.

Another part of emotional intelligence is empathy, which is the ability to understand and relate to others. Empathetic leaders consider how a message will be received, recognize emotions and pressures, and provide difficult information with respect.

Strong CTM leadership starts with a solid foundation, but you don’t need to master every leadership skill at once. Empowerment, communication, and emotional intelligence are skills you can practice, refine, and strengthen over time — to support your team and the study’s success. 

The Power of a CTM Mentor

A mentor is someone you trust who has experience to guide and support you professionally or personally. For aspiring and new Clinical Trial Managers, finding a CTM mentor is one of the best things you can do to build a solid foundation.

A CTM mentor can help bridge the gap between being capable and being truly ready to level up to the CTM role. Your mentor can encourage your growth in your independence and confidence. Along with sharing their experience, mentors can provide leadership expertise, offer perspective during challenges, and help you focus on what matters.

In addition, your CTM mentor may increase your visibility and the opportunities that come your way. They can open doors by recommending you for assignments, inviting you to meetings for exposure, and advocating for you. 

Here are a few ways to find a mentor:

• Internal program: Some companies offer mentorship programs and may even match you with someone.
• Networking: You can network within your company and externally on LinkedIn, or through involvement with a local organization like the ACRP.
• Informational conversations: Invite current CTMs to a 15- or 30-minute coffee chat, in person or via Zoom. Prepare questions and get to know them and their work style.

Mentorship accelerates CTM readiness by combining experience, perspective, and leadership modeling. With the right mentor, aspiring CTMs gain clarity, confidence, and momentum — often faster and with fewer missteps.

How to Start Building Your CTM Foundation Now

It’s never too early to start building your CTM foundation. It may take some time and effort, but you’ll see the difference a strong foundation makes. Start with these simple, practical steps:

1. Volunteer for leadership tasks in your current role. These tasks do not have to relate to clinical trial management. The goal is exposure to what it takes to be an effective leader.
2. Observe how CTMs manage challenges. Consider what seems to work, and what doesn’t. Think about how you’d handle the challenge and if you’d do anything different.
3. Ask questions. Not only will you learn and gain a better understanding, but others will likely notice your interest and appreciate your intent.
4. Practice delegating small tasks. You don’t have to be in a management or leadership position to do this. See if there’s anything on your plate that someone else may be interested in doing. (A Clinical Research Coordinator or Research Assistant may thank you for the opportunity!)

Courses for Aspiring and New CTMs

If you’ve read this whole blog post, you are likely at least moderately interested in learning more about or becoming a Clinical Trial Manager. ClinEssentials has courses to support you as you build your CTM foundation.

The Introduction to CTM Mini Course offers a behind-the-scenes look at job responsibilities, tools, systems, education and experience requirements, and more. This bite-sized option is perfect if you think you might want to become a CTM, or if you know you want to be a CTM and want some background. You’ll get clarity and direction as you explore the CTM path. 

The CTM Training Course, offered live (on Zoom) or self-paced, is a comprehensive opportunity to learn everything a CTM does, with real-life CTM applications, a video library, loads of tools, and reusable templates. Plus, you get direct access to the course instructor, who is a Clinical Research and CTM expert. If you want to boost your confidence as a CTM and be successful from the start, this course is your best option.

You can begin to build your CTM foundation before you become a Clinical Trial Manager. It’s about progress — not perfection. Your skills, mindset, and leadership behaviors are the key to your strong foundation.