That's what I do. His attention is always focused on one question ahead of the game. He taught me how to think big. But the most important thing is that he helps people so eventually they won't need him. He has a way of asking questions instead of dictating answers, so that any success I've enjoyed is my own.
Nothing gives more confidence than having an idea and showing it's true.
In order to let that happen, you have to let go some. But make no mistake, says Lee Limbird, Lefkowitz's first postdoc and now associate vice chancellor for research at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, he's the kind of guy who you go to with data. What you learn from him very quickly is that data are the currency of research. If you go to a scientific meeting and don't have data, you may as well not be there, she adds. Lefkowitz has had a large lab almost since the beginning.