A lot of leaders in higher education are trying to grasp how we lead our teams and our institutions at such a time as this.
I’m not going to run through all of the challenges facing our institutions right now because I know you will only be too familiar with them. But I do want to be clear about what the research evidence is actually telling us.
Fundamental shift
Our sector needs to make a fundamental leader shift in how we lead.
But why is that?
The research is absolutely clear. Hierarchical power is melting away right before our eyes. As leaders, it is clear that where we are ultimately accountable for the results of our institutions and our teams, we are not actually in control of them.
Effective influence
So this raises a big question and challenge. If we can no longer rely just on our title or our status, even our budget alone to get the results, how can we actually effectively influence change with others inside and outside our organisations?
There is no simple answer, but there is an exploration and attention required of leaders to consider the evidence and how they can respond.
Strategic Leadership Programme
Advance HE’s Strategic Leadership Programme creates a real opportunity for leaders to unpack what this means, what the current reality of this is and how we can we take this intentional space to consider what others are doing. What is the best practice in order that we can better lead ourselves, our teams and our organisations, as well as how we lead our sector?
As a facilitator of the programme, it’s a real privilege for me to bring the experience of educating and leading at senior level in a higher education institution to help other leaders in the sector to help other sector leaders learn how to shape the conversation inside and outside your organisation.
About the author: Karise Hutchinson is a Professor of Leadership and the founder of Illuminaire Leadership – a global institute providing high-quality, research-led insight to leaders in private, public and third-sector organisations.
This article has been kindly repurposed from Advance HE and you can read the original here.