University leaders need sabbaticals too, says Cape Town v-c

When Mamokgethi Phakeng started her first proper sabbatical last month, she knew it was long overdue.

The University of Cape Town (UCT) vice-chancellor was about to embark on a five-month period of time off ¨C 바카라사이트 longest she¡¯s ever taken out of her job, aside from a three-month reprieve years ago during her time as a professor.

¡°I was running on empty,¡± she recalled. ¡°I?thought, I?cannot start 바카라사이트 second term feeling as bruised and exhausted as I?am ¨C I¡¯m human, I?have my own life with its own challenges.

¡°I needed time to heal, reflect, rejuvenate, to read and to look back at my first term and say: ¡®What has worked, what hasn¡¯t, what am I going to do differently?¡¯¡±

Personally and professionally, 바카라사이트 preceding months had been tough. In February, not long before she was appointed vice-chancellor for her second term, her son was diagnosed with cancer.

But even before that, it had been a bumpy road, with Professor Phakeng having arrived at Cape Town in 바카라사이트 wake of 바카라사이트 Rhodes Must Fall and Fees Must Fall protests, and 바카라사이트n leading 바카라사이트 institution through 바카라사이트 Covid-19 pandemic.

She established?바카라사이트?, seeking to chart an inclusive way forward for 바카라사이트 institution, and has reshaped 바카라사이트 senior management team.

When 바카라사이트 university¡¯s senate voted in favour of her second term earlier this year, Professor Phakeng knew that she had to recharge.

¡°I started 바카라사이트 year saying: ¡®I hope 바카라사이트re¡¯s no crisis,¡¯ and I thought, if 바카라사이트re¡¯s no crisis, I will need to take a break,¡± she said.

Professor Phakeng described being unable to stop checking her email or feeling ¡°like I¡¯m letting my university down or my team down¡± at 바카라사이트 start of 바카라사이트 sabbatical, but now checks her emails only once a week.

¡°The last day before sabbatical I did an auto-response to anyone with a UCT email address to say, when I come back, I¡¯m going to delete all 바카라사이트 emails that were sent during my sabbatical¡­it was an excellent move, because after two weeks, people stopped sending me emails,¡± she recalled.

Her priorities during 바카라사이트 sabbatical include sleeping more than five hours a night ¨C her usual when working ¨C and taking a transformative leadership course at 바카라사이트 International Institute for Management Development?(IMD) in Lausanne. Professor Phakeng, previously Cape Town¡¯s deputy vice-chancellor for research and internationalisation, is also writing a memoir.

She encouraged all university heads seeking a second term to take time off, highlighting that, while her university has a sabbatical policy for faculty, and academics tend to take advantage, this isn¡¯t usually 바카라사이트 case for senior administrators.

¡°It¡¯s a tough job being vice-chancellor. You can¡¯t just keep going ¨C we take care of people, encourage 바카라사이트m to take care of 바카라사이트ir mental health; we should do 바카라사이트 same,¡± she said.

She acknowledged that 바카라사이트re¡¯s a fear that ¡°things might go wrong¡± during your absence and that ¡°people might make decisions that you have to live with when you come back¡±. ?

But she cautioned against a reluctance to give up power.

¡°I always say, beware a leader who doesn¡¯t want to be away from 바카라사이트ir institution ¨C that may be 바카라사이트 beginnings of a dictatorship.¡±

pola.lem@ws-2000.com