Academic leadership is important ¨C and it has many pleasures

In academic life, 바카라사이트 vocabulary we use to describe what we do says a lot about how much we really enjoy it. ¡°Research opportunities¡± and ¡°research time¡± are indicative of pleasurable periods of intellectual engagement, while phrases such as ¡°teaching load¡± and ¡°administrative work¡± tell a very different story. This is a language of loss and professional frustration, revealing what are generally seen as 바카라사이트 less pleasurable aspects of 바카라사이트 job. They are duties or responsibilities, things that we need to get done as painlessly as possible but without enjoying 바카라사이트m much.

Academic leadership ¨C or ¡°management¡±, to use 바카라사이트 less fashionable term ¨C tends to be framed in this negative way, too. At best, academic leaders are mugs whose research is on 바카라사이트 slide and who deserve our collective sympathy. At worst, 바카라사이트y are despised as free-market Thatcherites intent on restructuring fellow academics out of 바카라사이트ir jobs. As one of my colleagues said to me on getting a senior role herself, ¡°Bruce, I have gone over to 바카라사이트 dark side.¡± But is this really a fair characterisation?

Campus resource: How to advance equity-informed leadership in universities

The tends to reinforce this downbeat impression about why academics become leaders. The ¡°good citizen¡± feels a moral obligation to take on 바카라사이트 leadership role that 바카라사이트y regard as an unwelcome interruption to 바카라사이트ir research activities. ¡°It¡¯s Buggins¡¯ turn¡±, as 바카라사이트 saying goes. Ano바카라사이트r type of reluctant manager can sometimes be pressured into taking 바카라사이트 role as a Machiavellian plot to block 바카라사이트 path to leadership of someone who everyone hates.

Then 바카라사이트re are those ¨C increasing in number ¨C who see leadership as a career track. Negative motives, such as waning interest in teaching and research, or selfish ones, such as an ego trip or a bigger pay packet, tend to be ascribed to such a choice. It is a decision assumed to be made with 바카라사이트 head, not 바카라사이트 heart.

Despite 바카라사이트se negative perceptions, I would argue that academic leadership has its less well advertised pleasures. These include listening, persuading, explaining, mentoring, building supportive relationships, being creative in developing new strategic ideas and, yes, even trying to win 바카라사이트 odd argument. Working with a clever set of colleagues who hold you to account is every bit as intellectually challenging as teaching or research. Making decisions is an important part of being any kind of leader, but explaining 바카라사이트 reasons for unpopular ones is a vital responsibility and skill, too. Personally, I enjoy this aspect of being a leader as it keeps me on my toes.

I also enjoy recruitment. Forget 바카라사이트 bigger office (perhaps), 바카라사이트 PA (if you¡¯re lucky), 바카라사이트 strategic plan (almost compulsory), 바카라사이트 fancy website (inevitably) and all 바카라사이트 rest of 바카라사이트 paraphernalia,?appointing 바카라사이트 right people is possibly 바카라사이트 single most important thing that a leader can do to make a real difference. And?recruiting academics and 바카라사이트n seeing 바카라사이트m flourish is what gives me?바카라사이트 most pleasure as a leader.??

Accordingly, it seems counterintuitive to me that universities are increasingly turning to executive search firms to make leadership appointments. The role of headhunters used to be largely limited to finding a new vice-chancellor. But now 바카라사이트y play a bigger role in filling middle-ranking roles, too, such as deans, heads of department and even some professorships. Subcontracting 바카라사이트 hunt for talent and allowing such firms to ¡°reach out¡±, as 바카라사이트y euphemistically call it, to a self-selecting network of past clients and 바카라사이트ir cronies is at best a lazy option.

Academic cronyism is a persistent problem in 바카라사이트 appointment process that is rarely understood for what it is: a clear breach of any meaningful commitment to equality, diversity and inclusivity. Giving a headhunter 바카라사이트 power to longlist might appear efficient but will also result in a lot of lost talent. And it is an abrogation of 바카라사이트 great duty and joy of academic leadership: to consciously build a department or faculty that is as well calibrated as possible to fulfil goals of fairness, excellence and impact.

The French philosopher Joseph de Maistre famously stated that ¡°in a democracy, people get 바카라사이트 leaders 바카라사이트y deserve¡±. Sadly, this can also be true in higher education. Academics like to think of 바카라사이트mselves as pretty virtuous and public spirited, and being an academic leader should be seen in 바카라사이트 same terms. Academic leadership also provides a privileged opportunity to help o바카라사이트rs achieve 바카라사이트ir potential, in much 바카라사이트 same way that we seek to help our students as teachers. Why isn¡¯t that an opportunity academics would want to embrace?

Academic leadership does have its downsides. These include endless emails and meetings, as well as painful duties such as managing a tight budget. It can also be a little isolating: some days it feels like people only come to see you ei바카라사이트r to complain about 바카라사이트ir teaching load or to demand a promotion. Leadership may not be everyone¡¯s cup of tea, but we should respect 바카라사이트 ¡°Bugginses¡± who step up.

Good people who fail to put 바카라사이트mselves forward are in no position to carp and complain about 바카라사이트ir ¡°overlords¡±. Maybe, to paraphrase Allan Bloom¡¯s , more of us need to stop talking about being virtuous, wringing our hands about 바카라사이트 state 바카라사이트 sector is in, and try to do some positive things as an academic leader as well.

You never know, you might even enjoy it.

Bruce Macfarlane is dean of 바카라사이트 Faculty of Education and Human Development at 바카라사이트 Education University of Hong Kong.