“Leadership & Vision”

Robin Middlehurst

University of Surrey &

Leadership Foundation

Outline

• Your context• Wider context for HE• Leadership and Vision – do they

matter?• Leadership & vision – meaning,

purpose, links• Your role as leaders: leadership

in action

Your context (1): leadership challenges

Academic challenges:– Renewing & changing

curricula– Differentiating

programmes– Setting academic &

quality standards– New directions for

research– External liaison &

partnership building– …

Managerial challenges:– Acquiring resources– Internal re-structuring– Engaging colleagues

with vision & strategy– Setting performance

standards– Leading internal

change– ….

Your context (2):leadership challenges

Political skills

Decision-making skills

Intellect

Influencing skills

People-management & relationship skills

Analysis & problem-solving skills

Negotiation skills

Communication skills

Change management skillsBusiness & commercial skills

Personal integrity & flexibilityResults-oriented

Long-term trends:UK HE

• Rapid demographic change – est. 10million growth 2004-2054 + ageing UK population

• Global economic integration– massive shift in balance of world economic power

forecast (Brazil, Russia, India, China to overtake G6 by 2040)

• Faster innovation & technological change– “UK needs to improve skills, stimulate innovation &

foster enterprise” (Porter)

• Pressure on resources & global climate– US & EU = 10% of world population, 38% of CO2

emissions

• Global uncertainty– “Poverty, environmental degradation & despair are

destroyers of people, societies, nations…” (Powell)

Do leadership & vision matter?

Research evidence• Leaders affect….

– financial indicators of performance– organization’s interpersonal climate– satisfaction & mental well-being of those they lead

• Poor leaders…– can drive skilled & motivated people out

• People believe– that leaders have control, influence events– but leaders’ actions only explain 10% of

performance differences…

• Best leaders– Take charge, but have appropriate humility…

(Pfeffer & Sutton, 2006)

What is leadership?What is ‘vision’?How are they linked?

Leadership is…...

The management of attention• creating a compelling vision

The management of meaning• communicating a vision to produce action

The management of trust• which demands consistency

The management of self• which requires self understanding,

resilience and persistence

Bennis, 1994(Bennis)

‘VIM’ Leadership Vision

– Creating meaning through imagery

– Seeding ideas and testing them

– Sculpting the skills

Inspiration

– Building trust

– Engaging and uniting

– Repeating and reinforcing

Momentum

– Encouraging initiative

– Galvanising Progress

– Clearing the wayLandsberg, 2000

(Landsberger)

Defining leadership

“Managers are people who do things right; leaders are people who do the right things. Only when the two converge is an ambitious change agenda realisable.”

Leadership is an activity that seeks to alter the consciousness and/or behaviour of a group or another individual; if successful, it results in those being led moving from one position to another, spatially, intellectually, emotionally, etc.

Leadership is an exercise in deliberate, planned discontinuity.

Alan Gilbert, President, Univ. of Manchester

What is ‘Vision’?

• A graphic image of ‘the future’ to clarify goals

• A means of engaging people with an agenda• A way of signalling direction of travel • A means of achieving focus &

communicating ‘strategic intent’ • A means of encapsulating what is important

or significant • A way of capturing ‘purpose’ and values• ….

Is vision enough?

‘Vision without action is a daydream, action without vision is a nightmare’

(adapted from Japanese proverb)

Your leadership roles – Leadership in action

Credibility

Why should I follow you?

Motives‘if I don’t trust your motives, nothing else matters’

Values‘I want to be led, if at all, only by a person of principle, not someone driven by expediency’

after David Maister

Why should I follow you?

Competence‘What is your track record of coming up with new ways of doing things?’

Style‘I will not accept your guidance and critique unless you are supportive and encouraging - on the other hand you will also need to be continually demanding and stretching me’

after David Maister

Credibility dimensions

• Using depth & breadth of knowledge, experience & achievements to operate as a major decision-making force

• Gaining attention, support & backing of peers through ability to command respect

• Prominence in peer group through force of personality

• Reputation as a dependable colleague

Capability

Capability dimensions

• Seeing the future• Decision-making• Planning the way ahead• Managing implementation• Optimising team effectiveness• Creating organisational influence

Azure

Character

Character Dimensions

Integrity Role-modelling ethical standards Building Trust

Resilience Courage in adversity Persistency to achieve Flexibility to adapt

DiDistinctiveness Creating positive energy Projecting individuality Catalysing excellence

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Career Tactics

Career Tactics

• Managing the politics of organisational life constructively to advance relevant agendas

• Gauging the organisational mood shrewdly in the timing of interventions

• Maximising personal effort & time through managing ‘the art of the possible’

• Shifting tactics to meet stakeholder requirements

• Retaining composure & managing emotions

A leader is bestWhen people barely know he exists.

Not so good when people obey and acclaim him.

Worst when they despise him.‘Fail to honour people

and they fail to honour you;’But of a good leader, who talks little,

When his work is done, his aim fulfilled,They will all say, ‘We did this ourselves’.

(Lao Tzu, 6th century BC)

Creating the freedomto lead