To lead is to live dangerously because when leadership counts, when you lead people through difficult change, you challenge what people hold dear—their daily habits, tools, loyalties, and ways of thinking—with nothing more to offer perhaps than a possibility.
Heifetz & Linsky
In times of uncertainty, we must look beyond immediate pressures and envision the possibilities that others might not see. Innovation isn’t just about adopting new technologies and processes but about fundamentally reimagining how we prepare graduates for rapidly changing professional landscapes—sometimes requiring us to dismantle established practices that no longer serve our core educational mission.
Taking calculated risks means being willing to pursue promising initiatives even when their outcomes aren’t guaranteed, recognising that the greatest risk in today’s uncertain environment is remaining static while the world transforms around us. The most impactful educational leadership needs to balance thoughtful deliberation with decisive action, creating spaces where innovation can flourish while maintaining a clear focus on enhancing student learning and professional development.
Podcast
Scalzo, K., & Miller, J. (2024). Change Leadership. Tea for Teaching podcast
Higher educational institutions tend to adapt slowly in response to changing cultural, economic, and technological environments. In this episode, Kim Scalzo and Jennifer Miller join us to discuss strategies that can be used to help lead productive change initiatives.
Universities are typically conservative, risk-averse, and reluctant to change in the face of disruption. This conversation is a useful exploration of the options available to institutional leaders with an interest in driving change.
Article
Deresiewicz, W. (2010, March 1). Solitude and Leadership. The American Scholar.
In “Solitude and Leadership,” Deresiewicz argues that true leadership requires the capacity for independent thought that can only be developed through genuine solitude. He critiques elite educational institutions for producing “excellent sheep” who excel at following instructions but struggle to think for themselves or develop original ideas. The essay contrasts the shallow distractions of constant connectivity and multitasking with the deeper engagement possible through sustained concentration, reading, introspection, and meaningful conversation. Deresiewicz ultimately suggests that leadership’s most challenging moments—when you need to make difficult decisions or stand against prevailing wisdom—require inner clarity and conviction that can only be cultivated by spending time alone with one’s thoughts, developing the capacity to hear your own voice amid the cacophony of opinions saturating modern life.
Resource
The Stacey Matrix aims to help understand the factors that contribute to complexity and choose the best management actions to move forward.
