Posted on No Comments on And finally… On Aurora and Leadership

And finally… On Aurora and Leadership

It’s been over a year since I started the Aurora programme so I feel like it’s time to draw this chapter to a close. I’ve talked about my Aurora experience and making the most of the programme so for my final Aurora post, I wondered if I could sum up how I see leadership in the wake of the course and how it relates to me now.

Leadership is… self understanding

To lead well is to know yourself, you strengths, your limitations, your values and with that information give a genuine account of yourself and your actions.

What does this mean to me? I’m very aware that I’m not great at reading myself so this is an area that I’m working on. I find that whilst I still struggle to define things, I’m beginning to notice when I see something that is a core part of my nature. It’s as though shining a bright light doesn’t help, but I can now spot when something glimmers.

Leadership is… reflection

The ability to look back at your past experiences, learn from them and make improvements for next time make for a good leader who progresses, rather than repeats the same mistakes or doesn’t learn from hindsight.

What does this mean to me? During Aurora I did a lot of reflecting on what we’d learned (most of it for this blog) and I’ve been able to carry on that reflection into other things such as my HEA/PRiSE application. I’ve not yet built it into all my work activities, but I do a end-of-week diary which is great for capturing things in the moment and refining this practice.

Leadership is… confidence

Even the most put-together people have self-doubt and struggles that you might not see. Confidence is in the “feel the fear and do it anyway” moments, not just the “I can do this” ones.

What does this mean to me? Seeing “behind the curtain” of some very competent people made me realise that anyone can feel imposter syndrome. The act of being open about these fears is one way that we can help empower others, and build up their resilience in the face of their own uncertainties.

Leadership is… knowing when to take action

Sometimes a leader needs to take decisive action, and others times they need to escalate, or hold their nerve and wait things out. Knowing which route to take is something that comes from experience, but can be the sign of a good leader.

What does this mean to me? The Aurora experience taught me that even though I have no official leadership responsibility in my role, I can still step up and take the lead when I feel it’s appropriate. I have knowledge and expertise that gives me a certain level of authority on some things and since the course I have acted on that on a few significant occasions. This has given me examples to use in interviews and the confidence to start to see myself as a leader.

Leadership is… networks

Leaders don’t spontaneously form, and they don’t manage to do everything alone. We learn and shape our leadership in context with other people and so having networks where we can share experiences and offer advice makes us better leaders.

What does this mean to me? Aurora gave me an instant network of colleagues across various universities and even after the course I continue to meet with my mentor, my Action Learning Set and other Aurora Alumni. Whilst the onus is on me to find my direction, I know I can reach out when I get stuck or hit a problem. Likewise, supporting others with their problems helps me learn about perspectives that I might not be familiar with and builds bonds between us all.

Leadership is… adaptive

A career in leadership is not linear and is not a fixed state. External factors (family responsibilities, work changes, health issues) can impact our ability to lead and we can also choose when to step up and step back from responsibilities.

What does this mean to me? Thanks to Aurora I feel better equipped to manage changes that are out of my control, and know that managing my workload and my own expectations is part of handling my career.

Leadership is… not a thing

There is a school of thought that leadership is a construct that doesn’t stand up to scrutiny and that teaching it is perpetuating this myth.

What does this mean to me? It proves that we should question everything!

Leadership is… a journey

It’s cliched to call any experience that transforms us “a journey” but we shouldn’t be thinking of leadership as “one and done”. It’s how we continue to conduct ourselves through our career, in a way that is authentic, even if what that means for us changes over time.

What does this mean to me? I’ve never been one for lofty ambitions but if Aurora has bought one thing home to me, it’s that aiming for something is not pointless or self-indulgent, it’s a way to guide yourself through your career.

Looking back at my first Aurora post on feeling lost in the woods I realise that whilst there will always be many things that are uncertain, there are things I can do and things I must learn to accept.

To continue the metaphor, I’m now better equipped to head out into the forest, thanks to the lessons and networks I have from Aurora. I can chip away at the things blocking my path by shadowing colleagues and taking on additional responsibilities to build up my knowledge of my destination role. I also understand that if I want to (or have to) change direction I can still use what I’ve gained to help me get there. I’m starting to step out into the forest with greater purpose, a goal in mind and a network to support me.

Forests aside – I can safely say Aurora has been a important career experience for me and I think what I’ve learned will stand me in good stead for whatever lies ahead.

I hope you’ve enjoyed reading my Aurora blog. Please feel free to comment on any of the posts with your own thoughts on the topics.

Posted on No Comments on Change and Adaptive Leadership

Change and Adaptive Leadership

I drafted most of this post last year, but when I realised it was going stale in the drafts I dusted it down and finished it off. It gave me the opportunity to review my notes and refresh my memory on these ideas.

Change can be hard for people and in our Aurora session on Adaptive Leadership we discussed the idea that people aren’t fearing change itself, they’re fearing what they will lose when the change happens.

Adaptive Leadership challenges, as presented to us at Aurora, are ones where we’re looking to change a “hearts and minds” situation, rather than implementing an established change. It suggests that we assess the features of the situation, deciding what to discard and what to keep,

After the session I was thinking about how breaking down these elements of a change can help “show your workings”. If people are struggling with getting on board with a change, letting them see the bigger picture can help them appreciate what’s going on. For example you might want to share:

What we are leaving behind? – Clarifying how the activities we are leaving behind are not serving us anymore and reassuring colleagues that these are what we want to move away from.

What we are doing instead? – Discussing how we’re keeping the good bits, and what ideas we’re bringing in to replace the discarded activities.

What will the new thing look like? – Breaking down the new solution so that people can see where it differs and where it matches previous approaches. Showing what tools will be used and how they work.

Why we are doing this? – Stressing that this isn’t change for change’s sake – we’re aiming for a better solution – we want to thrive!

What will happen if it doesn’t work? – Clarify how people can feedback and how it’ll be reviewed. Will we be looking to iterate improvements or revert to previous methods?

How we feeling about this? – Emotional responses can reveal things that might not have been addressed already. Acknowledging our own fears, and listening to other peoples worries can shed a light on more hard to define issues.

Having experienced bad change management (where an entire department were sent on a course about accepting change, rather than being asked to meaningfully contribute to, or offered a breakdown of, the changes that were coming) I can see how this sort of information would have helped me. However these only work when the changes are genuinely there to improve things, so building trust with your colleagues is really important. They need to see that you are committed to making your workplace better, and that the changes are well thought out.

Posted on No Comments on My Aurora Experience

My Aurora Experience

Now that my time on the Aurora programme is over, and some time has passed, I wanted to look back over the whole experience. I have already written about the things I learned about during the sessions, so instead I wanted to reflect on some of the things I enjoyed (and some that I didn’t) about the program.

What did I enjoy about Aurora?

The opportunity to reflect

Undertaking the Aurora programme has given me an unprecedented opportunity to work on myself, to reflect and to take initiative in my career. I still don’t find the more introspective exercises easy, but even recognising that is something I’ve learned about myself.

Writing this blog has also allowed me to ponder some of the lessons I learned and build a deeper understanding. Reflection and evaluation often something that gets neglected when we are pressed for time, so seeing how useful it has been has made me more determined to include this in my work.

Meeting people on a similar journey

Not everyone wants to spend time considering their practice, or their career journey so it’s valuable to find people who are at the same point as me, have the same shared Aurora shorthand, and a willingness to develop. Even after the programme, seeing and talking to others who are also interested in their career helps prompt me with ideas and keeps me enthused.

Seeing good practice demonstrated

Some examples of good practice I saw demonstrated during the Aurora programme

  • Be upfront about my values, background, and interests to help connect with others. This is especially useful when starting working with new people, as it helps build trust and connection.
  • Compliment and thank others – this was especially noticeable in my Action Learning Set where my groupmates all mentioned something they had observed that was positive about the person. It was nice to receive but also was lovely to see people boosted by that bit of recognition.
  • Respecting others and speaking your truth – being able to listen to others and talk honestly about your experiences is vital in these divided times. Speaking up can also encourage others who might have felt alone previously.

The encouragement to be proactive

I’ve never been particularly driven in my career, and so have often felt a bit adrift. Aurora has shown that I don’t have to be overly ambitious to benefit from a more curated approach to my work. Seeing examples from other Aurorans and getting encouragement from them was really valuable. I feel more secure in my mid-level ambitions, taking small steps toward my modest personal development goals – without feeling overwhelmed.

What did I not enjoy about Aurora?

Gendered talk

There were a few times where there was mention of “masculine” vs “feminine” traits or things that men do vs women. This jarred with me somewhat. How traits are gendered socially is related to the time and society in which we exist and isn’t fixed or binary. We can use it as a shorthand for what we see in our society today, but we need to establish that they aren’t inherent. It would have been good to have had a clear message at the start of the programme that this is deeply subjective and is being used in Aurora simply as a shorthand.

Lack of acknowledgement of neurodiversity and disability

According to the conversations in the online chat, there were a lot of neurodiverse people in the cohort, but there was very little from the hosts or speakers of what that might mean in respect to leadership challenges. Aurora would definitely have benefitted from more neurodiverse or disabled speakers talking about their experiences in future.

Not enough time

I completely understand that there is a lot to get through in the Aurora programming, especially with under 5 hours in which to squeeze each session, but there were many moments where I would have loved more time to discuss and absorb the concepts that were presented to us. I felt it most keenly in the breakout rooms and certain sessions where we covered a number of theories in just a few minutes.

In summary

Despite these issues I am immensely grateful to the University of Leeds and to the team at Advance HE for for giving me the opportunity to take part in Aurora. The program has given me the chance to reflect not only on my own career, but also on the whole notion of leadership and what that means. As a result, I am more confident in my personal approach to work and career, and happier to consider myself a leader, despite not currently holding a formal leadership role.

Investing my time and focus on Aurora during the programme was so valuable, and having the opportunity to connect with Aurorans from across the University and the UK was a really affirming experience.

A few things that I enjoyed (and didn't) about the Aurora programme.
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Aurora Day 7 – Your Future in HE

For the penultimate Aurora session, the Northern cohort met in person for the first time. As our final facilitator-led session it really felt like the end of the Aurora programme. We met in the Queens hotel in Leeds and it was quite an experience being in such a big space with so many people. There was definitely a buzz and an energy that I don’t think you could have created online.

A large conference room with high ceilings and ornate arches and architraves is host to the Aurora session. Many women sit at tables, facing the platform where a speaker is talking, with a backdrop reading Aurora and an illustration of women's faces.

The event included a panel Q&A and several presentations that we then took back to our table for further (albeit brief) discussions. Some of the things that struck me as interesting from this day included:

We’re just starting our leadership journey

There was a definite emphasis on how we can keep up the momentum that we’ve generated through doing Aurora, continuing to be reflective and self-aware, as well as proactively managing our career.

One suggestion I particularly liked was that we make a note of our “light-bulb moments”. I took that to mean not allowing points of learning or self-awareness to slide by. Noting and then reflecting on them will allow us to build a better understanding of ourselves, and our environment.

Build a support network

Aurora has helped us make some connections with other Aurorans, and our mentors, but how can we continue to seek out new contacts and build a support network as we progress? I was struck by how this needs to be an active conscious process, and will change and evolve as we move through our career.

I’m planning on staying involved in the Aurora networks both at Leeds and from Advance HE, and remaining in contact with my Action Learning Set and my Mentor. However I need to think about what I’m looking to develop next and who I might be able to engage to help me.

We ARE the future

We’re all able to help shape the future that we want to see. As we progress and hopefully take on positions of leadership we should be using that opportunity to help promote a more equitable workplace. Be the change we want to see, and work to break down the obstacles we had to face ourselves.

Even with no conventional power we can still promote this. It might look like amplifying the voices of other women or people from minority groups in meetings, encouraging colleagues to apply for leadership roles, or taking on a mentor role ourselves.

And finally: Is there even such a thing as Leadership?

One of the Panel members Professor Linda Evans presented herself as leadership-agnostic and I thought it was an interesting viewpoint.

The suggestion is that leadership is a process, and doesn’t present as the few exerting control over the many, in a single direction. Influencing happens both ways, which means we are all leaders and can all exert influence. It doesn’t just happen through grand actions, but can often go without noticing, through micro gestures.

I really enjoyed the day. It was lovely to feel the energy of the Aurorans in the room and end the programme on a high.

I’d like to thank my table for really engaging with the work that we were tasked with, although I’d have loved to chat to you all for much longer!

Eight women sat at a round table smiling at the camera. They are all wearing turquoise Aurora lanyards. They are in a busy room filled with similar tables. Water bottles and notepads scatter the table.

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Aurora Reflections – Leadership and visibility

The guest speaker for my first Aurora session – Sally Jackson, said that the best piece of advice she had been given was “Be less available and more visible”. In our brief breakout session afterwards we talked about how this was a very powerful statement and what it might mean on different levels. A piece of Sally’s own advice was how you should try to align your values and beliefs with your actions and your institution’s actions to ensure that you feel authentic. After the session I found myself reflecting on both of these more and how they relate to one another.

Safeguarding your time – Not just ensuring you have the time you need to do your work but also to ensure you’re working on the right things. The things that align with your values and that you want to be visible for, are the ones you should be aiming to achieve.

Less available ≠ unavailable – Our speaker pointed out that she really values helping others but she realised that her open-door policy for her team didn’t allow her to do the work she needed. I will try to consider how I ensure that I’m present for those that need it, without it being detrimental to my own focus and workload.

Leadership = visibility – Discussing the difference between leadership and management one Auroran said “you can follow a leader, but you can’t follow a manager”. It highlighted that leadership often means a more visionary status, although our facilitator rejected that these were inherently different. However what it did raise in my mind was that you can’t be followed if people don’t see you.

The nature of roles in a university means that the higher you are, the more visible you become. You are asked to talk to or work with more colleagues, other teams, or even other institutions, and your profile is raised. As a result, working towards goals that match your values and beliefs becomes even more important. That authenticity allows you to confidently own your actions and making you more comfortable with your visibility.

Leadership on the small things – Whilst we’d all love to be a beacon of authenticity with noble and strategically important goals, reality is often more mundane. For those of us who aren’t in positions of leadership currently – How do we embrace small goals in a way that aligns with our values and beliefs? Especially when we perhaps don’t get to pick and choose our activities.

If I think of a task that my colleagues and I might be given – producing a instructional guide – I know that the way we approach it will be dependant on different factors: skills, circumstances, but also our internal priorities. One person might prioritise the aesthetic – adding visually appealing graphics. Someone else might who value linguistic qualities would want to ensure the piece is written in very clear English with precise grammar. Another person might value efficiency, and push for the work to be delivered as quickly as they can. All will (hopefully!) produce a guide to an acceptable standard and in most cases, no single way is “right”. Instead the output reflects the skills and priorities of that person.

I can see that even in these smaller tasks, understanding your values will allow you to produce work that you are proud of. If I know I am good at collaborating – I might be pleased that a guide is the work of several people. Working to your strengths and values could mean that you are more confident* in relaying what you’ve done, you talk more openly about your work and are remembered for it. As a result, you might attract people who value the same elements as you, and offer more opportunities. All these would also make you more visible in your area of expertise, increasing your leadership potential.

Having written all this down, it feels sensible and obvious. Unfortunately for me, it requires an understanding of self and values that doesn’t come easy to me. I hope that future Aurora sessions (and this blog) will help me grasp the ephemeral topic of my personal values and begin to work out which are the most important to me.


*as a slight aside, this shows how the fake-it-til-you-make-it approach might work, as you’re injecting the faux confidence at this point, and everything else comes from the confidence, rather than necessarily the task itself.