{"id":635,"date":"2023-04-06T10:46:30","date_gmt":"2023-04-06T00:46:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thebuzz.net.au\/educateplus-vic-tas\/?post_type=article&p=635"},"modified":"2023-04-06T10:51:44","modified_gmt":"2023-04-06T00:51:44","slug":"leadership-and-the-importance-of-timing","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/www.thebuzz.net.au\/educateplus-vic-tas\/article\/leadership-and-the-importance-of-timing\/","title":{"rendered":"Leadership and the Importance of Timing"},"content":{"rendered":"
By Robert Blandford<\/a><\/strong> | Associate Director Alumni Relations | University of Tasmania<\/h6>\n
Article originally published in the Educate Plus Face-2-Face Magazine<\/a><\/strong>, November 2022<\/h6>\n

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In that moment of terror when an email lands in your inbox asking you to write an article about leadership, imposter syndrome kicks in; you think, \u201cI am the last person they should be asking. I don\u2019t think I\u2019m a good leader\u2026 yet!\u201d<\/p>\n

These were the thoughts that flashed through my mind when Mandy McFarland\u2019s email popped into my inbox, asking me to write such an article. Wrongly or rightly, those thoughts are still part of the picture of my leadership journey \u2026 but only part.<\/p>\n

For those of you who don\u2019t know me already, before moving to Tasmania, I spent 13 years working at UWA in Perth. Half of that time was spent in the Faculty of Engineering in various administrative roles, and the rest in a vibrant and fun Alumni Relations team, with my manager Jenn Parsons giving me the bug for this work. Once the bug had bitten me, it bit hard.\u00a0 Once you\u2019ve tasted the excitement of seeing people get a kick out of their involvement with their alma mater<\/em>, it\u2019s hard to go back!<\/p>\n

Fast forward to 2021: I found myself leading Alumni Relations at a university over 3,000km away and with a very different climate. How was it?\u00a0 Hard. Hard to make the adjustment. Hard to settle into a new place after being in Perth for so long. Hard to lead<\/em> a team when I\u2019d only been a team member<\/em> before.<\/p>\n

When I arrived at UTAS, I wanted to change everything immediately and somehow expected everyone to come along on the journey with me. I made an arrogant and silly error \u2013 I forgot how long it had taken me <\/em><\/strong>to learn all the stuff I was preaching. I was guilty of expecting others to come along on my journey without taking the time to teach, tell, show, explain and allow people to digest.<\/p>\n

Fifteen months later, I have settled into a groove.\u00a0 I haven\u2019t \u201cgiven up\u201d or decided it\u2019s all too hard, but I have learned that everyone needs to deal with change at their own speed.\u00a0 You can\u2019t drag people into the river to swim. You need to show them gently; be kind, be patient, and if necessary, jump into the water with them.<\/p>\n

Now I have relaxed and settled into my role, I have fallen in love with my team. Each of these individuals are amazing humans and have unique and extraordinary qualities to bring to their roles.\u00a0 I love working with them and, above all, I love seeing the work they can produce when they\u2019re given the time, space, and trust to get on with what they do best.<\/p>\n

I know that I still have a role to play in helping to push boundaries and help people see the potential they can fulfill \u2013 but I don\u2019t need to do it through brute force.\u00a0 I can do it through gentle encouragement and quiet leadership. And, laughter\u2026 don\u2019t forget laughter.<\/p>\n

So, what are my tips for leadership so far?<\/p>\n