Being a leader is much more than having a leadership title, suggests Joanne Ciulla. Leadership is interactive and involves multilayered connectivity among tens, hundreds, sometimes thousands of people on both a rational, emotional and a deeply moral level. It requires the development of a shared vision of what good is and a commitment to some commonly held principles that underpin the realisation of that vision.
Without successful leadership, organisations themselves struggle to thrive. Arguably, one of the biggest differentiating factors in organisational and team success is the quality of leadership itself and it comes at a premium. Across all sectors, leadership “remains the No. 1 talent issue facing organizations around the world” (Schwartz et al., 2014).
The future of leadership in higher education is particularly relevant at this time where we find ourselves at a crossroads during a time of profound challenge and change. Our institutions require great leadership to plan, organise, coordinate, motivate and inspire in order to achieve the best possible outcomes.
Increasingly, Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are seeking to identify effective, agile and multi-skilled approaches to deliver to enable and support academic leadership.
