{"id":1697,"date":"2025-03-09T08:17:45","date_gmt":"2025-03-09T08:17:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/21percent.org\/?p=1697"},"modified":"2026-10-18T04:46:22","modified_gmt":"2026-10-18T03:46:22","slug":"thoughts-of-a-vice-chancellor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/21percent.org\/?p=1697","title":{"rendered":"Thoughts of a Vice Chancellor"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

(Image Credit: Simon Walker, licensed under Creative Commons<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Professor Deborah Prentice, Vice Chancellor of Cambridge University, has offered up ‘Six Tips to Flourish as a Leader<\/em>‘ in the Times here<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“1<\/strong>. Don\u2019t let other people frame your agenda<\/strong>. Everyone will try, whether they intend to or not. Listen and respond, but then reflect on what you want to take on board.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Know your time and place<\/strong>. Ask yourself, why am I the best person to lead this organisation now? And if you cannot come up with an answer, freshen up your resum\u00e9.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Don\u2019t be afraid to repeat yourself. <\/strong>Clear communication is your most important tool and your biggest challenge. If you want to get a message across, say it again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Make all your behaviours count, even the casual, spontaneous ones<\/strong>. People in your organisation will pay much more attention to your behaviour than you realise. Make sure what they see is what you want them to see.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Set goals for where you want your organisation to be in one year, three years, and just after you step down<\/strong>. That is the best piece of advice I received when I took my current job. I would add, update the goals each year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. Remind yourself and others what is best about your organisation.<\/strong> It is easy to focus on the challenges and overlook the things that are going well. Take time to enjoy the good parts and don\u2019t be afraid to cheerlead.” [The Times, also on LinkedIn here<\/a> ]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Well, there’s no arguing with this. It’s happily free from iconoclasm, blissfully incontestable. The Vice Chancellor has us here. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is even a case for getting out the pencil, underscoring a few lines and noting “How very true”, followed by some carefully executed exclamation marks in the margin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The main problem facing the leadership of any large organisation is the issue of power being so far removed from the people it affects. Those at the top of a university are as distant from the everyday realities as a queen is from her serfs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 21 Group made the following suggestion via email, sent two times in 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Dear Professor Deborah Prentice,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Can we suggest Vice Chancellor surgeries<\/a> like the ones run by Shearer West in University  of Nottingham. They are very successful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once a month, staff can book a slot to talk to Vice Chancellor Shearer West about any concerns they may have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We’d love to tell you about the need for the 21 Group at a surgery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

21 Group<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The suggestion was not acknowledged. (Incidentally, Prof Shearer West moved to be Vice Chancellor of Leeds University in November 2024).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Cambridge, the voices of those on the ground are drowned out by the echoes of the highly-placed Registrary, HR Director, Heads of Schools and pro-Vice Chancellors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s like trying to hear whispers from the depths of a well while those at the top are enjoying good bottles of vintage wine. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(Image Credit: Simon Walker, licensed under Creative Commons) Professor Deborah Prentice, Vice Chancellor of Cambridge University, has offered up ‘Six Tips to Flourish as a Leader‘ in the Times here “1. Don\u2019t let other people frame your agenda. Everyone will try, whether they\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1705,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1697","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t