Sit on enough recruitment panels and you’ll hear someone want to reject a talented applicant because they’ll think they’ll get poached after a couple of years and leave. That never made any sense to me. I’ve only ever hired people who will leave for more senior posts if there’s no 1/

In every organisation, there are people, gifted people, who know that things can be, should be, done differently. Who know how to change the status quo. Who know how to create positive change. The problem, mostly, is the organisation restrains them, restricts them through hierarchies, 1/

If you’re a leader, model hard work, model ethics, model authenticity, model focus. Absolutely. But, most importantly, model resting. Normalise resting, normalise separation from work, switching off, doing nothing or doing anything else but work. Put ‘out of office’ on and mean it.

I’ve mentored a lot of aspiring leaders over the years and self-doubt comes up frequently when they outline their development needs. It’s usually seen as a flaw, a barrier in their leadership journey. But constructive self-doubt is essential for leadership. It sharpens judgement, 1/

Ask yourself: if you started a university from scratch, what would it look like? How would it be structured? What courses would be in the portfolio? What research would you do? What people would you need and what skills, behaviours and motivations would they have? How would you create a 1/

Everyone is about values until those values are tested. It’s easy to talk about integrity, respect, or transparency when things are going well. It’s much harder to live by them when the stakes are high, when a decision comes with a cost. That’s the real test of values. 1/

If meritocracy was real, organisations would rarely fail. But they do. And not because people aren’t talented, but because talent is not always the primary criteria for who is recruited and who is promoted. Organisations primarily fail when familiarity is valued over competence, when networks 1/

In the second act of the AI revolution, the humanities fight back.

In a cost of living crisis, food needs to become central to university life. At BNU, where once we contracted an expensive external company, last year we worked with our Students’ Union to take over our entire catering operation. The results have been amazing:

Universities should contain both difficulty and ease. Learning should be difficult. The process of learning is, by its very nature, difficult, and that is no bad thing. For everything else, for every other element of the student experience, there should be ease. Applying should be easy. 1/

International students aren’t migrants, they’re an engine of growth. The article nails it: we’ve allowed the narrative to drift from talent attraction to border control through a levy on international students. And the consequences are real. International students bring ideas, energy, global 1/

Everyone wants accountability until they get it. Everyone says it should be the norm but real accountability is uncomfortable. It means owning outcomes, not just intentions. It means hearing hard truths. Real accountability isn’t about blame or control, it’s about trust, transparency, and the 1/

Solving problems in organisations is too often over complicated. Sure, some problems require months of task and finish groups and working parties and extraordinary committees but most don’t. Usually it’s a lack of will to make a decision and take accountability that forestalls resolution. 1/

‘It’s about shaping the story of a university in transformation’. Now we’ve appointed a superb new Director of Brand, Marketing and Communications, we’re recruiting two more posts for our new in-house agency: a Senior Creative Lead and Senior Marketing Lead. jobs.bucks.ac.uk/vacancies.ht...

We’re now recruiting for an independent member of our BNU Council and we’re particularly interested to hear from candidates with a background in entrepreneurship, innovation, and start-ups. Fantastic opportunity to join our governance and help us continue our recreation of what a university can be.

Always be recruiting. Always be looking out for the talented, the original thinkers, the ones who do more than talk. Take note of those who create impact regardless of their position, the big successes, the small achievements that signal real ability. Keep an eye on those who develop others 1/

We celebrate learning. New skills. New systems. New technologies. But we rarely talk about unlearning. Unlearning is harder. It means letting go of what once worked, of habits that once brought success, of assumptions that once felt true. It’s uncomfortable because it asks us to question 1/

After three days spent with AI researchers from around the world, one thing is very clear to me: we need the humanities and social sciences more than ever. We need philosophers to ask about ethics and responsibility. We need sociologists to understand how technology reshapes relationships, 1/

We have a very clear philosophy of estates at BNU now. For us, it means creating a physical environment that meets the needs of students first and foremost. Spaces that prioritise learning, community and wellbeing. Spaces created in a cost of living crisis context that include commuter kitchens, 1/

Recruitment is an act of imagination. Yes, it’s about role purpose, criteria, job descriptions, reporting lines, accountabilities, all of that. But at its heart, at its essence, it is the imagination of potential. That so many recruiting managers lack imagination is the problem.

Leadership is knowing when to compromise and when to be uncompromising. Be uncompromising with purpose and values, ethics, the student experience, responsible spending, developing people, respect and dignity. Everything else is suitable for compromise.

Just over 2 weeks left to apply to be our first Chief Student Experience Officer, overseeing the entire student journey from outreach to alumni. Superb opportunity to create a student experience beyond expectations. www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DOY621/c...

We don’t value questions enough at work. We prioritise answers and solutions, we reward confidence and promote people who ‘know’. But the best people I’ve worked with weren’t the ones with all the answers, they were the ones who asked the best questions. 1/

Interview questions sent out 72 hours in advance; mandatory diverse panels; applicants designing their own job descriptions; recruitment as dialogue. Great piece from our Chief People Officer Rachael Cornwall on our inclusive recruitment strategy www.peoplemanagement.co.uk/article/1934...

I miss the days when higher education was seen as a social good, a national treasure. When the social, cultural and intellectual contribution of higher education was valued as highly as economic contribution. When students from poorer backgrounds had proper financial support. When the humanities 1/

Another article below reporting the denigration of Gen Z, this time for the argument that their values don’t align with organisations. Gen Z doesn’t want “workcentrism” and endless grind. They want purpose, balance, inclusion, and mental health. That’s not entitlement, that’s progress. 1/

We’re now recruiting for our first Chief Student Experience Officer at BNU, leading professional service teams from outreach through to alumni. I’m biased but this will be an amazing job. Reshares appreciated alumniglobal.com/job/cseo-bnu

One of the greatest leadership attributes is the willingness to change direction. Not constantly (that is its own problem) but on critical occasions, when evidence changes. It needs to be essential criteria in job descriptions. It needs to be emblazoned on appraisals. It needs to remain 1/

The problem with many university strategies is that they’re completely divorced from reality. Launched with fanfare, press releases and high quality videos, the people of the university mostly roll their eyes because there is no acknowledgement of the problems that need to be solved. 1/

Reminder of the next session of the Working Class Leaders in Higher Education Network tomorrow at 3pm with Maria Delgado - we’ll be talking class, creative arts and leadership. Not to be missed. www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/working-cl...

‘Disadvantage gaps open early and run deep in this country’. New Sutton Trust report below finds very little change in the backgrounds of Britain’s ‘elites’, the pipeline from private school to high tariff uni to top jobs very much intact. There is some progress in higher education 1/

Recruit people who will help you sleep at night. Talent that will allow you go on holiday, relax, and not worry about what’s going on at work. A team where you don’t need to plan for someone deputising because they’re all top of their game. Recruitment as wellbeing.

𝗔𝗜 𝘄𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴. But it is already reshaping how leaders reflect. I’ve written about what the research says, and why I created TalkSavvy™ Coach, an AI reflection partner for school leaders. Read here 👉 www.malcpd.com/post/why-we-... #edusky #AI #UKEd #TalkSavvy

After a hiatus, the Working Class Leaders in Higher Education Network is back with a bang: delighted to kick off with Prof Maria Delgado, Vice Principal at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. Details below. www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/working-cl...

As we continue to recreate BNU, we’re now recruiting for a Director of Brand, Communications and Marketing. Crucial senior leadership role for shaping our future. Reshares appreciated. jobs.bucks.ac.uk/vacancy/dire...

The more experienced we become, the more we need to put ourselves in situations where we become novices. Read about subjects you know nothing about. Attend conferences where you only understand 5%. Network with experts from completely different industries. 1/

Absolutely delighted to see that BNU has risen 75 places in the Postgraduate Taught Experience survey, now ranking us 14th in the country for PG. The perfect testament to the changes we’ve made and the excellence of our colleagues. www.bucks.ac.uk/news/bnu-ris...

We’re recruiting for a new professor - great opportunity to join BNU and help us develop a truly inclusive research culture. Reshares appreciated. jobs.bucks.ac.uk/vacancy/prof...

25 years ago this week, I started my education career. Half my life. Aimless until then. Meandering. But stepping into teaching for the first time felt like home, where I was supposed to be. Driving my clapped out car insanely early, walking into Lewisham College for the first time, 1/

I’ve been reading a lot about AI. The promised transformation of education; the death of the university; the end of the physical teacher; the demise of the classroom. I’ve been around long enough to have heard this all before. Don’t get me wrong, I see the potential of AI. I use AI. But let’s 1/

Good HR is more than managing processes, it’s about helping people to flourish and health needs to be a priority. So at BNU, all our colleagues now get access to 24/7 counselling and access to an online GP from 8am to 10pm, a full medical service and unlimited consultations. Proper HR

The problem with most restructures is that they’re top down. They too often start with a partial exec perspective that determines the shape of the organisation, partiality, a perspective that proceeds from the imagination rather than reality. 1/

At BNU, we’ve designated Fridays a meeting free day. We’re cutting committees by 60%. We’ve made it the norm not to email or call after 6pm or at weekends. We’ve simplified processes like course approval and business planning. We’ve devolved budgets to end protracted multi-stage sign offs. 1/

The profit motive is incompatible with the education motive. Completely incompatible.

There are many reasons for wanting to become a leader and a lot of them are bad. Do it for the meaning of the work. Do it for students. Do it to help build careers. Do it for social impact. Do it because it provides a platform to challenge inequalities in the sector. Otherwise, what’s the point?

One of the best things about the exec team at BNU, if I come up with an idea that’s not going to work, they tell me it’s not going to work and why. No sugar-coating, no artificial deference or demurring, just the unalloyed truth. Honestly, if you’re a leader, surround yourself with people 1/

I like children calling out as their mothers and fathers walk across the graduation stage. I like the impromptu dances. And the blowing of kisses to loved ones. And the tributes to loved ones who have passed. I like the national dress, the untraditional attire, even the smuggled-in air horns. 1/

Science fiction

‘AI is not going to remove the bias from your hiring processes at this point. AI doesn’t think’. Completely unsurprising results on a study below looking at AI recruitment, with women and Global Majority data-profiles being advised to ask for a lower salary. AI is built on biases and bad advice 1/

People need space to fail. The space to fail well, naturally, through experiment, through risk. Fail. Let failure be celebrated, let failure be public, let failure be normalised. Fail productively. Bake it into culture. Hardwire it into practice. Acknowledge its inevitability, its necessity. 1/