[00:00.9]
Hello and welcome along to Management Matters. We're a couple of weeks into the academic year now. Students have arrived. Welcome week is behind us. Teaching has begun. And after all the preparation, anticipation, last-minute changes, inevitable surprises, things might just be beginning to settle into something resembling business as usual.
[00:30.4]
Although, of course, in Higher Education, business as usual is a fairly flexible concept, and I imagine that if you're listening to this, you've had a pretty full few weeks. Perhaps you've been solving problems, responding to questions, supporting colleagues, dealing with things that haven't quite gone to plan.
[00:53.9]
Perhaps you've been trying to create a sense of calm and order for your team. Even when things have felt anything but calm or orderly for you, and perhaps underneath all the ordinary busyness of the start of term, there's something else going on.
[01:13.6]
Uncertainty about budgets, restructures, changes in leadership, and what the next few months might mean for you and the people you work with. So, got something a bit different for you today. For the next 15 minutes or so, I'd like to invite you to stop, not because there's nothing important to do, but kind of because there is, and because how you approach what comes next matters, find yourself somewhere comfortable.
[01:46.9]
You can close your eyes if you'd like to, or simply soften your gaze. Feel the chair supporting you. Feel your feet making contact with the floor.
[02:03.4]
And notice that for these next few minutes, there's nothing you need to respond to. No decisions you need to make. No questions you need to solve. No one you need to reassure.
[02:21.1]
Just this opportunity to be here with yourself.
[02:34.5]
Begin by noticing your breath. Don't need to change anything about it. Just notice the air moving in and out. The gentle movement of your chest. The rise and fall of your body.
[02:52.4]
And perhaps as you breathe out. You might allow your shoulders to soften a little, your jaw to relax, your hands to rest.
[03:13.9]
I wonder whether you've noticed just how fast you've been moving recently. Not necessarily physically, although perhaps that too, but mentally, the constant thinking ahead, anticipating problems, remembering things, checking that everyone has what they need,
[03:47.3]
making decisions.
[03:52.7]
Moving from one thing to the next, sometimes without even noticing that you've finished the thing before.
[04:04.6]
When life is busy, we can sometimes become so accustomed to operating at that pace that we forget it's possible to slow down.
[04:18.4]
Even when the immediate demands begin to ease, our minds and bodies can remain on high alert. As though something else is about to happen, something else will need our attention.
[04:37.7]
Something else might go wrong.
[04:44.3]
But right now, in this moment, you can allow yourself to slow down. Notice the surface beneath you. Notice the temperature of the air against your skin.
[05:05.0]
Notice the sounds around you, and remind yourself that you. Are here, not in the meeting you had yesterday, not in the conversation you're anticipating tomorrow, here, now.
[05:43.6]
Just for a moment, ask yourself, how am I actually feeling? Not how I think I should be feeling. Not how I'm presenting myself to other people.
[06:01.4]
How am I really?
[06:15.5]
Perhaps you're tired. Perhaps you're energised by the return of the students and the renewed sense of purpose that comes from the beginning of the academic year. Perhaps frustrated.
[06:33.8]
Worried. Perhaps you're feeling several things at once. Whatever you notice, see if you can allow it to be there without immediately trying to do something about it.
[06:52.0]
You don't have to fix how you feel. You can simply acknowledge it.
[07:03.6]
And perhaps you might ask yourself, "What do I need today?" Not what does everybody else need from me. What do I need?
[07:29.9]
Now I'd like you to think back over the last few weeks. Consider everything that has happened since the beginning of term. The work you've done, the conversations you've had, the decisions you've made, the challenges you've navigated.
[07:55.3]
Some of them may have been significant. Others might have been small things that nobody even noticed, but they all matter.
[08:15.0]
And I'd like you to notice something. You're here. You've navigated those first few weeks, not necessarily perfectly, not necessarily without making mistakes, difficult moments, or things you'd do differently, but you've done it, and I wonder how much of that you've actually acknowledged, because I know that people who care deeply about doing a good job can be remarkably quick.
[08:50.1]
To move past their successes.
[08:56.9]
Because I know that people who care deeply about doing a good job can be remarkably quick at moving past their successes. There's always something else that needs doing. Something that could have gone better.
[09:15.3]
Something that isn't quite finished. And before we know it, we've moved on without taking the time to recognise what we've actually achieved.
[09:35.1]
So I'd like you to bring to mind one moment from the last few weeks when you handled something well. Perhaps you solved a problem. Perhaps you supported a colleague. Perhaps you had a conversation you'd been putting off.
[09:55.8]
Perhaps you made a decision that wasn't easy. Perhaps you simply kept showing up and doing your job during a particularly demanding period. Whatever comes to mind, allow yourself to acknowledge it.
[10:18.8]
And now ask yourself, what does that moment tell me about myself?
[10:31.7]
What strengths did I demonstrate?
[10:38.1]
What did I know how to do?
[10:44.5]
What judgement did I exercise?
[10:56.9]
These things matter, because self-trust isn't about believing that you'll always get everything right. It's about knowing that you have the capacity to meet challenges, make decisions, learn, adapt, and respond, and you always already have evidence of that.
[11:21.6]
From these last few weeks, from the last few years, from everything you've experienced and learned along the way, you don't need to become a completely different person to lead well through the months ahead.
[11:40.1]
You can build on the person you already are.
[11:51.8]
Now I'd like to turn our attention to the months ahead. For some of you, the start of this academic year will feel exciting. For others, it might feel quite uncertain. Perhaps your institution is going through a restructure.
[12:11.2]
Perhaps there are conversations about finances, staffing and changes to services. Perhaps you know that difficult decisions are coming, and that you don't yet know what they'll be. And perhaps you're trying to support a team of people who have questions you simply can't answer.
[12:39.2]
Uncertainty can be deeply uncomfortable, especially. When you feel responsible for other people, it's natural to want to reassure them, to make things feel better, to give them some certainty about what's going to happen.
[12:59.0]
And sometimes, when we can't provide that uncertainty, we start to question ourselves: Am I doing enough? Should I know more? Should I be doing something differently?
[13:15.4]
But here's something I'd like you to consider: your ability to lead well is not dependent on your ability to predict or control what happens next. You can be a good manager or leader without knowing the outcome of a restructure.
[13:38.6]
You can be a good manager or leader without having all the answers. You can support people through uncertainty without pretending that everything will be fine.
[13:58.5]
So I'd like you to imagine, just for a moment, all the things. That are happening around you at work. The institutional decisions, the financial pressures, the different options and priorities, the things other people are responsible for, the decisions that haven't been made yet.
[14:26.6]
Imagine them spread out around you. You can see them. You can acknowledge that they're real, and you can recognise that some of them will affect you and your team.
[14:46.5]
You don't have to make yourself responsible for controlling them all.
[14:57.1]
Now bring your attention a little closer. To the things you can influence, the conversations you choose to have, the information you share, the decisions that are yours to make, the way you respond when someone brings you a concern, the way you organise your work, the way you treat people.
[15:29.3]
The way you treat yourself,
[15:35.0]
and ask yourself, where am I spending energy trying to control something that isn't actually within my control?
[15:58.5]
And then, where could my attention make a meaningful difference?
[16:12.2]
There's an important difference between taking responsibility and trying to control everything, and sometimes, particularly when things feel uncertain, we find ourselves doing more and more, taking on extra work, checking everything, trying to anticipate every possible problem, trying to protect everyone from disappointment, all in an attempt to create a sense of safety.
[16:44.7]
But doing more isn't always the same as leading better. Sometimes the most useful thing you can do is pause, recognise what is actually yours to influence, and make a considered choice about where you put your energy.
[17:09.0]
Now I'd like you to bring your attention to your team. Think about the people you work with. The people you manage, the people who look to you for guidance, support, or decisions.
[17:26.8]
Imagine them going about their working day. Perhaps they're settling back into familiar routines. Perhaps they're feeling tired after an intensity at the start of term. Perhaps they're anxious about changes happening around them.
[17:46.2]
And perhaps, like you, they're trying to work out what the coming months might look like.
[17:58.2]
I'd like you to consider a question: What would help my team feel more settled and able to do their work well?
[18:15.6]
Notice what comes to mind. Perhaps it's greater clarity about priorities. Perhaps it's an opportunity to talk openly about their concerns. Perhaps it's making some decisions that have been left unresolved.
[18:33.3]
Perhaps it's protecting some time for people to focus on their work without constant interruptions. Perhaps it's recognising how hard they've worked, and giving them some space to recover. Or perhaps it's simply having a manager who is willing to be honest about what they know, what they don't know, and what they'll do next.
[19:06.6]
Now consider this: your team doesn't need you to absorb everybody's anxiety. They don't need you to have a solution to every problem. They don't need you to pretend that difficult things aren't happening.
[19:29.2]
What they do need is someone who is willing to pay attention. Someone who will listen. Someone who will make decisions when decisions need to be made.
[19:48.4]
Someone who will be honest and fair. Someone who will take responsibility for things that are theirs to do, and help others take responsibility for theirs.
[20:08.6]
And perhaps as you think about this, you might recognise that stability isn't always about making things feel comfortable. Sometimes it's being willing to have an uncomfortable conversation. Sometimes it's about making a decision that someone won't like.
[20:32.2]
Sometimes it's about saying, "I don't know yet, but here's what I can tell you." Sometimes it's about setting a boundary, and sometimes it's about managing, and sometimes it's about trusting your team to manage something without stepping in to do it for them.
[21:00.9]
I'd like you to imagine doing these things. Imagine yourself in a team meeting. You're present. You're listening. You're not rushing to fill every silence. You're not trying to find the perfect thing to say.
[21:20.9]
You're simply paying attention to what's happening and responding thoughtfully.
[21:33.7]
You can be compassionate without taking the responsibility for everybody's feelings. You can be clear without being harsh, you can be honest without being unkind, and you can be confident in your judgement while remaining open to learning something new.
[22:08.9]
What would change if you trusted yourself to lead in this way?
[22:18.8]
As we begin to bring this meditation towards a close, I'd like you to think about the next few weeks. The start of term intensity is beginning to ease. The rhythm of the academic year is beginning to emerge.
[22:37.4]
You have an opportunity to decide how you want to approach this next phase. Not everything will be within your control. There will be interruptions. There will be unexpected challenges.
[22:55.6]
There may be difficult conversations and decisions, but there may also be opportunities to build relationships, to establish good working practices. To keep your team focused on what matters, to make thoughtful decisions, and to do work that you're proud of.
[23:21.2]
So I'd like you to ask yourself these three questions. First, what do I want to be known for as a leader this term? Not what do I want to achieve, but how do I want people to experience working with me?
[23:54.9]
Second, what is one thing I could do to help my team feel more stable and supported? It doesn't have to be a big thing. In fact, sometimes the smallest changes make the biggest difference.
[24:22.4]
And finally, what do I need to do differently to look after myself as I lead? Perhaps you need to take back your lunch break. Perhaps you need to stop checking emails in the evening.
[24:39.5]
Perhaps you need to have a conversation you've been avoiding. Perhaps you need to ask for help. Or perhaps you need to stop measuring your value by how much you can get done in a day.
[25:02.7]
Whatever has come to mind, see if you can allow it to settle. You don't have to create a whole plan right now. You don't need to turn this moment of reflection into another task. Just notice what feels important, and trust that you can return to it when you're ready.
[25:26.3]
Now bring your attention back to your body. Notice your breathing. Feel the contact between yourself and the floor. Feel the chair beneath you.
[25:45.8]
Perhaps take a slightly deeper breath. And as you breathe out, allow yourself to settle.
[25:58.3]
And before we finish, I want to leave you with a thought. You have already navigated so much. You have experience. You have judgement. You have the capacity to learn and adapt.
[26:14.6]
And even when things around you feel uncertain, you can trust yourself to respond to what comes next. You don't have to know everything. You don't have to get everything right. And you certainly don't have to do everything yourself.
[26:33.0]
You can slow down. You can think. You can make a choice. You can have a conversation. You can ask for help. And you can change your mind when you learn something new.
[26:51.6]
And you can keep becoming the leader you want to be, one decision and one conversation at a time.
[27:02.8]
So as you return to your day, remember this: you don't need certainty to lead with integrity. You don't need to control everything to make a meaningful difference. And you don't need to wait until you feel completely confident before you act.
[27:22.6]
You can trust yourself to find your way.
[27:30.3]
Take one final comfortable breath. Notice the space around you. When you're ready, gently bring your attention back to the room. Perhaps move your feet to your hands ever so slightly.
[27:48.7]
Open your eyes if they've been closed. Give yourself a moment before moving on. Thank you for taking this time for yourself. I hope you have a really good week, and I hope you remember that the way you lead yourself matters just as much as the way you lead everybody else.
[28:12.3]
Alright, take good care, and I'll speak to you very soon. Bye.
