We talk a lot about leadership in the tertiary sector and about leaders. But what makes a good one?
There are plenty of textbook answers, but not a lot hold water if you try to build consensus or even a broad common understanding between students, staff on the picket line, retirees writing furious letters about the state of the sector and those few who breathe rarified air from the Vice-Chancellor or CEO chair.
With the latest ranking of highly cited researchers now available from Clarivate (see our other news story today), should we be looking to large offshore publishing houses to identify our research leaders?
The best leaders are not necessarily those in the news, or those who are top of mind – although of course, they may be.
We want more conversations about who makes a good leader and why and what major issues those leaders will have to tackle in the year to come.
That is why we have established the 26 to watch in 2026 feature. It is not just a list of individuals, contentious inevitably for those who are off it as much as those who make it in. It is a catalyst to more discussions about what good leadership looks like and why.
We are looking for your input, with a four-minute survey asking you for insights into who you think is most influential and the issues they must address in the year to come.
1 Dec Free Webinar: 26 Leaders to Watch in ‘26
The initial results are fascinating and we will talk through the analysis during our free webinar on 1 December, when we talk through who has been nominated on our leadership list and why.
We will also be inviting a number of guests to join us for the webinar in the hope that it might prompt wider discussions, in a sector where leadership and governance have been key pain points throughout 2025.
Is it possible to have a leader who is lauded by staff, students, public and the all-powerful phalanx of regulators that Jason Clare is installing at his right hand as we speak? Is it also possible that there are different definitions and different exemplars depending on whether you are hunting for a job, a pay rise or a scalp in internecine internal disputes? Of course. But unless we start building insights about each other’s perspectives, and initiating conversations to hear various points of view, we will remain a long way from greatness.
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