Making the link between the principles of effective leadership and mediation skills?
Claire Maxwell
Degree Programme Director/
Clinical Senior Lecturer
Post Grad Clinical Leadership
Newcastle University
April 2014

Introductions
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Name, role & organisation
One word to describe what ‘leadership’ means to you?

So - differing perspectives!

‘Seeing’ and ‘feeling’ leadership?
• Complex & multidimensional
• Difficult to define or indeed understand!
• Context specific
• NHS, Education, Armed Forces……..
• Despite complexity – we usually know when we
see it or feel it!
• Always know when its poor/ ineffective!

Main principles of effective leadership?

Principles of ‘effective’ leadership
Psychological theories view leadership as a social influence process – influencing followers to group goals
Business-orientated models place emphasis on the leadership of organisational functions

The ‘How’ & ‘What’ of Leadership
Kaiser et al (2012)
Organisational ‘What’
= vision, horizon scanning, strategy, goals, systems, innovation
Interpersonal ‘How’ = behaviour, connection to others, emotional intelligence, authenticity, integrity

The ‘how and ‘what’ of leadership…
Which is the most important??

The Apple Paradox

The question of leadership!
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Three key questions:
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1. Why should we look at leadership?
2. Why is it important?
3. How does it differ to management?

1. Why should we/you look at leadership?
(In context of HE/FE)

Why look at leadership?
Changing environment/ culture
Focus on funding/ financial issues
Competition from other universities/colleges
International market
New business elements introduced

2. Why is it important?

Why is it important?
Survival!!
Change management
Engagement of staff
Student/learners ‘journey’
Research & teaching quality
Performance indicators

3. How does leadership differ from management?

Leaders v Managers (Bennis 1998)
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Manager
Has their eye on the bottom line
Relies on control
Administers
Maintains
Has a short-range view
Asks how and when
Accepts the status quo
Does things right
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Leader
Has a vision & their eye on the horizon
Inspire trust
Innovate
Develop others
Has a long range perspective
Ask what and why
Challenges the status quo
Does the right thing

The biggest difference?
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Biggest difference between a leader and a manager rests on the status quo
“managers are willing to live with it and leaders are not”
(Warren Bennis 1998)

Culture & Context of Education
Environment of constant change
Significant amount of change management
Staff coping with change
– loss and grief
John Fisher’s
Model of
Transition
(2012)

Coping with workplace change

Leadership AND Mediation skills Mediation AND Leadership skills
So – surely effective leaders need to have excellent mediation skills!

Leadership and Mediation skills
Change management skills
Excellent communication
Emotional intelligence & influencing skills
Effective Leaders need:
Strategic understanding & vision
People skills & empathy
Authenticity & integrity
AND excellent mediation skills!

Culture of collaboration and engagement
“ like good leaders, good mediators motivate people to work through difficult problems in order to achieve particular goals”
(Hoffmann 2009)

Styles of Leadership in HE/FE?

Distributed Leadership

One definition…..
“The NHS needs people to think of themselves as leaders not because they are personally exceptional, senior or inspirational to others, but because they can see what needs to be done and can work with others to do it”
(Prof Kim Turnbull James 2011)

From Heroes to Teams………
Research suggests ‘Great
Man/ Heroic’ approach to leadership – outdated
Organisations to survive – need more transformational approaches
Leader as Coach
Distributed leadership
Encouraging effective ‘selfleadership’
Effective teamwork

How easy can that be?!

Herding Cats??

Leadership Dilemmas
Nothing is black and white
Strong networks
& support
Working in ‘grey’
Courage and self efficacy
Need tenacity & resilience
Constant dilemmas/ conflicts

Strong networks & supportive culture

How can we ‘measure’ culture?

‘Culture Barometer’
Culture is easier to
‘smell’ than it is to measure!

Edgar Schein - Culture & Leadership
“The bottom line for leaders is that if they do not become conscious of the cultures in which they are embedded, those cultures will manage them. Cultural understanding is desirable for all of us, but it is essential to leaders if they are to lead.”
(Edgar Schein 1992)

Mediators as part of this network?

Mediators to support and challenge?

Steven Covey
Argues the single most important behaviour for maintaining successful work relationships is to:
"seek to understand" before
"seeking to be understood"

Self - Leadership
“Its hard to lead others if you don’t know how to lead yourself, and you cant lead yourself without the right tools!”
(Blanchard 2014)