News & Publications

I have named this blog, ‘Leading from the Side’ because it sums up my approach to leading a residential college full of young people, aged 17-22. I would argue that young people give very little credence to positional leadership, they aren’t going to follow just...

As we enter the last few weeks of this semester at College, it is important for me to think about next year. Because I value and respect my students, I have held two significant surveys to work out what level of changes are needed in order to go into 2020...

On Wednesday this week, I sat in a meeting that is now a quarterly ritual: the Investment Committee meeting. As a person who prides herself in her competence, the Investment Committee meeting makes me feel that I am in a room where others are speaking an entirely...

Recently, our Commerce faculty dinner featured two speakers who were both outstanding. One of them described himself by his Myers-Briggs Type and wondered how many Commerce students were the same type (it was INTJ for those wondering).  Some of my colleagues...

I have been thinking of that quote, ‘If you love what you do you’ll never work a day in your life.’ Attributed on the internet to Mark Twain, Marc Anthony and even Confucius, the quote obviously still has a lot of currency with people, even though we don’t know who...

A couple of weeks ago, I shared the story of my third-grade teacher and her influence on my aspirations.  She predicted that I would be President of the United States. As I have written about previously, while her aspirations for me helped me leave home for...

When I moved to Australia 30 years ago, I learned quickly that a trait I had learned growing up, being an affirming person, sat uncomfortably in Australia with some of my colleagues. I would go out of my way to affirm their teaching, their thinking or their...

When I was in the third grade, my teacher told the class that one day, I would be President of the United States. We were learning about the US political system, and Vincent Lee had asked her if she had ever taught a president before (she was in her first year...

In a recent post, , I tell the story of an important mentor in my life. Without her influence throughout university, I would not be who I am today, and she was just one of my mentors. I have been blessed with adults throughout my life, a little further down the road...

As part of this leadership series, I have discussed the three lessons I have learned as a leader. This week is the final lesson: bring the best of who you are to what you do and always play to your strengths.  Some of my peers read voraciously about leadership....

Real leadership means doing the right thing, even when it is hard and you feel alone.  When I took up the role of Head at my first residential College, I was only 35 years old. Nothing had really prepared me for the role or how to manage the situation I walked...