The Women's Leadership Network aims to develop a strong, dynamic and influential network of women leaders, to promote equality of opportunity throughout the FE system.
Contact: Sue Daley
Telephone: 07734 923013
Email:
sue.daley@wlnfe.org.uk
WLN editorial Why be a leader? Good question! And sometimes the one that bounces back when I suggest that a talented woman might look at the next stage of her FE career. It always makes me stand back, because leadership roles have always given me such satisfaction and enjoyment in the past and it’s difficult for me to understand why someone wouldn’t want to progress in her career. Even when times are tough, as they habitually are in FE, the challenge is often what gets us out of bed in the morning and what brings us the greatest feelings of achievement. These are some of the things I’ve heard women say when they’ve been prompted to think about a new leadership role - you might recognise them:
On the other hand:
Some of these might resonate and some infuriate! But I’m not here to pronounce on what’s right or wrong for you or any other individual. I am, though, interested in what motivates people into becoming leaders. How do you know whether it’s right for you or not? I’d say these reasons all need proper interrogation before anyone makes a life-changing decision based on them. I’d like, in this limited space, to address a few of the ‘cons’, though, just because the idea of losing talented women from leadership roles in FE fills me with despair! There are real or perceived difficulties that a post with more responsibility can bring. Work/life balance has always been a delicate thing for women; some of us don’t have demanding domestic commitments, but many of us do and it’s often the case that even if women don’t forgo promotion, they delay until they feel their situation is more manageable. And it’s not just the domestic context which affects women’s decision-making. The WLN did some research in 2011 into flexible employment opportunities in FE (Making Strides*) and found, inevitably, a range of practices, some of which encourage and some actively discourage women from increasing their professional responsibilities. There’s still work to be done on creating the conditions for matching up work and family commitments. I’m always disappointed at the number of women who apply for Principals’ posts and I wonder if it has something to do with the way we sometimes see ourselves. There is still a common, often unacknowledged, perception that Principals behave in certain, defined ways which are not the ways some women want to behave themselves – and there may be something in that. Certainly, there are very different role models out there, men and women. Successful Principals come in all sizes and shapes and no woman should be put off considering the job because she doesn’t see herself already in it somewhere. In other words, there’s no perfect model. There’s a quite a spectrum of women principals around, many of whom are attempting to balance domestic and professional circumstances. We have / had: young ones (the youngest 31, no mean feat); older ones whose families have grown up; women with young children; women who entered FE as a second, even third career from another sector; single women; women from various curriculum and business support backgrounds…. etc. And there’s always a place for an innovative and new approach. The ‘cons’ that concern me most are the self-limiting ones; we can be our own worst enemies. Studies have shown that women are far more prone to under-estimating our capabilities than men are. We often feel we have to be able to do the higher level role, tick everything off the Job Description and Person Specification before we even consider applying. And of course this is a generalisation, but men don’t do this, even though it’s very doubtful that they would be any better experienced or qualified than interested women. And in this case at least, I think they’re on to something! If we all believe in learning as a way of life, we should be able to accept that we will always have something to learn even in a new, higher level job. I’ve never started a new job without thinking, on the first day ‘I hope I’m up to this!’ but the process of learning is addictive enough to help me over that. Why be afraid – of change, of responsibility - when you will undoubtedly be able to point to huge achievements in both your personal and professional lives which are just as demanding as the requirements of the next job? Women are nothing if not resourceful! It’s such an individual decision – a life-decision, not just a career one. You have to want it and for the right reasons: there’s no such thing as ‘leadership for its own sake’. Leading people is a responsibility and also a privilege. I don’t think it’s easy – but then I don’t think getting fit, or writing a novel or raising children are easy either, but there is immense personal satisfaction to be had out of all of them. And since we spend so much time at work, let’s get as much out of it as we can! *The WLN’s Annual Conference – 24 May 2012 – will have the findings of Making Strides as a central theme. Download your copy here
Sue Daley, |
Sue Daley, director
Annual WLN Conference Scaling the Heights - challenging views of leadership and governance in FE
The Latest WLN News Read our latest Spring e-bulletin 2012 gender research identifies glass ceiling gets lower. Click here to read the new report Two new WLN regional network groups have launched this spring - one more to go! Yorkshire & Humberside Regional Network launch on 17 May 2012 convened and hosted by Barnsley College. Other network dates and more details.. Making Strides is making waves! The results of LSIS funded WLN research into flexible working is now available - download a copy today! If you do not have Adobe Acrobat on your computer you can download and install it from here.
|
|||
|
|
|
