Sam Ellis's Postscript

What organisational ‘units’ or ‘levels’ do you work with most effectively?

Committee work generally has little impact, while networks are far more effective. It’s about getting to the right people at the right time – otherwise, educational developers can often find themselves late to the party. Getting involved in programme approval and review is a good tactic, so a calendar of this cycle is a valuable resource.

Are the structures in place to enable you to work with leaders in L&T, or does this rely largely on relationships and networks you’ve developed with them?

Few formal structures exist, while relationships are somewhat ad hoc. Formalised procedures around programme approval and review is a good start. When working with programme leaders, a PL Forum or a ‘New to Programme Leadership’ course can also pay dividends.

What ‘tone’ do you take with leaders in L&T? In a nutshell, how do you talk to them?

Is there a change in tone? Yes and no. But do reflect on your tone, at the very least. Be self-aware. When working with new programme leaders, be aware that you may recognise their potential, while they don’t!

Roni spoke about tone in the context of ‘ways of thinking’ and ‘ways of practicing’ for educational developers.

How do you support leaders in L&T when they are making their transition into those roles? How should we support them?

Ideas here included: providing some web resources; formal and informal mentoring; perhaps most importantly, demonstrating clearly the investment in these people, for example by supporting them towards Senior Fellowship.

In the longer term, how do you nurture prospective leaders in L&T? How should we nurture them?

This can be done formally, through workload recognition (allocation), promotion routes, etc. It can also be woven into conversations around UKPSF D3 (Senior Fellow). Institutionally, it’s important not to just go to the same people all the time – there’s often people ‘in the background’ who have great potential. Those who do show obvious potential are often most at risk from burnout, so tread carefully.

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