10 Leadership Lessons From 20 Years in Charge - Michelle Gander
“You learn the most from the things that didn’t go exactly according to plan.”
Ever been promoted into a leadership role and quietly wondered if you’re doing it right? Or found yourself stuck between backing your team and backing a decision you didn’t agree with?
Most leadership lessons aren’t taught in a course. They’re learned the hard way, through tough calls, awkward conversations and the jobs that scared us most.
In this special episode, Dr Luella Forbes turns the tables on co-host Associate Professor Michelle Gander, who shares the 10 leadership lessons she’s gathered over a 20-odd year career, most of it in leadership roles across universities in the UK and Australia. From choosing the scary job over the logical next step, to why you can’t be friends with your direct reports, to always disagreeing behind closed doors, Michelle and Luella unpack what it really takes to lead well, with plenty of honest stories from their own careers along the way.
In this episode:
01:43 - Lesson 1, self leadership: continued learning, taking the scary opportunities, and taking control of your future rather than waiting for change to happen to you.
07:42 - Lesson 2, trust your judgment: the time Michelle didn’t push her case, and why your “gut feel” is really years of experience at work.
14:37 - Lesson 3, get out of your team’s way: the cost of micromanaging, and what Luella learned leading a project where she had no technical expertise.
22:35 - Lesson 4, be empathetic: seeing the whole person, and why tough decisions are hard to make as well as hard to receive.
28:39 - Lesson 5, be authentic: authenticity as vulnerability plus boundaries, and why you should never say things you don’t mean.
33:25 - Lesson 6, you can’t be friends with your team: being friendly versus being friends, and how the role changes once you step into leadership.
39:15 - Lesson 7, always disagree behind closed doors: making your case in the room, then backing the decision once it’s made.
45:56 - Lesson 8, get people working across boundaries: breaking down silos and building your internal network.
49:38 - Lesson 9, know when you need help and ask for it: why asking for support shows confidence, not weakness.
52:42 - Lesson 10, be humble and surround yourself with people who can replace you: the difference between confidence and arrogance.
New episodes on a Wednesday, with interviews with leaders or experts every week and a monthly discussion episode at the end of the month.
We would love to hear from you. Share your thoughts on recent episodes or questions you would like Luella and Michelle to answer to [email protected].
Support this podcast by becoming a member and get access to bonus episodes containing work related advice from Luella, Michelle and expert guests as well as a monthly newsletter with access to tools and guidance from this week's advice episode.
Career Stories is brought to you by The Career Library.
Creators and Guests
Host
Dr Luella Forbes
Dr Luella Forbes is a consultant specialising in Organisational Change and founder of The Career Library and it's podcast, Career Stories.
