This article sets out to examine what is different about top leadership and what is required beyond proven professional competence to be highly effective at this level.
The article is a masterclass – essentially a thematic review and synthesis of some of the most influential ideas on the topic from research and practice over the last two decades.
The main conclusions are that: the top job is different, not just a step up, and has its own unique tasks that top leaders need to keep their focus on; effectiveness at this level requires more than generic professional competencies, it also requires finding an individual leadership voice and sense of higher ambition; and effectiveness at the top also requires the development of contextual awareness and sensitivity to find and rise to the right leadership challenge in the right institution at the right time.
The practical implications flow directly from the findings above.
