Professor Sankar Sivarajah, Dean of the School of Management at the University of Bradford: Five Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective Leader During Turbulent Times
Be genuine, honest and authentic. Be a good listener. Be agile and respond in a timely manner. Be versatile, you can’t say ‘this is all I do’ anymore. I think it’s important to be hands-on at times. And most importantly be cooperative and curious. You can’t do it yourself. You have to collaborate. You have to work with people within your team, but equally with people outside of your team.
I had the pleasure of interviewing Sankar Sivarajah, Dean of the School of Management at the University of Bradford. An eternal optimist who believes good leadership is about remaining optimistic and being pragmatic in the stormiest of times, he adapts his style to the individual he works with and always makes sure to thank people for their hard work. Now at the helm, he’s working to cultivate an ethos at the school of management that’s built upon agility and versatility, and one that responds to an ever-changing world.
Thank you so much for your time! I know that you are a very busy person. Our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your ‘backstory’ and how you got started?
My first experience with UK business education started from the viewpoint of an international student pursuing quality higher education in the early 2000s with the aim to gain the required knowledge and skills to be involved in my family business back home in Sri Lanka. My journey, however, took an unplanned turn when I started my academic career at Brunel University London in 2014. I then joined the University of Bradford School of Management in 2017 to undertake a daunting but exciting opportunity to establish and lead an Academic Department focusing on Business Analytics, Circular Economy and Entrepreneurship . In 2019, I took on the role as the Dean of the School of Management.
Being a Dean was never originally on the cards for me, I actually never intentionally pursued a career in education, but now I’m leading a business school and all those same principles of entrepreneurship and business management still apply here as much as they would have if I’d be running a business in Sri Lanka!
It has been said that our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
I was once talking about the future of the school with our Vice Chancellor and other members of senior management team. I felt very passionate about what I was saying about the direction of the school.
However, after the meeting, another member of senior management team asked me if knew I was banging my hands on the table when I was talking. I had no idea!
So, I definitely learnt that day to watch my body language, especially in those high energy situations. If you truly want to get your message across you have to manage your emotions, lesson learnt.
Extensive research suggests that “purpose-driven businesses” are more successful in many areas. When your organization started, what was its vision, what was its purpose?
University of Bradford School of Management was established in 1963. It is one of the oldest university-based business schools. The origins can actually be traced back to 1832 and the opening of the Bradford Mechanics Institute. We have, from the outset, always been known for a progressive approach to business education with social responsibility as an honest purpose.
We continue with this vision as we want our students to feel included no matter their background, we want them to thrive at our school and then go out into the world become leaders who can and will tackle the real-life challenges of our society.
I think it’s important to learn about the heritage of your organisation before you implement your own changes. And I believe business schools should be known for being the place to be and to make that difference for the society at large. I am trying to build on that existing heritage at Bradford, which in many ways has been ahead of its time.
Thank you for all that. Let’s now turn to the main focus of our discussion. Can you share with our readers a story from your own experience about how you lead your team during uncertain or difficult times?
Being genuine, honest and human is key. If you’re not open and honest, people won’t be able to trust you. Even if there is a challenging time ahead, your team will want a sense of direction and an openness from you.
You also need to be adaptable to different people and lead them in a style that works for them. I know people talk about different leadership styles, but I’ve found being adaptable to different people, and being able to lead them in a style that actually works for them is more important than anything.
Be socially intelligent and be thoughtful. When the team does come to you with an issue, really try and help them solve the issue.
When I was a virtual leader during lockdown, the only way I succeeded was bringing people together. I stand by this principle.
Did you ever consider giving up? Where did you get the motivation to continue through your challenges? What sustains your drive?
Life has its ups and downs. The downs are natural. You get knocked down, your confidence gets knocked but that’s just part of life and being human.
But you have to remain hopeful, every day is a new day. And as a leader it’s important to be positive, and remain positive, people will look to you for guidance. Even if it feels like the ship is sinking, as a leader you have to remain calm and have the mindset to believe in that we can, and we will keep this ship afloat. Don’t hide anything from your team but keep the right can-do mindset and attitude and you are more likely to succeed.
What would you say is the most critical role of a leader during challenging times?
Bring people together and keep them together, but you can only do that by having a positive and ‘can do’ culture. I always think you can convince the minds of the people but winning their hearts is more important.
What is the best way to communicate difficult news to one’s team and customers?
You have to be able to communicate clearly. Maybe use data evidence and say this is where we are, this is where we need to go, and this is how we can achieve that. But don’t give any false direction, you really need to paint the picture as it is, with the plan ready of how you’re going to achieve success. I think a sense of direction gives people confidence and it will inspire them to come together in order to tackle the issues we face together.
Lastly, don’t forget to recognise the efforts people put in. Thank people for their time and contribution. As a leader, I think that goes a long way.
How can a leader make plans when the future is so unpredictable?
It’s impossible to avoid the unknowns, as a leader you just have to embrace them. That doesn’t mean you can’t ask for help, but you have to plan for the unplanned as much as you can and be in a place where you can embrace the unknown.
I always think agility and making timely decisions is important but, I have learnt this the hard way, don’t respond too quickly. Knee jerk reactions can be dangerous. You need to pause and reflect so you can respond in the correct way.
Is there a “number one principle” that can help guide a company through the ups and downs of turbulent times?
Celebrate every little bit of progress and every little milestone. Celebrate them because you don’t know what is coming next. That attitude brings in positivity and creates optimism. You’re also recognising the values and the achievements that have happened even during a difficult time.
When I do share my disappointment, with a team member, they know it’s more serious, as I aim to be appreciative and positive most of the time.
Can you share 3 or 4 of the most common mistakes you have seen other businesses make during difficult times? What should one keep in mind to avoid that?
In all business sectors I would say it’s lack of agility. If you’re not adaptable you will fail, look at all the businesses who have failed.
Things change so quickly in this environment. You don’t need to be changing your purpose and what you want to achieve all the time. But you have to be clued in with your environment, and not succumbing to external pressures. That’s why I say don’t change who you are. But change the strategy, improve your agility, the type of business you do and the types of customers you appeal to. And if you’re too bureaucratic with a lot of red tape, that might be harder to achieve.
Finally, you need to be resourceful. Business schools tend to say we are under pressure, such as workload, budgets etc. That’s the easy way out. How can we be resourceful with the resources we have, and be creative in the way we approach things? Can we do something differently? I guess it’s more of a question. We might not have an answer. But if we work together to be resourceful, we could make real change. Look at the coronavirus pandemic lockdowns, we found new ways to be resourceful. There’s a lesson there.
Here is the primary question of our discussion. Based on your experience and success, what are the five most important things a business leader should do to lead effectively during uncertain and turbulent times?
Be genuine, honest and authentic. Be a good listener. Be agile and respond in a timely manner. Be versatile, you can’t say ‘this is all I do’ anymore. I think it’s important to be hands-on at times. And most importantly be cooperative and curious. You can’t do it yourself. You have to collaborate. You have to work with people within your team, but equally with people outside of your team.
Can you please give us your favourite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
At this point in my life and career I would have to say ‘Every Day is a New Day.’ This helps me to reflect and appreciate life, but also motivates me to be ready to take on new opportunities.
How can our readers further follow your work?
- Google Scholar — https://scholar.google.co.uk/citations?user=IEQ2SUsAAAAJ&hl=en
- The Conversation — https://theconversation.com/profiles/sankar-sivarajah-1185453/articles
- LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/sankarsivarajah/
- Twitter — https://twitter.com/sankarsivarajah
