Management Matters | Notes from an HE Coach

Fiona Bicket
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Management Matters is a podcast for Higher Education Professional Services staff who want to become more confident, effective managers and leaders. Hosted by Fiona Bicket, specialist self-belief coach and former HE manager, each episode explores what's actually going on at work and what to do about it. From difficult conversations, delegation and accountability to leadership development, career progression and navigating the realities of Higher Education, you'll find practical insights, thoughtful reflection and real-world management advice grounded in the HE context. If you're a manager, aspiring leader or Professional Services colleague who wants work to feel clearer, more manageable and more effective, you're in the right place. You can find out about ways to work with me at https://www.fionabicket.co.uk/

  1. 4d ago

    Episode 30 - How to Find your Leadership Style

    How do you work out what kind of leader you want to be? This week's episode was inspired by a question from a coaching client who had recently started their first line management role. They asked me: "How do I figure out what my leadership style is?" It's a really good question, and one that I think quite a few people ask themselves when they first move into management. The reality is that many people stumble into their leadership style. They try different approaches, notice what feels comfortable, see what works and gradually develop their own way of doing things. But I think there's something to be said for being a little more intentional about it. In this episode, I'm exploring some of the things that can help you develop a leadership style that feels authentic, grounded and aligned with who you are. Start with your values One of the most useful starting points is understanding your personal values. Your values influence what feels right to you, how you make decisions and how you respond when things become challenging. They can also help explain why certain management situations feel uncomfortable or create a sense of internal conflict. Perhaps there's a gap between how you believe you should behave and what you feel you're being asked to do. Or perhaps one of your values is being expressed in a way that's no longer particularly helpful. For example, compassion is a wonderful value. But when compassion becomes overexpressed, it can lead us towards rescuing people, taking responsibility for things that aren't ours to manage or allowing personal circumstances to influence decisions that need to be made on a different basis. Understanding your values helps you recognise those patterns and make more deliberate choices. Download the Grounded Manager Values Exercise I've created a free worksheet to help you identify and explore your values. It includes some questions to get you thinking, followed by an extensive list of values to help you work out which ones really matter to you. You might find that several words initially resonate, such as honesty, transparency and truthfulness. Part of the exercise is working out which of those best captures what's important to you. Download the free Grounded Manager Values Exercise I'd love to know what you discover if you give it a try. What happens when your values are tested? It's relatively straightforward to say that you value compassion, fairness or honesty when everything is going well. But what happens when you're faced with a difficult management decision? In the episode, I use the example of a manager who has been asked to make significant staffing reductions. How do you remain aligned with your values while making decisions that will inevitably have difficult consequences for other people? And how do you make sure those values aren't pushing you towards decisions that are outside your responsibilities or aren't appropriate for the situation? This is where understanding your values becomes particularly useful. It's not simply about knowing what matters to you. It's about learning how to put those values into practice, including when the circumstances are uncomfortable. The difference between management and leadership I also explore how I think about the distinction between management and leadership. For me, management is often about helping people understand what needs to be done and, where appropriate, how to do it. Leadership is more about helping people understand how to think. And I think effective management needs to be grounded in personal self-leadership. Whether you're giving feedback, setting boundaries, delegating or making difficult decisions, the aim is to approach those responsibilities from a sturdy, grounded leadership position. Understanding your values is one part of developing that. Your experiences are part of your leadership style Your leadership style isn't just about your values. It's also shaped by your experiences, your motivations, your sense of purpose and the things you've learned throughout your career. One exercise I sometimes use with coaching clients is a life map. You draw a line across a page and plot significant experiences above or below it, depending on whether they felt positive or challenging. Then you look back over those experiences and begin to notice patterns. What felt particularly satisfying? What was difficult? How did you respond? What does that tell you about the way you naturally approach leadership? Sometimes you learn just as much about your leadership style by reflecting on what you've already done as you do by thinking about what you want to do next. Developing your own approach to leadership I don't think you need to become a particular type of leader. For example, I tend to lead from the middle rather than the front. I like experimenting, learning through experience and sharing what I've discovered with other people. Your approach might look quite different. The important thing is to understand what matters to you, how you want to show up and what you've learned about yourself along the way. And then to keep developing that approach intentionally. If you're just starting out in management, this can help you establish some useful foundations. And if you've been managing for years, it might be an opportunity to reflect on whether your current leadership style is still the one you want to practise. Have a go at the values exercise If you'd like somewhere practical to begin, download my free Grounded Manager Values Exercise. Get the Grounded Manager Values Exercise here And if you give it a try, I'd genuinely love to hear which values you settle on. You can email me at: info@fionabicket.co.uk

  2. Oct 9

    Episode 29 - Finding Your Feet - A Meditation for the Start of the Academic Year

    The first few weeks of the academic year can be intense. Students have arrived, Welcome Week is behind us, teaching has begun, and after weeks of preparation, last-minute changes and unexpected challenges, things might finally be settling into something resembling business as usual. But even when the immediate demands begin to ease, it can take a little longer for our minds and bodies to slow down. And with uncertainty around budgets, restructures and institutional change, you might be carrying more than the usual start-of-term busyness. So this week's episode of Management Matters is something a little different. Rather than our usual discussion about management and leadership, I'm inviting you to take some time for yourself with a guided meditation. An opportunity to pause, acknowledge what you've already navigated and reconnect with your own judgement as you look towards the months ahead. Taking a moment to slow down When you're responsible for other people, it's easy to become accustomed to constantly thinking ahead. Anticipating problems. Making decisions. Supporting colleagues. Trying to create calm and stability for your team, even when things feel uncertain for you. In this meditation, we'll begin by slowing down and noticing how you're actually feeling. Not how you think you should be feeling, or how you're presenting yourself to everyone else. Just how you are. There's nothing you need to fix or work out in this moment. Recognising what you've already done One of the things I've noticed about people who care deeply about doing a good job is how quickly they move past their successes. There's always another problem to solve, another conversation to have or another thing that could have gone better. But you've already navigated the first few weeks of the academic year. You've made decisions, supported people, dealt with unexpected challenges and kept things moving. So I'll invite you to acknowledge some of that work and consider what it tells you about your strengths, your judgement and your capacity to handle what comes next. Because self-trust isn't about believing you'll always get everything right. It's about recognising that you already have experience of meeting challenges, making decisions, learning and adapting. Leading when you don't have all the answers For many people working in Higher Education, the months ahead may bring considerable uncertainty. You might be navigating a restructure, financial pressures, staffing changes or decisions that haven't yet been made. And when you're responsible for a team, it can feel uncomfortable not knowing what will happen. But you don't need to be able to predict or control everything to lead well. In this meditation, we'll explore the difference between the things happening around you and the things you can meaningfully influence. The conversations you choose to have. The information you share. The decisions that are yours to make. The way you respond to concerns. And the way you look after yourself. Sometimes doing more isn't the same as leading better. Finding your feet as a leader As we move towards the end of the meditation, I'll invite you to think about how you want to approach the next few weeks. Not simply what you want to achieve, but how you want to show up as a manager or leader. We'll reflect on three questions: What do I want to be known for as a leader this term? How do I want people to experience working with me? What is one thing I could do to help my team feel more stable and supported? What do I need to do differently to look after myself as I lead? You don't need to turn your answers into another to-do list. This is an opportunity to notice what feels important and give yourself permission to return to it when you're ready. A little time for yourself I'd encourage you to listen somewhere you can sit comfortably and give yourself some uninterrupted time. You can close your eyes if you'd like to, or simply soften your gaze. There's no particular outcome you're trying to achieve and nothing you need to get right. Just an opportunity to slow down, reflect and remember that you already have experience, judgement and the capacity to respond to what comes next. You don't need certainty to lead with integrity. You don't need to control everything to make a meaningful difference. And you don't need to wait until you feel completely confident before you act. You can trust yourself to find your way.

  3. Oct 7

    Episode 28 - Finding balance in the busyness

    Are you competing at being busy? It feels as though everybody is busy at the moment. Ask someone how they are and "busy" is almost the default answer. Then someone else shares what they're dealing with, someone else adds theirs, and before long busyness has become a kind of competitive sport. There's bonding in the busyness. But what if you decided to step outside of that competition? In this episode, I'm exploring what it might take to find some balance in the busyness, without pretending that we're somehow going to make all the work disappear.  What do you actually want instead? I'm not someone who wants to eliminate busyness altogether. I'm actually quite happy being busy. But I want that busyness to feel in balance. I want to feel on top of things. I want to be well rested. And I think one of the problems with constantly bonding over how busy and overwhelmed we are is that we don't necessarily stop to ask ourselves a fairly important question: What do I actually want instead? Choosing a different experience can feel surprisingly countercultural when everyone around you is caught up in the same patterns. It requires you to step outside of the group and bet on yourself.  Boundaries need consequences Finding more balance might require you to set some boundaries. And boundaries aren't simply about saying what you would prefer. A boundary needs consequences and follow-through. If something bumps up against the boundary you've set, you need to be prepared to take the action you said you would take. That requires courage, particularly if setting boundaries isn't something you've practised much before.  I explored this in more detail in Episode 10: The Repeating Conversation Loop, which looks at the shift from repeatedly having the same supportive conversation to setting a clear boundary and following through. Listen to Episode 10: The Repeating Conversation Loop Finding congruence in the busyness Last week, in Episode 27: Searching for Peace of Mind, I talked about congruence: the alignment between who you believe yourself to be, how you think and what you actually do. That matters here too. Who are you if you're not busy all the time? Do you believe you're worthy of having your time respected and feeling on top of things? What do you believe about the work on your to-do list? And, perhaps most importantly, are you actually taking action on the plans you make for yourself? Because thinking about changing things and actually changing them aren't the same thing.  Listen to Episode 27: Searching for Peace of Mind Need some help getting on top of things? If the problem is that your to-do list feels overwhelming and you need some structure to work out what matters this week, come along to Strategy Hour. It's my completely free Monday morning drop-in session. Bring all your half-finished lists, notes and competing priorities, and we'll gather everything together, get it sorted and prioritised, and help you make a plan for the week ahead.  Join Strategy Hour If there's something else getting in the way, perhaps you know what you intend to do but aren't following through, you're struggling to set boundaries, or you're caught in a pattern you can't quite shift, coaching might be useful. Book an introductory call with me to talk about coaching The aim isn't an empty to-do list. There will always be more work. It's finding a way to match your energy to what needs doing, feel more on top of things and find some balance amid the busyness.

  4. Sep 30

    Episode 27 - Searching for Peace of Mind

    What does peace of mind actually look like when you have an active brain, a demanding job and plenty of things competing for your attention? In this episode, recorded while pottering around on my allotment, I'm exploring something I actively pursue in my own life: peace of mind. For me, a big part of finding it comes down to congruence, when who you believe yourself to be, how you think about things and what you actually do are all aligned. When your thoughts, identity and actions line up When we're in congruence, decisions can feel surprisingly straightforward. You know who you are. You know what you think. You know what the right action is for you. And then you do it. The difficulty comes when there's a gap between those things. We know what we want to do, but conditioning, other people's expectations or our own familiar patterns pull us towards something else. That's often where overthinking, overworking, overwhelm and overgiving begin to creep in. If you've noticed how uncomfortable it can feel to behave differently, I explored that in Episode 20: Why Does Habit Change Feel So Gross? Listen to Episode 20: Why Does Habit Change Feel So Gross? Closing the gap So if we're pursuing peace of mind, perhaps we also need to pursue congruence. That might mean exploring the kind of manager or leader you want to be and practising the behaviours that go with that identity. It might mean examining how you're thinking about a situation and opening up possibilities you haven't considered. Or it might simply mean experimenting with doing something differently, seeing what happens and learning from the result. And when doing something differently requires a bit of encouragement, Episode 7: How to Encourage Yourself explores how to support yourself through that process. Listen to Episode 7: How to Encourage Yourself Peace of mind doesn't mean eliminating stress I also talk about another important part of this: how well resourced you are. The aim isn't necessarily to eliminate stress. People can do brilliant work in demanding, high-pressure environments when they have the resources and practices that allow them to handle that stress well. As you become more senior, looking after yourself isn't simply an act of self-care. It's part of leadership. Your decision making, communication and emotional processing all rely on you retaining access to the cognitive resources that become much harder to use when your stress response takes over. If coping has become such a familiar response that it's started to feel like part of who you are, you might also find Episode 13: When Coping Becomes Your Identity useful. Listen to Episode 13: When Coping Becomes Your Identity Need some space to think? If your to-do list feels out of hand and some regular support to sort through everything would help, come along to Strategy Hour. It's completely free. You register once and can then join whenever you're available. Join Strategy Hour And if you're looking for longer-term support and like the way I approach this work, you're very welcome to get in touch: info@fionabicket.co.uk

  5. Sep 23

    Episode 26 - What actually is coaching?

    What actually is coaching? It's a question I've been thinking about a lot recently, partly after attending a conference where I found myself explaining my work to therapists, psychologists and other practitioners, and partly because I've been welcoming a new group of people to Strategy Hour. In this episode, I explore what coaching means in my practice, how it differs from training and consultancy, and when having someone to think with can be particularly useful. Sometimes you don't need another answer One of the things I hear most often is: "I just need some time to think." When work feels relentless and your to-do list seems to have grown arms and legs, sometimes you genuinely do need space to gather everything together, work out what matters and decide what happens next. But sometimes the thing you've been putting off isn't really a prioritisation problem. Perhaps you know what needs to happen, but you're worried about being judged. Perhaps there's a fear of failure sitting underneath it. Or perhaps something simply feels riskier than the rest of your to-do list. That's where coaching can become particularly useful. A person to think with I think of coaching as lending someone some extra mental bandwidth. You bring what's going on, and we use both of our brains to help you think through it. That's different from training, where I might teach you a particular process or set of skills. And it's different from consultancy, where I'd be giving you my view of what you should do. In coaching, I'm not there to give you the answer. I'm asking questions that help you see other possibilities, challenge some of your either/or thinking and make the best decision for your particular circumstances. When is coaching useful? My approach to coaching works particularly well when you have some range. You might feel overwhelmed or stuck, but fundamentally you know that if you could find enough space to think clearly, you could begin to work things out. My job is to help you get back to that sturdy, grounded part of yourself that can make decisions, understand what you want and consider different perspectives without getting completely waylaid by unhelpful thought patterns. Start with Strategy Hour If you're curious about what working with me is like, Strategy Hour is a really easy place to start. It's my completely free weekly drop-in session, held at 9.30am on Mondays. Bring the mental clutter, emails, meeting notes, unfinished to-do lists and all the other things competing for your attention. I'll facilitate a process to help you gather everything together, work out what belongs to you, prioritise what needs your attention and create a bit more mental capacity for the week ahead. You only need to register once, then you can come along to whichever sessions work for you. Register for Strategy Hour And if something comes up during that process that you think might benefit from coaching, we can have a conversation about whether coaching would be a good fit.  Got a question? If you've been wondering whether something you're dealing with is the sort of thing you could bring to coaching, I'd be very happy to talk about it. You can email me at: info@fionabicket.co.uk

  6. Sep 16

    Episode 25 - September: New Year Vibes

    September has always had a bit of a New Year feeling for me. Perhaps that's inevitable when you work in Higher Education. The academic year begins another cycle, routines change and, after the summer, there's often a natural sense of starting again. So in this episode, I'm using that moment to invite you to notice some of the patterns that have become established in your life and work, and ask whether they're still serving you. What happens when someone makes the familiar "call"? We all develop patterns of call and response. Someone asks for help, so you automatically say yes. Something goes wrong, so you step in and fix it. Someone is unhappy, so you try to make it better. Your boss is stressed, so you speed up. There's too much work, so you work longer hours. These patterns aren't necessarily wrong. Most of them developed because, at some point, they were useful. The question is whether they're still useful now, or whether they've become so automatic that you're no longer consciously deciding how you want to respond. Start by noticing, not fixing The first step isn't deciding that you need to stop doing all of these things. It's simply noticing. What do you do on autopilot? What situations trigger a familiar response? Are there particular people whose behaviour seems to create the same response from you every time? Try to bring a reporter's eye to it rather than turning the exercise into another reason to criticise yourself. Once you can see the pattern clearly, you have more choice about what happens next. If you find yourself wanting to rush straight from noticing a pattern to changing everything, Episode 20: Why Habit Change Feels So Gross explores why changing familiar behaviours can feel so uncomfortable, even when we know the new behaviour will serve us better. Listen to Episode 20: Why Habit Change Feels So Gross here. What is the old pattern giving you? Before you change something, it's worth asking what you're getting from the existing pattern. It might be comfort. Control. Familiarity. Perhaps it supports a particular story you've carried about the sort of person you are. Changing the pattern might therefore require you to give something up. Sometimes that's physical comfort. Sometimes it's the ease of operating on autopilot. And sometimes it's loosening your attachment to other people's expectations of who you're supposed to be. Choose, then practise Once you've noticed and understood the pattern, you have a choice. You might decide that the existing response still works for you. That's fine. The important difference is that you're choosing it intentionally rather than criticising yourself every time it happens. Or you might choose a different response. That's when practice begins. Each time the familiar call appears, you choose the new response again. And again. And again. Eventually, what required conscious effort becomes the new automatic pattern. And if you need some support while you're putting in those repetitions, Episode 7: How to Encourage Yourself explores how to keep yourself moving when doing something differently feels difficult. Listen to Episode 7: How to Encourage Yourself here. Ready for the next step? If you're thinking about your next step into leadership, you can find out more about Getting Ready for Leadership here: Getting Ready for Leadership Got a question? Many episodes of Management Matters begin with themes emerging from my coaching conversations and questions from listeners. If there's a management, leadership or career question you'd like me to explore in a future episode, I'd love to hear from you. info@fionabicket.co.uk

  7. Aug 10

    Episode 24 - Reminder: You're Awesome

    This episode is a little different. I'm recording from my allotment, surrounded by the buzz of the bees, and I wanted to take a few minutes to remind you of something you might have forgotten.  You're awesome. Summer can bring its own pressures and expectations, and if you're also thinking about your career or what might come next, it's surprisingly easy to lose sight of everything you already bring to the table.   When summer doesn't feel quite so wonderful I start by talking about the expectations we can place on summer to be this lovely, restorative time of year. In reality, it can be stressful. There are holidays, childcare, annual leave negotiations and, for many of us working in HE, particularly busy periods such as recruitment, admissions and Clearing. So this is partly a reminder that it's completely okay if summer isn't turning out to be the best moment ever.   The stories we carry about ourselves I also reflect on conversations I've been having with clients who are beginning to explore what they really want from their careers. That process can bring us up against some surprisingly deep stories about who we are, what we're capable of and what's available to "people like us". Those stories can come from family, education, culture or experiences much earlier in our lives. And sometimes we don't realise how much they're shaping our choices until we start asking ourselves what we actually want.   You get to rewrite the story One of the things I love about coaching is that we get to examine those stories rather than simply accepting them as facts. As adults, we can decide that some of the beliefs we've inherited don't fit anymore. We can look again at what might be possible, whether that's progressing further, learning something new, retraining or simply allowing ourselves to want something different.   A reminder if you've forgotten So this episode is simply a reminder. You're awesome. The stories you've been handed don't have to define what's possible for you, and you may be capable of far more than you're currently allowing yourself to imagine. And if you forget that again, you can always come back and listen to this episode.   Got a question? Many episodes of Management Matters begin with themes emerging from my coaching conversations and questions from listeners. If there's a management, leadership or career question you'd like me to explore in a future episode, I'd love to hear from you. info@fionabicket.co.uk

  8. Aug 3

    Episode 23 - Have enough information to manage the situation

    Sometimes the thing holding us back isn’t confidence or courage. It’s information. In this episode, I explore a simple question that has come up repeatedly in coaching conversations recently: do you have enough information to move a management issue forward? Knowing your organisation’s policies and procedures can make difficult conversations clearer, more confident and much easier to navigate. Confidence comes from clarity Many managers delay difficult conversations because they feel uncertain about what comes next. I explore why taking time to revisit your institution’s policies on performance, misconduct or sickness absence can give you much more confidence when you’re addressing concerns with your team. Move beyond the repeating conversation If you’ve listened to previous episodes, you’ll know I’ve talked about the repeating conversation loop. This episode builds on that idea by looking at what allows you to move from supportive conversations into clearer boundary setting. Often, it’s understanding exactly where your organisation’s policies define the next stage of the process. Don’t wait for HR to tell you One of the key messages in this episode is that effective managers stay ahead of the process. Rather than waiting for HR to tell you when someone has reached a trigger point, understanding the relevant procedures allows you to manage situations proactively and on your own timeline. Build conviction before you need it Having the right information doesn’t mean threatening people with policies. It means knowing the language, the expectations and the escalation points well enough that you can have calm, confident conversations long before a formal process becomes necessary. Ready for the next step? If you’d like support developing the confidence to have these conversations and strengthen your management practice, you can find out more about my Getting Ready for Leadership programme here: https://www.fionabicket.co.uk/getting-ready-for-leadership Got a question? Many episodes of Management Matters begin with themes emerging from coaching conversations and questions from listeners. If there’s a management or leadership topic you’d like me to explore in a future episode, I’d love to hear from you. info@fionabicket.co.uk

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Management Matters is a podcast for Higher Education Professional Services staff who want to become more confident, effective managers and leaders. Hosted by Fiona Bicket, specialist self-belief coach and former HE manager, each episode explores what's actually going on at work and what to do about it. From difficult conversations, delegation and accountability to leadership development, career progression and navigating the realities of Higher Education, you'll find practical insights, thoughtful reflection and real-world management advice grounded in the HE context. If you're a manager, aspiring leader or Professional Services colleague who wants work to feel clearer, more manageable and more effective, you're in the right place. You can find out about ways to work with me at https://www.fionabicket.co.uk/

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