ABSTRACT
A good leader can engage in a debate frankly and thoroughly, knowing that at the end he and the other side must be closer, and thus emerge stronger. In recognising the responsibility to effect positive change, effective leadership is an interdependent process that requires collaboration, proactivity, and, through a continuous process of incremental improvement, a quest to understand in the first instance, then to be understood. Contemporary contextual shifts in higher education (HE) fuelled by globalisation, internationalisation, colonialism, and neoliberalism have presented several paradigms and philosophies of leadership, often operating in parallel or tangential to established leadership theory. As a practitioner with both academic and professional credentials working within a ‘third space environment’ in HE, the author recognise the paradoxes and dilemmas that pose challenges to effective leadership within his field. Effective leadership is often compromised in the face of conflicting social justice and market agendas, as the business of education needs to remain financially viable.
