ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the author identifies a sequence of experiences from well before he became an academic and how these events shaped his approach to academic leadership. The stories shared hold within them a focus on the influence of socio-cultural context on experiences of leadership from around the world, including Australia, Japan, England, and New Zealand. The challenge of stepping up into a senior leadership role at a time of such major changes across the university was made more difficult by the authors’ lack of institutional and cultural knowledge. In previous leadership appointments, culture had always played a significant part in shaping his experiences of leadership. In terms of leadership, there is a limit to how much anyone can come to understand about cultural context and how the institution they will be working in operates.
