ABSTRACT
Many principles and strategies of leadership are perennial and can apply across different types of organisations, sectors, countries and situations. However, leadership is also rarely completely context-free. Hence in any organisational setting, being an effective leader is contingent on making sense of the operating context and the situation at hand. Universities occupy a particular space in the economic and social landscape of society. As centres of learning, they both help to shape the future careers and life chances of individuals and support the development of nations. When leading in the heat of the moment, one might easily dismiss the past as irrelevant. Environmental conditions were different and the challenges faced by heads of universities in earlier periods may seem a world away from those being faced today. Seeking to understand the elements that lead particular institutions to flourish and under what conditions will help one to shape their university locally.
