How to develop managers in a higher education business

Developing managers in a higher education business requires a shift from technical academic expertise to personality-led leadership that balances institutional tradition with modern operational efficiency.

The transition from a subject matter expert or senior administrator to a people leader is often the most difficult leap in a university or college setting, yet it is the single most important factor in staff retention and student outcomes. We have seen that when managers understand their own work personality – and the unique drivers of their team – they can navigate the complex, multi-stakeholder environment of higher education with much less friction.

Key takeaways

• Effective manager development in higher education must prioritise self-awareness over generic leadership theory.
• The transition from academic or technical expert to people leader requires a specific focus on emotional intelligence and personality-driven coaching.
• Higher education businesses thrive when managers are trained to adapt their leadership style to the diverse personalities found in research, teaching, and administration.
• Using data-driven personality assessments can simplify the complex people dynamics inherent in university hierarchies.

The expert paradox in higher education leadership

Higher education is a unique beast. You are often dealing with a workforce that has spent decades becoming the world’s leading authority on specific, niche subjects. But being a brilliant researcher or a meticulous registrar does not automatically make someone a great manager of people. In fact, the very traits that make someone a successful academic – like deep independence and critical skepticism – can sometimes clash with the collaborative requirements of modern team leadership.

The problem is that many institutions still promote based on tenure or technical achievement rather than leadership potential. You might find yourself with a department head who is world-renowned in their field but feels completely out of depth when a junior staff member brings them a conflict or a performance issue. This creates a culture of avoidance, where difficult conversations are swept under the carpet because the manager simply hasn't been given the tools to handle them.

We recognise that this isn't about a lack of intelligence; it’s about a lack of specific, human-centric training. To develop managers in this space, you have to start by validating that struggle. It is okay to feel like a fish out of water when you move from the lab or the lecture theatre into a management meeting. The goal of development is not to change who these experts are, but to help them understand how their brain works in a leadership context.

Building self-awareness through work personality

Before a manager can lead a diverse team of academics and administrators, they need to understand their own default settings. In higher education, we often see a high concentration of certain personalities, such as The Auditor or The Evaluator, who value precision and logical analysis. While these traits are vital for academic integrity, they can sometimes come across as cold or overly critical to a team member who has a more empathetic work personality, like The Helper.

This is where Hey Compono becomes a game-changer for higher education businesses. By using personality-adaptive coaching, managers can see exactly where their natural tendencies sit on a spectrum. For example, a manager who is naturally a 'Doer' might focus entirely on task completion and deadlines, inadvertently stressing out a 'Pioneer' on their team who needs room for creative exploration and big-picture thinking.

Development programmes should focus on this 'personality literacy'. When a manager can say, "I realise I’m being quite directive because I’m focused on the upcoming grant deadline, but I know you need more autonomy to work through this problem," the entire team dynamic shifts. It moves from a relationship based on power and hierarchy to one based on mutual understanding and psychological safety. This is how you build a culture that survives the high-pressure cycles of the academic year.

Adapting leadership styles to the academic environment

There is no single 'best' way to lead in a university. A crisis in student enrolments might require a more directive approach, while a curriculum redesign requires a democratic, collaborative style. Most managers in higher education default to one style and stay there, regardless of what the situation actually needs. Developing managers means teaching them how to flex across the leadership continuum.

Consider the difference between managing a team of tenured professors versus a team of casual administrative staff. The professors likely require a non-directive approach that respects their autonomy and expertise. The administrative team might need more coordination and clear, structured processes to keep operations running smoothly. A manager who treats both groups exactly the same will inevitably run into friction.

We suggest using tools like the Hey Compono use cases for team design to help managers map out these differences. When managers can visualise the personalities in their department, they can stop guessing why certain people aren't 'getting it' and start adapting their communication to land effectively. It’s about moving away from a 'one size fits all' mentality and towards a more nuanced, adaptive way of working that respects the diverse brains in the room.

Navigating conflict in multi-stakeholder structures

Conflict in higher education is often baked into the structure. You have the tension between academic freedom and institutional policy, or between research goals and teaching requirements. Managers are often caught in the middle of these competing priorities. If they haven't been trained in conflict resolution that accounts for personality, they will likely either become overly aggressive or completely passive.

Development should include practical, scenario-based training on how different personalities experience conflict. An 'Evaluator' manager might think they are just being objective and logical during a disagreement, but a 'Helper' on their team might perceive that same behaviour as a personal attack. Teaching managers to recognise these 'translation errors' is the key to maintaining harmony.

In higher education, the goal of conflict resolution isn't always to find a perfect middle ground – sometimes it’s just about ensuring every voice feels heard and respected. Managers who are developed with an emphasis on empathy and active listening are much better equipped to handle the emotional labour that comes with leading in a high-stakes, high-intellect environment. They learn that conflict isn't a sign of failure, but an opportunity to refine processes and strengthen relationships.

Moving from technical expert to people coach

The final stage of developing managers in a higher education business is shifting their identity from 'The Person with All the Answers' to 'The Person who Empowers Others'. This is a psychological shift. In academia, you are rewarded for your individual knowledge. In management, you are rewarded for the collective output of your team. That change in metric can be jarring.

Effective development programmes should focus on coaching skills. This means teaching managers how to ask open-ended questions, how to provide feedback that motivates rather than deflates, and how to spot the 'blind spots' in their own leadership. For instance, if you're curious about how your own brain defaults under pressure, Hey Compono can show you in about 10 minutes, giving you a baseline for your coaching journey.

By investing in the human side of leadership, higher education businesses can reduce the 'brain drain' of talented staff leaving for the private sector. People don't leave universities because they stop loving their subject; they leave because they feel misunderstood or undervalued by their immediate supervisor. When you develop managers who actually understand how to lead people – not just manage tasks – you create an institution that is truly built for the future.

Key insights

• Manager development in higher ed must bridge the gap between academic expertise and people leadership.
• Self-awareness is the foundation of effective management, particularly in complex university hierarchies.
• Adapting leadership styles – from directive to non-directive – is essential for managing diverse academic and admin teams.
• Personality-based coaching tools like Hey Compono provide a common language for resolving conflict and improving team cohesion.
• The most successful managers in this sector are those who transition from being technical experts to being people-focused coaches.

Developing your managers is the most sustainable way to improve your institution’s culture. It’s about giving your leaders the permission to be human, to be vulnerable, and to lead in a way that feels authentic to their own personality. When your managers understand themselves, they can finally begin to truly understand their teams.

Explore:

How personality-adaptive coaching works in practice

Frequently asked questions

How do I help an academic transition into a management role?

The best way is to focus on the shift in identity. Acknowledge that they are no longer just an expert in their field, but a facilitator for others. Use personality assessments to help them understand their natural leadership style and where they might need to flex to support their new team effectively.

What are the most common leadership styles in higher education?

We often see a mix of directive leadership in administrative roles and non-directive leadership in research-heavy departments. However, the most effective style is often democratic, where collaboration is encouraged, but the manager still provides the necessary structure to meet institutional goals.

How can we reduce turnover in university administrative teams?

High turnover is often linked to a lack of clear communication and feeling undervalued. Developing managers who use personality-led coaching helps ensure that administrative staff feel seen and understood. When a manager knows how to motivate someone based on their specific work personality, engagement naturally rises.

Why is self-awareness so important for university leaders?

Universities are high-pressure environments with many different 'tribes' (academics, students, donors, admin). Without self-awareness, a leader will default to their own biases and communication preferences, which can alienate others. Knowing your own personality allows you to adjust your approach to suit the person you are talking to.

Can personality tools really work with highly skeptical academic staff?

Yes, provided the tools are evidence-based and framed as a way to improve efficiency and reduce friction rather than 'fixing' people. Academics often appreciate the logical, data-driven insights that come from a high-quality personality assessment when it helps them navigate departmental politics more easily.