Space to Lead: Midpoint Reflections on Diversifying Talent Pipelines in Higher Education
Last year, Strive Higher convened Estates and Residences Directors from several UK HEIs to discuss a critical question: how can we diversify talent pipelines in estates and facilities management? The outcome of those conversations led to the launch of the Space to Lead coaching pilot, designed to support individuals from underrepresented backgrounds in developing their leadership potential.
Now, at the midpoint of the pilot, we brought together the Directors who nominated participants to reflect on what’s working, what’s needed, and what more can be done collectively as a sector to drive meaningful change in these service areas.
Key Themes from the Midpoint Review
1. Coaching is transformational – but it’s not mentoring
Coaching can have a profound impact on individuals, boosting confidence, clarifying career goals, and accelerating personal development. Some participants on the pilot have already stepped up into new roles, while others have been observed ‘showing up’ more confidently as a direct result of their coaching experience. However, it was also clear that coaching requires a mindset of self-reflection and self-direction, and for some participants seeking a more directive approach, a mentoring experience may be more beneficial.
2. Identifying and engaging diverse talent requires intentionality
One challenge that emerged is that some individuals who could benefit from the pilot didn’t put themselves forward. There is a need to proactively reach out to underrepresented groups beyond race and gender, including individuals with disabilities and those from LGBTQ+ communities, for example. Messaging around these opportunities needs to be clearer and more inclusive to ensure a broader range of talent feels encouraged to participate.
3. Investing in leadership development to drive culture change
A particular theme arising from the discussion was the lack of investment in leadership development for estates, residences and facilities teams. As one Director pointed out, significant budgets exist for operational costs, yet little is allocated to staff development. Institutions must recognise that investing in people is just as critical as investing in infrastructure. And for lasting, systemic change, leadership development must be embedded into the culture of universities and the sector more broadly, ensuring that coaching, mentoring, and career growth are the norm, not the exception in these directorates. It also requires a shift towards demonstrable leadership and holding leaders accountable for fostering inclusive talent pipelines.
4. Collaboration and sector-wide initiatives are essential
The discussion reinforced that tackling these challenges requires collaboration. There was strong interest in exploring partnerships with estates, residences and facilities membership bodies and interest groups to create sector-wide leadership development programmes. Additionally, there was a call to develop a set of commonly agreed recommendations and benchmarks, providing a framework for institutions to implement meaningful change.
What’s next?
Strive Higher are committed to supporting the sector in making progress on these issues. Our current Space to Lead Pilot runs until July, after which we’ll report back on findings and lessons learned. Over the coming months, we’ll also be working on:
Meaningful change takes time, but action is needed now. If you’re a senior leader in estates, residences or facilities, we invite you to reflect on the role you can play in building a more inclusive and diverse leadership pipeline for these service areas.
If you’d like to get involved in future coaching cohorts or sector-wide initiatives, reach out – we’d love to hear from you.
Special thanks to our participating Directors Melissa Browne , Jamel Lee , John Iveson , Rob Severn , and Ian Spencer . Between them they bring deep experience and a forward-looking approach within the sector and beyond.