Abstract
In the complex landscape of higher education, leadership necessitates more than administrative acumen and academic credentials. Higher education leaders, particularly in business schools and similar institutions, must navigate a web of social relationships, organisational dynamics, and external pressures (Macfarlane et al., 2024). The multi-stakeholder environment and the short-terminist nature of leadership appointments are specific to the higher education sector and create unique challenges especially in times of financial uncertainties and existential viability of this service-based sector. Whilst extant management literature (Munyon et al., 2015; Maher et al., 2018; Wyatt et al., 2022)) investigates two constructs that significantly influence the effectiveness and success of organisational leadership – political skill and political will, these phenomena are scarce in the leadership research in the context of HE short term leadership appointments. This paper explores the implications of these constructs on HE leadership roles, assesses the challenges and opportunities posed by short-term appointments for academic leaders and attempts to argue that their interrelationship coupled with motivation is crucial in promoting successful outcomes in higher education leadership.