The promotion

Well, the letter of promotion came in today. After 3 months, interview, 7 referees, I've finally got it. I'm exeter's new Professor of Marketing Science.

I look at the letter and I look at the wall with my PhD certificate dated 2005 and I think, getting a personal chair 3 years after my PhD isn't bad is it?

On reflection, I think I owe this achievement to my previous boss, Professor Paul Draper. Paul, when he was the Head of School, gave me the space, trust and confidence to let me extend myself. I felt safe taking risks in terms of the research I did, writing and winning the grants etc. because he created an environment where I did not feel caged in, did not feel like I was being controlled. Neither was Paul a person who needed his ego stroked once in a while. Since I dislike big egos and Paul was confident enough not to have one, we got along really well. And during his tenure as Head of School, I was the Head of PG, giving all I got to get PG numbers up, I won the S4T grant and the AIM grant and started cserv. Paul is truly a leader, a mentor and one of the very few people who could manage me. In fact, I would say that Paul is very good at managing people who are overachievers....

In his leaving party, Paul said something that was one of the wisest statement I have ever heard. He said that he learnt 2 things while being the Head of School. I can't remember one of them but the second was that he learnt the power of doing nothing. He said that when something happened, sometimes it's just better to let it be and not be tempted to 'do something'. This is because very often, the dynamics of the situation change when others 'do something' and it's sometimes better to let the situation play itself out. He also mentioned how, when something happens, others will try to make it right, and if he doesn't interfere, it would sort itself out well and everyone is happy. He has a unique form of leadership that intervenes only at the right time. I owe him for my academic career and sincerely thank him for it.

My husband asks what I would do for Paul for all he has done for me. this is beyond gifts and thank yous just don't go deep enough. I think the best thing I can do is be so wildly successful that reward his faith in me. And for him to know that it's very much because of him....