Summary
During the 2025/26 Academic Year, I am undertaking an in-house professional development programme called "The Edinburgh Manager". This post is a reflection on the first event in the course, which was called "The Launch Event"
On the 1st of October, exactly 1 year into my role as Design Team Manager, I started The Edinburgh Manager Programme. I was extremely excited to start this programme, and there was a certain poetry to starting the course one year on from the date I took up the role. The launch event took place in the Edinburgh Future’s Institute, which added to the gravitas of the event.
It was exciting to be back in a university tutorial room to learn. It almost felt like I was a student again. That feeling reinforced how much I love learning in a classroom. Hybrid, and online events have their place, but there is something much more enjoyable about being in a room with real people.
The event was designed to connect us with two groups of people:
- Our discussion groups. Assigned groups of approximately 8 people who we will have formal, and organised discussion with as part of the programme
- Our Peer mentors. Assigned groups of approximately 3 people who are there to support our learning with informal chats and moral support
It felt special to have a couple of hours scheduled into my day to focus on myself, and to network with other managers from across the university. I appreciate not every day has dedicated time for these types of opportunities.
Making the most of the course:
- My peer mentors and I made an MS Teams Chat which I pinned to my chats so it is always visible. This helps us keep in touch between sessions.
- My peer mentors and I arranged a time to meet in-person after the first learning session. It is always easier to make time in advance.
- I have a friend and colleague from my department also on the cohort and we have organised monthly catchups. This keeps us accountable to actually do the preparation work for each session.
(Digits.co.uk Images, CC BY 2.0
