6 months after Angra (+\-)

Dear all,
here goes a summary and a description of what has been by activities in the past 6 months, sort of 1\2 year 'après' leadership21. I do not feel myself as a leader or even exercising effective or efficient leadership. I only have tasks and purposes to reach (either by option or instructed to do so), and for some of those, I do need to gather a set of people\colleagues mobilised and committed to it. No easy task, these days within the universitary realm in Portugal...

Governing or assisting governance within a university in Portugal is very different from what it is generally in the US or UK universities, and also from most industries and other trading services. It is a bit like ruling a political party and trying to get to office: All departmental-director posts as well as some (most!) 'board' chairs are by election against peers and without really any campaign, programme; It is really a bit like electing tribunes or consuls for the senate house in 'old Rome. In many aspects, some universitary political life is like the HBO series 'Rome' , without that much blood and without that sex, at least as far as I am concerned and has been my own experience... But is a bit 'shadows and fog' ...Basically, the top 'leader' at any current Portuguese university does not avoid very much (unless by favours it can be controlled and foresighted......) a potential rebellion in lower departments\'houses', since they were not nominated by him\her: All posts are conquered (!) by independent elections (ie, you can have have as many 'parties' and 'colours' as you like, no direct connections between them) , so it is difficult to rule unless you have that 'thing' that would please others ie provide promotions, better conditions, etc. All in all, maybe I am being a bit cynical and all in all, maybe good common sense will rule and everybody will have to work with everybody. But this is sometimes done merely for survival rules and not as a mission\values all over the institution, where everybody would be committed to achieve triumph (aka, winning the America's cup in sailing or the Ashes in cricket...). You do not see (often) a team, instead you see (some...) highly competitive people rowing together and it may happens that the boat moves, but could it move better, faster, smoother? As a TEAM? You may get a Rector at odds with some Deans of Faculty and these or the Rector with some Directors of Department and since all these were elected you cannot change the structure or the governing body for quite a while...

When I applied to Liderança 21, I was expecting (naively) some guiding light on what could be a survival guide and ability to carry the torch within the universitary system (in Portugal...). I did got some hints in Angra but I did not got as much as I would have liked... I am still struggling to see what to do since this has been like 'Rome' (without that and that as mentioned above...). If anyone has proper advise do let me know. If anyone wants to share, let me know, If anyone wants to criticise, let me know. And maybe that is what I would like to see in any 'après' Angra workshop: some workshop \ 'group therapy' where one can really learn from others , namely those who have been at the bottom of a hill and made it up again; Maybe there are some tricks of the trade that one cannot share or should not share but any help is helpful...
(I also think anyone in charge of the 'après' Angra should make certain that everybody has an update list of mails and contacts, since many changes occurred...)



I also felt at pain in Angra to find a significant set of Henry V like people or a potential future prime minister or emblematic element of a parliament or senate or similar. I apologise for my bluntness but it felt so 'reduced' in the sense of small problems, our very personal backyards, our infatuations instead of trying to find the 'how' to crack a real serious challenge (I do not mean solve world poverty in 3 weeks...). I apologise again. I apologise again for putting some fresh air and less 'leadership weight' in what we may feel we are, as I attach the cartoons of funny and perhaps valid book in leadership..

Here it is what I did and what ... happen. Do not try this at your 'home':

· I remembered that one exercise we had in Angra was to indicate what we would do in the next 2 to 3 weeks. I wrote: rest, watch, get 'out', watch. So I did. The situation at 'home' (home meaning the place I work) was getting complicated as days went by. The new statutes were turning ugly and a power 'blitz' took place before Angra, where some operating people (not me) were sidelined using perhaps not 'kosher' steps. So I wait and watch. At the same time, 'home' was under an assessment from the EUA (meaning an EU association of Universities) and pressure was mounting on avoiding the unpleasant issues and provide feedback to EUA in the form of a 'fudge' version of the date required. I opposed (I was member of the internal liaison committee) and for the next meeting I saw trouble. A memo asking for a meeting was suggesting to say 'blue' to the EUA when the facts were instead 'red'. So, I tried in advance to get some insight from collaborators if I should say something more strongly. No mails or replies received, so I thought, Ok, I am all alone, the lone wolf, all that, so all in all, I should strike. Gamble. And I striked (Academically speaking). A Vice-Rector. The meeting went rough but a draw was called and I think I made a point: some issues were not to be raised again... But my image of non-compliance with 'shady' lines was getting ahead.

· I also decided to make a 'wild\naive move'. Not in terms of 'home'. But hoping to contribute to the national (Portuguese) challenge to a better governance: I wrote a letter to the leader of PSD (main opposition party) as well as their leader in parliament. Terribly naive, maybe, but part of my education is UK-based and I knew how relevant (there) was the feedback from constituents. I have to say that either she\he will go to the limit of next general elections in Portugal and would apply some of what I said or then she\he ignored it and we are heading in Portugal to more 'ruling by cheese' (Limiano).... In any case, I feel bad about the coordination of PSD just because a strong opposition is necessary for a better governance.

· I then read the 'book' we were supposed to read before Angra: I did not even picked it up in Angra as I wanted to experience all without any 'preparation'. I really enjoyed to read it. I saw in the book many mistakes I did in the past, I saw many mistakes I avoided and also some I would do, but I needed to do, since the situation at 'home' was getting too 'weird'. I explain:

· In November we had elections for the 'board' (called Conselho Geral). ‘My’ list (A) competed with another (B) to get the power in the board - all 'home' staff had vote, ie, about 600 staff, 6000 students and 800 non academics. I had bought two books on how to win campaigns (from Amazon, quoted as 'the' books to get your message across) and the main message was: you want the vote of that man\woman on the street\lecture hall? You have to do 3 things: communicate, communicate and yes, you guess it, communicate. But HQ at A opted for low light campaign, maybe under influence that either was in the bag and no need to raise the issues or influenced by others, where too much campaign could harm the results in their departments.... The final score was not good: a 'draw' with A =8 and B= 7 in a 15 group board, and a close win for A in my faculy (34-30) and at others a draw or close loss. Perhaps some stronger campaign, more talking would have helped (since B had a blog, a journal, campaigns, candidates on the street, posters, phone calls, etc, semi professionals, and yes, B is close to the actual 'ruler' and they were keeping their jobs safe'). In addition some candidates for A were out and about spreading to the wind a sort of job cleaning that would follow, meaning jobs at... risk. So, people ie voters, went B. Went safe.

· I lost much in these elections. My position in the faculty (Dean) got weaker, ‘candidates’ to the job appeared (even if I was not aiming at it again) and worse, I ''lost'' a position for full professor. This was very bitter and hard. The chosen candidate had 5 times (!) less publications, almost no citations or h-index (a metric of good research scientific work) but he is close the actual ''ruler''. In addition, something really odd happened: I was in front in the first meeting of the jury, 'my HQ CO (''commanding officer'') was the president, then no vote there\then, next meeting next month, my CO could not be there\then, the Pr was a close friend of the 'chosen one' and another Vice Rector. The vote goes 4-3 to me but a full professor from my dept says he puts all ex-aequo but given the 'other guy' been at the 'home' some 15 years more than me, 'age' in the home-rules counts more , goes 4-4 and... this other Pr \VRector goes against me. I lost. And this other Pr \VRector is from another unrelated area: Like an MD surgeon voting on who gets the post in a pure maths\game theory analysing criptic math papers. So, my own subprime downfall was there....

· It takes a bit of nerve and calm and I am not that person. So I opted to a fast 'get some plan b,c …g, which I did, as I need to resume my career as I feel my time at 'home' is over. The reason being that

· ... as the time is looming for the 'showdown' for the big 'ruler' chair (sometime mid 2009) , it seems that the actual ruler will have no opponent. Ie, the CO of A is backing off after all this effort, we are suddenly all a bit in Dunkirk when we thought we were in a safe beach landing…): All of us who went to the'' beach head'' and secured a point, are now facing to be left behind, no boats, or alternatives, so better start learning a new language, eat some raw turnips, in short, an(other) desert crossing until a new opportunity to change 'home' in 4 or 8 years will come.

· Meanwhile, my popularity or ranking at real home, meaning wife and kid, is going down. I am not a popular dad and as an husband I am getting pointed as 'what you should not look\do if looking again for church bells and wedding dresses'... Some of my tactical retreat\retiring has been taking solace\use of some good hints I got. And because I am mirroring Dr. House in taking assistance to face some onslaughts (no, I am not taking vicodin or alike).

· What is my plan b or c: it is simple. I am still keeping hope\faith in my HQ CO and that he will get back\stay there with us and\or pick me up there on the ''beach''; I am also looking for 'interesting' deserts to cross and where to go, , meaning finding time and resources , strengthen my research CV lines, ie, NOT leaving home but getting some lawfully authorized time away; giving more time to my kid; caving in when the chill wind is at my real home; striving to get new research ideas to publish original results in my scientific area and lines where to publish; telling myself everyday I will be resilient and pull through.



I also decided for the sake of 'justice' and morality to go to court on the 'full professor' decision: There are some technical mistakes on the whole process and I am exploring them. I may not get the friendship of whom was against me but at least I hope I can prove one can fight it. A bit like the situation in cricket, when there is a last man standing, batting, down but not out.

Summer holidays were only a break since the pressure to get an improvement on the book I am writing (a tech book on a 'sci-fi' subject such as SUSY quantum cosmology...) was mounting but I still need to get a second round of improvement by February for this two volume 'magnum opus', about 700 pages total.

During the last semester in 07-08 and this first one in 08-09 I did tried to motivate and committ my coleagues to the necessary changes but the heads of department either refused, stalled or run away and maybe because the results of the board\c.geral elections showed that no one wanted change. A necessary change is unstopable since impositions from the governement\MCTES are looming and either we take the (pro active) initiative or wait from a thunderbolt from higher 'pastures' ie MCTES; We lost (maybe we were too scared to oppose the supreme ruler when he decided alone, without any discussion, against 'fundação') the possibility of turning into a foundation with some extra $$$, but less self ruling. So we lost on the $$$, even if we claim to be close 'pals' with CRUP (the supremo of rectors) ; CRUP in face of lack of $$$$ just screamed for it and went (like any toddler) into a menacing attitude not to open 'doors' in September'08 unless $$$ comes. Hence, some change is needed, sort of those bitter-hard decisons mentioned in the book to read.

In the whole, I think most of this short description of academic life in this small garden by the seaside (aka, Portugal) shows what is a mix of Maquiavel with the Punic wars (yes, those of the (in)famous 'delenda cartage!): In order to attack Hannibal, Scipio (Rome) avoided confrontation in Italy to go to ... Spain and attack Hasdrubal, Hannibal’s brother. Hannibal eventually retreat from near Rome, went to north Africa. Scipio was there and... yes, that was when Carthage become 'was'.
As far as I feel myself, within this 'belic' analogies, I do feel I am on a 'bridge too far, really far or mistaken'. Maybe I have been dramatising too much (my colleagues in Angra in the sessions case groups may be agreeing). I am trying to create (!) opportunities such that I do not loose all my initiative or capacity to use it. My main problem is my feeling of tiredness and exhausting (mostly physical). I will wait for the next months to see, as I stand in the balcony, what am I seeing.



I hope I have not bored you with these data above (yeah, still a lone wolf and again lost from the pack) or presented what is not those of you 'supreme leaders' are feeling or should feel. In any case, it is the real (!) fight in the universitary system in XXIth century as change is necessary, mandatory and some old schools (eg, Coimbra) do not want to move a 'iota' in the modus operandi unless forced from 'higher pastures'.
Best regards,
Yours Truly,
Honourable schoolboy
(aka Paulo Vargas Moniz)