You are a steward, not the institution
Leaders pass through institutions. The work is to leave things better, build what outlasts you, and not confuse the role with who you are. Guests carry most of this thread. Daniel adds his own admission that he once sublimated his identity into a university role.
How it developed: It began with guests on legacy and durability. Later Daniel speaks personally about role and identity. He then turns it into advice to boards that plans should outlast individuals.
The thread's title and description are AI-written, drawn from the episodes below. The quotations are verbatim from the episode audio, each linked to the moment it was said.
What was said
“just because you've created something, it doesn't mean it will last beyond your term, your tenure.”
“I happen to serve currently as the president of UBC, but that's not who I am. If I'm anything, I'm, I'm a guy in recovery.”
“But the most effective leaders, I think, are those who are thinking about their legacy and thinking about their legacy in the context of how they are setting things up for the next generation, the next leader.”
“But when, when you've been the architect, if I might be so bold, of, public service or policy change, the real test, I think, is when you are the architect and no longer there. That the impact endures and the system evolves.”
“I, I, I, I, I felt sometimes that I didn't, wasn't, I didn't have control over my own agency, actually, when I was a university executive, and I had sublimated my, my character and my, my own power, actually, to the institution. And it's only now, after I've left and, and, and looking at it from the outside, that I can see that, you know, I, I put too much of my identity into that,”
“that you're the steward. You're not the organization itself.”
Episodes in this thread
- Powered by Passion and Purpose | Dr. Julia Christensen Hughes 18 September 2025
- Leading Through Healing | Dr. Benoit-Antoine Bacon 6 October 2025
- Changing the narrative - regreening a community | Lynn Wells 12 November 2025
- Reputation, purpose, and the mess of leadership | Tania Rhodes-Taylor 27 November 2025
- Putting the Mouth Back into the Body Politic | Sara Hurley 25 March 2026
- How to Lead When You Don't Have Control (Lessons from 25 University Presidents) with Daniel Atlin 5 July 2026
- Making Sense In the Mess: Leadership for a Turbulent Time 8 September 2026