How Grief Powered This Executive’s Move Into Leadership

Why It Matters

Pickering’s story shows how personal adversity can forge resilient, agile leadership, a blueprint for universities and corporations facing fast‑changing environments.

Key Takeaways

• Grief redirected her path from research to university leadership.
• Early responsibility taught her to own decisions without hesitation.
• She champions rapid, evidence‑driven decisions amid constant disruption.
• Monash’s AI supercomputer ‘Maverick’ aims to accelerate national research.
• Advice: act now, ignore perfect‑timing myth, embrace discomfort.

Summary

In a concise 15‑minute interview, Monash University Vice‑Chancellor Sharon Pickering explains how personal grief after her husband’s death became a catalyst for moving from scholarly work into senior leadership. She reflects on early lessons from a family trucking business and a PhD supervisor who modeled inclusive, joy‑driven leadership, shaping her belief that responsibility must be embraced fully. Pickering stresses a vision‑focused, evidence‑driven approach: rapid decision‑making, constant recalibration, and removing bureaucratic “barnacles” that slow innovation. She cites the launch of Monash’s AI supercomputer, Maverick, as a concrete example of enabling top talent to tackle national challenges. Her mantra—"be comfortable in being deeply uncomfortable"—underscores the need to act despite imperfect timing. Memorable quotes punctuate the conversation: "There is no perfect time to have children, to get promoted, or to shift," and "The buck stops with you." She also shares how grief forced her to choose impact over personal research, illustrating how adversity can sharpen leadership focus. The interview highlights a leadership model that blends personal resilience with institutional agility, offering a template for CEOs and university heads navigating rapid technological change and geopolitical uncertainty. By prioritizing people, cutting red tape, and fostering a long‑term vision, Pickering demonstrates how universities can remain competitive and socially relevant.

Original Description

When Sharon Pickering’s husband died, she realised she needed to choose where she directed her energy and focus on what mattered to her.

After years of being a dedicated scholar, the academic made a decision that would set her on a path to becoming the vice chancellor of Monash University.

On this week’s episode, BOSS (https://www.afr.com/boss) editor Sally Patten sits down with the university boss to find out how a new role shifted Pickering’s career to one of leadership.

Further reading:

‘I’d lost my identity.’ How this exec recovered from redundancy (https://www.afr.com/work-and-careers/leaders/novartis-alison-rossiter-leadership-public-speaking-20260501-p5zsxf?utm_source=omny&utm_medium=podcast_notes&utm_campaign=15_minutes_with_the_boss&utm_content=&utm_term=newsroom)

A new coach, hypnotist and Hollywood movie helped Allison Rossiter tackle one of her biggest fears. Now, the Novartis president shares how they can help you too.

Meet the researchers tackling big problems (https://www.afr.com/work-and-careers/education/meet-the-researchers-tackling-big-problems-20251113-p5nfag?utm_source=omny&utm_medium=podcast_notes&utm_campaign=15_minutes_with_the_boss&utm_content=&utm_term=newsroom)

Combining knowledge and expertise across disciplines is the new face of successful research in the university sector.

The move this MD calls ‘extremely hard, but I’ve never looked back’ (https://www.afr.com/work-and-careers/leaders/what-this-ceo-took-away-from-a-10-day-silence-retreat-20250807-p5ml4v?utm_source=omny&utm_medium=podcast_notes&utm_campaign=15_minutes_with_the_boss&utm_content=&utm_term=newsroom)

T2 Tea managing director Christelle Young finds that by cutting out reading, writing and talking first thing in the morning, it sets up her day in the right way.

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