Kate Pretty

Dr Kate Pretty CBE was Principal of Homerton and Chair of the Faculty of Human, Social and Political Science until her retirement in September 2013. As one of the University’s five Pro-Vice-Chancellors she formerly held special responsibilities for outreach, lifelong learning and international strategy.

From an early age I was accustomed to taking responsibility and was pretty opinionated. My parents were left wing, politically engaged and curious about all aspects of the world. As a child, that sent me a message that you could question the status quo and be interested in almost anything.

I got hooked on archaeology when I was eleven and have never moved away from it. In the West Midlands there was a junior field group led by teenagers, which meant that we were able to get knee deep in running our own excavations whilst still at school. There was this great sense of camaraderie, alongside the immediacy and thrill of discovery.

It’s impossible to run an excavation on your own, so archaeology is, by its very nature, a joint enterprise. The bigger the excavation, the more you’re learning about what it means to lead or be part of a team. It’s a great training ground, and I would guess that a disproportionate number of people with my background end up with senior roles in academia. Archaeology lends itself to a collaborative style of leadership, so I don’t have a need to be out in front telling people what to do, or getting all the glory for a project. I take a lot of pleasure in others’ achievements and the success of the project as a whole. Personally, the trappings of success have never bothered me, but I don’t know whether this has any link to my gender or whether it’s just how I’m wired.

I have been surprised to find that I am a natural risk taker. I think I’m somebody who says, ‘Why not, sure, let’s see whether we could do it’, rather than, ‘Oh, I don’t know about that.’ I was instrumental in Homerton becoming the newest college at the University, which meant taking risks to secure the right funding and the right people to make it happen.

“My usual strategy is to approach obstacles like water going round rocks, rather than forging straight ahead.”

I also have an instinct for joining things or people up where it makes sense, for example in bringing all the museums together under one governance system. It took me seven years, but it was worth it and it subsequently contributed to the Arts Council giving Cambridge a multimillion-pound grant. Similarly, I have taken great pleasure in extending the University into the community and in setting up the national Young Archaeologists’ Club.

Cambridge is a complex institution to try to move, partly because of the interrelationship between the colleges and the University. After forty years of experience, I tend to know which buttons to push, but my understanding of the system came over a long, long period.
My usual strategy is to approach obstacles like water going round rocks, rather than forging straight ahead. It’s very difficult indeed to get both quick and consensual change, so you need to be able to take a long view. You also have to know when to stick to your guns despite opposition and indeed ridicule.

“There are also a number of people who, for various reasons, make themselves indispensable number twos and never become number one.”

It can be hard to be successful here, as it’s a very demanding environment. As an academic you have to manage your research, your teaching, your college and your domestic life. As a Chair of a School, I was often in open competition for money and resources with the other Schools, and that brings with it inevitable power struggles. There will be people who falter and never quite get back on track, then there are those who never get out from under the shadow cast by a leading light. There are also a number of people who, for various reasons, make themselves indispensable number twos and never become number one.

You have to understand the game, how power works and how decisions are made. I was impatient with colleagues of my generation who said, ‘I can’t be bothered with all that decision-making and I don’t want to spend time on committees.’ To me that was opting out of Cambridge’s democratic process, and if you don’t vote you don’t use your voice. There is a constant resentment of ‘them’, but it would help if people felt they had more influence and took more responsibility.

“I think we need to learn not to belittle or undersell ourselves and start talking about what we can do rather than what we can’t.”

We’ve had lots of conversations at Homerton about how women can best find their voices and exercise influence. I think we need to learn not to belittle or undersell ourselves and start talking about what we can do rather than what we can’t. We also need to secure influential sponsors, sit on committees and take advantage of initiatives like Springboard to develop as leaders. Finding one’s own style is intensely personal and time-consuming but nonetheless vital.

Like many people, I don’t find it easy to talk about my achievements, but I do know I’m a good chairman and facilitator. I’m good at bringing consensus, getting projects moving, appointing the right people and having a clear view of where something needs to go. I also have the patience to take time when it’s needed. I’m good at bringing on colleagues because I think it’s important to help to get the next generation moving. Now I’m retired from the University, I am increasingly tempted to apply my skills and experience in other spheres. It would be a bit of a waste not to.