## Introduction Being an officer is one of the hardest graduate roles you can get. There's no such thing as a 'perfect' officer, and there's about 50 ways to be a 'good' one. Below are some of my thoughts about what skills, knowledge and behaviours you need to be an excellent officer. Some of this is based on some previous NUS work on the matter, some of it is based on my thoughts and experience. It would be pretty much *impossible* for Officers to know everything in this list of notes that I've pulled together (that are still a work in progress). I've included them because each note will have a separate appeal to different student officers. My advice to any officers' reading this is to just take a look at what you're interested in, or use it as a reference point. *No-one is asking you to know, understand or even read all of this*. And all of this information here will be supported by [[training and development]] through your officer year. >[!Warning]+ >- These are just my notes. Some are more complete than others. They are a work in progress. Do not rely on them. Use them as a prompt to think about what knowledge, skills, attributes and behaviours you will need to be successful in your role. (See more here: [[Digital Garden Terms of Service]]) ### Contents 1. [[How to be an amazing Student Officer#Knowledge that's helpful to Student Officers|Knowledge Officers might need]] a) [[How to be an amazing Student Officer#Current Issues affecting UK students|current issues affecting Higher Education]] 2. [[How to be an amazing Student Officer#Skills|Skills Officers probably need]] 3. [[How to be an amazing Student Officer#Attributes and Behaviours|Behaviours Officers probably need]] ## Knowledge that's helpful to Student Officers ### Regarding Salford SU Firstly it's good to know about the [[Salford SU Strategy]] and what we're aiming to achieve as an SU. This includes things like - [[Why is Loneliness the focus of our BHAG?]] - [[Loneliness in Students]] - The [[Greater Manchester Student Partnership]] Officers should also know about the [[Salford SU Departments]], and also some of the specifics about aspects of the organisation: - [[Salford SU Finances]] - [[Salford SU HR]] Because Officers are also Trustees, you should know about [[Salford SU Governance]]. In particular focus on - The [[Salford SU Articles of Association|Articles of Association]] and [[Salford SU's charitable objects]]- our foundational documents - [[Salford SU Trustees|USSU Board of Trustees]] and [[Salford SU Trustees]]- more details on who makes decisions - [[USSU Democracy Review 2022-24]]- how we try to involve students in our structures - The [[Policy Book]]- our approach to writing down what we believe as an organisation - [[Source - Managing Conflicts of Interest in a Charity by GOV.UK|Managing Conflicts of Interest in a Charity]] ### Regarding Students, Higher Education and SUs It's important for you to know some stuff about [[Higher Education Students]] and their different demographics. You'll spend some time talking about [[Higher Education]] and how it is regulated, particularly by the [[Office for Students]]. Of course you'll want to know about the [[University of Salford]] itself and how it fits into this framework. This might include things like [[University of Salford Committees]], and [[University Council]]. You might also want to knwo about some themes within any university, such as [[Academic Support]]. You will also spend some time talking about [[Students’ Unions]]. You might be interested in looking at some of these notes: - [[The Future of Students' Unions]] - [[The History of Students' Unions and NUS]] - [[Why do students need a union?]] You'll also find out more about the 'student sector' - see [[The National Union of Students (NUS)|NUS]] and also [[Wonkhe]] Of course, one of the hardest parts of being an officer is keeping up with all the [[Higher Education ACRONYMS!]] ### Regarding People and Relationships - USSU [[Senior Leadership Team|SLT]] - [[Ed's MBTI Report]] (all about how I prefer to work) - [[Officer Relationships]] - [[Staff Officers Roles Matrix]] - UoS [[1. Inbox/University leadership team (ULT)|University Leadership Team (ULT)]] - [[Salford SU Stakeholders]] ## Current Issues affecting UK Higher Education *I've tried to separate these into different sections, although lots of it is interrelated. Ie HE sector funding affects [[University finances ]]which affects SU finances* #### Student- related issues These are all issues that officers and/or staff have prioritised over the past few years: - [[Tackling Loneliness]] - [[Student Mental Health and Student Support]] - [[Belonging and Fitting In|Belonging]] and [[Loneliness in Students]] - [[Black Awards Gap]] - [[EDI Statement of Ambition]] - [[Sexual assault and misconduct]] - Spiking issue 2022 - International student support - [[International Payment Plans]] - [[International Student Experience]] - [[Student Cost of Living Crisis 2022 onwards]] - [[Student Housing Crisis]] - [[Access and Participation]] #### HE sector-related issues This is some of the stuff that you'll hear about from the University and others about why they're doing things/ why they can't do other things. Some of it is reasonable, some of it isn't! - [[HE sector finances]] and [[reducing real-term tuition fee income]] - [[retention of students]] - UCU [[Strike Action]] over pay and pensions - [[Freedom of Speech]] - [[Office for Students]] burdensome oversight and [[B3 Student Outcomes]] #### NUS and Students' Unions related issues One of the things that's been going on with NUS and SUs recently has been the [[NUS Anti-semitism complaint 2022]]. You can also see the [[Salford SU Response to NUS Antisemitism 'Tuck' Report Jan 2023]]. ## Skills Officers (probably) need So *it's not just knowledge you need, but the skills to apply it*. Overall is is probably most important. ### Leadership and Team-working *You're now a leader of an organisation and the students at the University. How you think about leadership is quite individual and often takes time to develop. This is pretty advanced stuff. These are my thoughts on the issue.* See [[Leadership]] for the general stuff. Some things that I believe that you might find interesting to reflect on include the following - [["There's no such things as bad teams, only bad leaders"]] - [[Ed's leadership style and beliefs]] - [[Leadership is emancipation]] - [[Level 5 Leadership in Salford SU]] You also need to lead as a team. So here's some notes on [[Team Working]]. You also might want to delve into - [[Tuckman’s team development theory]] - a theory on how teams *develop* - [[Belbin's Team Roles]] - a theory on how teams *work* - [[Trust (in teams)]] - some background to Trust, which is essential to team-working - [[Vulnerability]] is also essential to team-working ### Communication, [[Negotiation]], Problem Solving and Conflict Resolution To be successful you'll need to communicate will, negotiate well, solve problems and resolve conflict. This section is not as well developed but here's some on [[Mindful Communication]] and [[courageous conversations]]. You'll hear me say that [[no decision is made in a committee meeting]] and also that [[How can Student Officers ‘win’ university committee meetings?|officers sometimes need to 'win' committee meetings]]. It might be useful for you to think about [[Decision making]] in general. Regarding conflict resolution, also see the 'teamworking' section above. ### Professional skills If I was to call out one skill that I would want every officer to have it's the ability to honestly reflect on your own performance is a key officer attribute- see [[Reflection]] for more. It's *essential* to your success. Also have a think about [[Productivity]] and self-management. Look at - Diary management with Outlook - Communications - Using ChatGPT/ AI appropriately Objective setting is crucial for officer success. I'd recommend only having one objective. See [[SMART objectives]] or [[PICK Chart]] for some ideas of how to do this. You will also need (some) project and event management skills - Breaking down long-term objectives into stages - Writing [[Risk Assessments]] can be useful ## Attributes and Behaviours Officers (probably) need There are some general attitudes and behaviours that all good Officers have: - *Passion* - commitment to students, and what is good about Salford - *[[Empathy]]* - concern for students, the SU and the University - *[[Integrity]]* - High ethical standards and a commitment to honesty and transparency - *Resilience* - see [[The Stockdale paradox]]. And also important to practice self-love. - *Approachability* - Being accessible and open, and teachable. - *Proactive* - try to solve things before they become problems - *Inclusive* - actively promoting all students and their voices. - *Collaborative* - working effectively with the team, staff team, university, NUS and others. - *Accountable* - taking responsibility for actions and decisions, and being answerable to students. - *Professional* - turning up on time, ready to work. You should also look at the [[The Seven Principles of Public Life|Nolan Principles]], which explains the 7 Principles of Public Life. ## See also - [[Staff Officers Roles Matrix]] - a document that outlines the different roles that officers and staff have - Wonkhe guidance [*insert link*] - [[Source - If I Could Turn Back Time - Reflections From Former SU Officers Wonkhe by Eve Alcock]] - [[What leadership principles should be promoted in a constrained resource environment?]] - [[Officers that are seen as myopic don't get stuff done]] - [[Student Officers]] - [[How can Student Officers ‘win’ university committee meetings?]]