Lessons in Leadership from Budd Hall

In October 2023, I had the opportunity to celebrate my long-time mentor, professor, and friend, Dr. Budd L Hall’s 80th Birthday. Together with Dr. Rajesh Tandon, Budd is a UNESCO Co-Chair in Community-Based Research and Social Responsibility in Higher Education. In December of 2022, Budd was appointed as an Officer of the Order of Canada for his contributions to community-based research and for his advancement of knowledge building and research capacity around the world.

I first met Budd in 2002 when he agreed to serve as a member of my doctoral committee. During that time, he was also serving as Dean of the Faculty of Education.

As I was reflecting on Budd’s 80th, I was reminded of several lessons in leadership I have learned from him over the years.

Use Your Power to Create Space

As a global leader, professor, and renowned activist-scholar, Budd frequently finds himself in a position of power where he has the opportunity to set the tone and direction for policies, practices, dialogues, and agendas. On many occasions, I have seen Budd use this position to invite junior colleagues, especially scholars and activists from non-dominant communities, to share the spotlight. Or he moves out of the way entirely to create space and uplift the voices and strategies of those not normally heard. I have learned from experience that an introduction from Budd opens doors to all kinds of opportunities.

Amplify the Good Work of Others

Budd is the first to recognize the good work of others. Whether in person, via email, or in social media, at local and global levels, Budd helps to amplify messages of hope and others’ work to enhance the common good. Moreover, he takes the time to translate or reframe original messages for different audiences, through making connections to kindred social movements; pointing out the importance and relevance of the work to people with decision-making authority; and being the first to donate, the first to sign up, the first to volunteer, or generally, the first follower. This leadership strategy credits and amplifies the originator, demonstrates why the effort is worthwhile, and draws connections between people and movements advancing visions for a thriving and just future. 

Listen with Humility and Help People to Move Forward

I once had the opportunity to accompany a student to a meeting with Dean Budd Hall. This was a highly motivated, passionate student who had somehow become stuck. They felt hurt and unseen by difficult circumstances and were seeking acknowledgement. I observed as Budd listened to their story with deep humility and demonstrated compassion for their pain. Instead of explaining why things had turned out as they did, or justifying and presenting excuses for others whose actions were outside of his control, Budd sincerely apologized. I watched as the student’s posture and entire perspective on the event shifted. In my ongoing work with this student beyond meeting with Budd, I could see just how important this apology from a person in authority was to their overall sense of confidence and well-being, as well as their capacity to move forward with their own good work. Resisting the urge to be defensive, especially when people come at us with blame, takes great personal mastery and restraint—a rare quality in leaders. Observing this transformative moment between Budd and this student has stayed with me for nearly two decades. 

Thank you, Budd, for these and many other lessons in leadership.

If you would like to support Budd’s legacy of uplifting community-based activist-scholars in the Global South, consider donating to the Community Scholars’ Fund. If you would like to support Indigenous Scholars at RRU, consider donating to the Indigenous Scholars Grant.

Open Access Resources from Budd’s work as UNESCO Co-Chair:

Fransman, J., Hall, B. L., Hayman, R., Narayanan, P., Newman, K., & Tandon, R. (2021). Beyond partnerships: embracing complexity to understand and improve research collaboration for global development. Canadian Journal of Development Studies / Revue canadienne d'études du développement, 42(3), 326–346. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02255189.2021.1872507  

Grau, F. X., Goddard, J., Hall, B. L., Hazelkorn, E., & Tandon, R. (Eds.). (2017). Towards a Socially Responsible University: Balancing the Global with the Local. World Report on Higher Education 6. Global University Network for Innovation (GUNi). https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000248150

Hall, B. L, & Tandon, R. (Eds.). (2021). Socially Responsible Higher Education: International Perspectives on Knowledge Democracy. Brill. https://brill.com/edcollbook-oa/title/59847?language=en

Lepore, W., Hall, B. L., & Tandon, R. (2020). The Knowledge for Change Consortium: A decolonising approach to international collaboration in capacity-building in community-based participatory research. Canadian Journal of Development Studies / Revue Canadienne d'études du développement, 42(3), 347–370. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02255189.2020.1838887