Small Acts and Big Impacts: Giula Tagliabue 

In last week's Scholar Spotlight, Diotime Pellet, a Laidlaw Scholar at @EPFL, reflected on her leadership journey. In her spotlight, Diotime expressed her admiration for Giulia Tagliabue, the head of the Laboratory of Nanoscience for Energy Technologies (LNET) at EPFL. Diotime observes that she is a great leader because she is dedicated to and loves her job. She is unanimously liked, respected and praised by the people who work under her direction, reflecting her success as a leader. 

This week, we reflect on Tagliabue's perspective on the importance of small acts in leadership: 

Giula Tagliabue is an expert in nanotechnology for energy production and head of the Laboratory of Nanoscience for Energy Technologies (LNET) at EPFL. She has a background in chemistry, materials science and nanotechnology, which now underpins her research into new energy conversion models. She believes that science should make a positive impact and is an inspirational teacher, constantly striving to improve her students' critical thinking skills and broaden their expertise. Notably, she won EPFL's Award for Best Teaching in 2024 for her innovative teaching style and significant impact on student improvement at EPFL. To understand her students to the best of her ability, Tagliabue utilises a variety of imaginative methods in her teaching. Having developed a love for climbing over many years, Tagliabue aims to instil a similar mindset of curiosity in her students. 

Leadership Rooted in Humanity 

Tagliabue's words remind us that leadership does not always consist of large, grand actions. Often, leadership can mean a few words of encouragement to those who need them. These day-to-day actions can be the most important and meaningful. 

Tagliabue's approach aligns with the Laidlaw value of being #Curious and the Oxford Character Project Leadership Virtue of #Humanity. Being curious means taking the time to understand and empathise with the people you are working with, whether this be students or colleagues.  Humanity means showing compassion and connecting directly with the people you lead, rather than taking a distance. 

A Call to Reflect 

We invite you to reflect on Giula Tagliabue's powerful leadership insights. Share your thoughts in the comments: In your own leadership journey, what small acts have made a big difference

References 

https://actu.epfl.ch/news/my-job-is-to-give-students-confidence-in-their-abi/