Transformation, balance & culture – dragonfly musings

In the 10 months since I set up my education consultancy TKCC, dragonflies have taken on a totally unexpected significance.  A few years ago, a lovely friend and colleague in Hanoi introduced me to Vietnamese bamboo dragonflies and they have taken on quite subtle meaning for me over time.   First - in Vietnamese culture the dragonfly signifies transformation.  If you dream about dragonflies, it means good things are coming.  Next, the thing itself is very lightweight with a clever metal tip.  Its design means it can settle and find stillness in the most unlikely of positions.  Try it.  They defy gravity. Finally (for now) the most obvious insight in my dragonfly musings is around cultural intelligence and the importance of understanding and paying careful attention to how things are done here (wherever ‘here’ is). 

Dreaming of transformation.  Stillness in the chaos. The power of culture… all have become core and connecting motifs for the work I find myself doing.   So much so that I have taken to giving a Vietnamese dragonfly as a gift to mark important moments in shared work.  So, when I finally got around to launching my website, I knew that the dragonfly brought rich illumination to the ambitions I have for this exciting new phase of my career.   

Earlier this year I set up TKCC Consultancy & Coaching.  I thought my work would focus on the successful integration of professional teams in the support of an institution’s success.  I expected to be thinking about the strategic importance and power of the right institutional narrative.  And I am indeed doing all of that but increasingly the themes that connect my work are transformation, balance and culture. 

Right now, every education institution I talk to is engaged in the business of transformation.  They have to be.  The world around us is turbulent, unpredictable and changing.  Everywhere.  Making sense of that transformation is vital. Understanding your powerful and distinctive story is fundamental to building an effective programme for change. Clarity about future purpose and action needs to grow out of a deep sense of shared identity and values.  It’s not easy work but it is so important for the survival and success of our remarkable institutions.  I’ve been lucky enough to work with clients who really get it.

My coaching work engages with people trying to find their balance while navigating confusing, complex, political environments.  How can they become influential? What is the best way to ensure their voice is heard? If they are outside of the academic culture, how can they learn to play and flourish within it.  One thing I know is that education institutions do best when there is a diversity of talent and perspective around that top table.  I’m on the case.

I am particularly intrigued right now with cultural intelligence.  For me, it is a term that bridges some apparently disconnected major themes in our sector.  Most obviously it explores how different cultures across the globe engage.  An obvious exemplar is the variety of greetings I have experienced from the 3 cheek, full contact kiss in Belgium through the bone-crunching hand shake in Kenya to the no-touch gracious bow in Japan.  One size certainly does not fit all.  Understanding the nuance is vital.  To operate successfully, you need first to pay close attention to how things are done here.  It is so easy to offend without intention.   

But for me the term cultural intelligence is equally powerful within the institution. Only by understanding how academics function can professional partners be truly effective.  And vice-versa.  All over the world I have seen this internal cultural divide exhaust talented people and undermine institutional success.  Being good at cultural intelligence is not just for the international team it seems.  To operate successfully at the heart of any academic institution, it is vital to be deep in the distinctive culture of where you are.  Looking up and looking out – the need for cultural intelligence in a global world is obvious.  Looking in – the need is just as strong but maybe less obvious. I repeat - to operate successfully, you need first to pay close attention to how things are done here.  It is so easy to offend without intention.   

In the early months of 2019 I got really busy, really fast. All sorts of good people asked me to help with particular projects and I have had the deep privilege of working with a diverse range of brilliant, ambitious, clients.With hindsight, I am very grateful that I didn’t launch the TKCC website earlier. Time and experience have given me a much better sense of how I can help. Only this morning I spoke to a potential client in Hong Kong who told me how universities are deeply affected by the current crisis. All sorts of things I would not have guessed without local insight. Yesterday I was back in touch with an African friend who told me about what was happening in his country. None of it easy. And living here in London I watch the UK HE story unfold with fascination and anxiety. The only thing I know is that the Nelson Mandela quote. 'Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world’ rings ever loudly in my ears. No-one said it was easy but we all know it is important. I hope I can help.