My passionate IRO world

Hello all. I had a wonderful opportunity to go back to my world of international relations......meeting with its IR team ทีมวเิทศสัมพันธ์ from both the central office and from faculty representatives.

Why wonderful? 

One university becomes more proactive to sharpen the potential of its IR crew. 

I hoped my retirement would have seen me being more helpful to this IR circle but to my surprise, things didn't seem to be as proactive as I wish to see and hear...instead, it has been filled with routine, paperwork, and numbers including trips, foreign students and MOUs, turning some university offices to be like travel agencies to handle programs and visa.

It's like 'back to the past' when I started my 'witait' career track ka.

What's wonderful?

Many lessons learned from my involvement with the IR team for about two days in a province.

My workshop buddy and I designed quite a few activities for 47 participants (+1.....their VP for IR) on the basis of doing groundwork for them to self assess (their own selves, faculties, and university), offer a big picture about the world trends, internationalization of higher education (IZN) and internationalization at home (IaH), university directions, and how these topics/issues need to be linked  and aligned with their needs for improvement within their scope of responsibilities as IR members. 

The workshop went fine, allowing them to connect and communicate, think and reflect what they've done and what the IR offices are for, and learn about and link the world and their university to make their IR missions work in the better directions. Gen gaps were felt though to us not that strong. We sure admire their boldness and creativity which add to the strengths of the IR for their boldness and creativity. Would be awesome if they're guided and supported appropriately with simpler systems and flexibility.

What's better is hopefully they feel proud of being support staff of their university and faculties and that their meaningful efforts from teaming up to learn and move to the same/right directions will enhance the quality of the development of all. Senior leadership support is essential.

How will it be more wonderful?

There's a lot more work, more understanding to reach from both top down and bottom up. Yet, it was cool to see that there was an initiative that would be extended to key leaders who are involved in IR at the university and faculty levels plus more regular meet-ups. Some said they felt an urge to learn more about what they haven't known before while some others thought they would need to be more disciplined.

We left the workshop feeling fantastic ka.

Leadership from private sector

I just attended a keynote speech session yesterday and was eager to write so I can capture the essence even better what I've learned ka.

It was given by Khun Banyong Pongpanich, Chairperson of the Executive Committee at Kiatnakin Phatra Financial Group (KKPFG), one person who I've admired and followed his thoughts for some years now......from Cariber, Facebook, YouTube, etc.

In fact, I was the one proposing to the EdPEx Subcommittee to invite him kaa.....(the full responsibility was on me:)).....from trying to find ways to invite him, volunteering to introduce him, and to moderate his session! 

หาทำค่าาาา!

Even though several are interconnected, let me try to share what I've learned from this overall 'mission':

1. It wasn't hard to invite him (he said when we met that he was ใจอ่อน easy to accept invites). We worked only through his secretary who is one lady with gentleness and a service mind. I was asked how I got to know him ..... through my involvement in Khon Thai 4.0 project where he also helped and we had lunch together....I then only ate and listened with keen interest and admired him for his well-rounded insights. He preferred walking to the room when he was ready, not to expect to see us once the car arrived at the hotel ka.

I couldn't help but think of some invites to high-level officials and some academics ka....sure love this simplicity and his humbleness.

2. Despite his powerpoint ready to be presented (with AI's help), he rarely used it and told stories instead. He only showed the last slide on servant leadership ka. My intro didn't include his storytelling talent and if I have to do it again, this aspect will be included in my intro (yesterday, I touched on his ความ..... ความพิเศษ ความคุ้นหน้า ความเป็นคนของแทบทุกวงการ ความเป็นคนตัวอย่างของ 5L (Life-long learning, Leadership, Listening)....if anyone wishes to get my intro text, please let me know ka.

3. His involvement in higher education goes beyond what others know as he's been helping in some communities, discussing with key leaders, urging some new drives, etc. The essence about today's leadership drawn consists of the following:

3.1 Leaders learn to build on beliefs from history, determining the gaps and reviewing what options could be most possible....noting also that changes aren't as fast as expected. Yet,  they must face the facts as they are, not what they were!.....be more in the present when tackling challenges. One example is about 'capability' and 'connections' กึ๋น/เส้นสาย, this is what we must admit that the strings stay on and we should stop arguing about this issue to move forward ka.

3.2 Mindset about learning is essential and from his own self, his stories showed so obviously that he never stops being curious to learn more and more in depth, yet to use what he's learned to link with the actual practice.

3.3 Think beyond the current frame of thoughts/actions to get new ways of working and possibly cross-sector learning like inviting external practitioners to lecture in every subject for at least 3 hours to widen students' perspectives. May I cite this example to let you know how it could lead to several key learnings ka: 

With this initiative, he was asking lecturers what they thought....only 3 out of 10 agreed. Here's something I really like: 3 implemented it as proposed! Normally, if the majority disagrees, we tend to say goodbye to the idea but this is one good strategy not to have only 'yes or no' so at least we can try something new and see the differences while keeping every voice heard, not to take 'consensus' as the only decision ka!

3.4 Real leaders are those 'forming something up' without going down to details. They can't be perfectionists but are the combination of  'big picture masters' (my own term) and appropriate level of being 'specialists'.

3.5 Education system should be market-driven with efforts to help the younger get to know their passion at the earliest....it must be decentralized with changed goals....not to gear only through exams or grades as the judgement of capabilities.

3.6 Reform over revolution is preferable especially in terms of sustainability. 

Alums should be invited to learn something new like the case of NUS (National University of Singapore), which invites its alums to take for free every year, one course in faculties other than their own for graduation then. 

Immediately, this example tells us how reform can be introduced to engage alumni while helping upgrade the quality and identify new areas of experience or even new passion na ka!

Any comments mai ka?

Meanings of Life

Happy day kaaa!

These days, it seems I get to read or listen to matters relating to 'meanings' of life ka.

First, it was from the Standard/ Secret Sauce, episode 933. Ken Nakarin was saying that at work, all should care for what meanings we can get from work. He then tabled out 5 pillars to make life meaningful which are: skills, health, relationships, mental health, and finance.

Isn't it strange to separate health from mental health? It shows clearly how we may confront more mental health challenges and awareness is a must. 

Listening to this ep led me to think back to a future-related article I read about 20 years ago....OMG! Then it was the very beginning of encouraging more STEM in education with a sharper sense of competition. One of the future projections was that many people would wish to seek 'philosophy of life'. I feel this aspect has been much higher on our life agenda as years go by ka.

How would you prioritize these five pillars ka? What do you think about your own philosophy of life ka?

Second, I observe that younger gens tend to go for 'all of none' .... or is it in our older gens too but went without notice?!? For example, we want to be rich so we have to do everything we can to earn money. If we don't believe in traditions, we must change it fully.

How could we let them know two key words, 'balance' and 'life'?....not that the elders like us know them well....but at least some past experiences have helped us understand a little better mai ka?

Any comments mai ka?

One favorable discussion/sharing atmosphere

Happy happy New Year ka.....this message came to you a little slowly na ka....been thinking of what to share and I was kind of sick yesterday and now back to normal ka.

I can't let go this Youtube/podcast on 12 Stories that Shook the World and Thailand, shared by 7 editors of The Standard/Secret Sauce....if you haven't watched/listened to it, check it out following this link ka:

https://youtu.be/ua3-q4RiP8g?si=I1FxRL_1fBI6ao2C

Why I keep thinking of it? 

1. All my inner circle listened and enjoyed it very much.

2. t's an 'all in one' episode to learn about the world/Thai situations last year in a less serious way.

3. It shows the capabilities of the editors (effective recruitment and retention with proper development programs). They know what they're doing while going beyond it to share their thought what could possibly happen.....they sure prepared well ka.

4. I love the 'lighter' atmosphere that offered a pleasant environment for all to share.....for those who wanted to jump in and add more insight to do so comfortably.

I think after all, thumbs up to Khun Ken Nakarin, CEO, whose moderation skills (communication, listening, follow-on questions, sharing moderate amount of insights only to go to the next question/end the) led the session to go very smoothly and enabled all to talk freely about their key messages.

My mind goes to our own higher education meeting settings ka. Quite a number in our traditional senior management would tend to talk, explain, order, etc....without much listening/learning from the members....or only listening to those with high positions/profiles....am I too negative mai ka?

Guess I've been dealing with some support staff matters and it seems that things don't really improve that much even after decades of development. Partly, it could be recruitment and training process, partly because of each personality with chill attitude and much less curiosity and need for learning, and partly because it's the need for psychological safety, which has been repeated in many programs I listen to ka.

It isn't easy to break old habits but if individuals and leaders feel the need to change, slowly yet gradually, we'll be able to maximize the capabilities of so many support staff around with more impacts they can make for our organizations ka.