In honour of International Women’s Day (IWD) last month, Excelsia will be championing and celebrating our female leaders across the next couple of months; we will be interviewing hardworking, resilient women who have kicked in the glass ceiling and continue to inspire us to do the same.
At Excelsia, we are passionate about supporting clever, hardworking, and inspiring women (that is why we have dedicated two months to profiling them). In our third series, we interview our female Head of Schools: Dr Lotte Latukefu (Head of Creative and Performing Arts) and Associate Professor Ebi Cocodia (Head of Counselling).
Together they form a collective group of amazing women breaking barriers and making their mark in their chosen field. To celebrate their success, we chatted to the talented academics about how they manage, orchestrate, lead, and make vital decisions as women in power.
Dr Lotte Latukefu – Head of Creative and Performing Arts
What woman inspires you and why?
There are many women who I find inspiring. For example, I am inspired by Jacinda Ardern as a political leader who seems to combine strong leadership with a great sense of compassion and humanity. I am inspired by the Christian teacher and author Diana Butler Bass when I need spiritual nourishment. In my personal life I am inspired by my own mother and mother-in-law who were outstanding academics and professionals, and loving mothers and grandmothers. And my aunties who I have always had close and loving relationships with and who have shown nothing but kindness. I am inspired by Ash Barty and Serena Williams for their tennis playing and strong sensible attitudes. I am inspired by my neighbour Clair who is a geriatrician and one of the most hardworking, generous, gracious women I know.
As a female leader, what are your core values, and how have these come through in your professional career?
I value compassion, thoughtfulness, democracy, autonomy, problem-solving, emotional intelligence, laughter, kindness, and hospitality. My career has changed over time. Early on I was very focused on being a performer. Resilience combined with a capacity for hard work and good work under pressure was probably most important. Now I am responsible for teams who influence and shape the development of young creative artists. This requires a constant replenishing of all my values and a strengthening of my faith so that I can be compassionate in everything.
Over the month of March, Excelsia will be celebrating all things innovation. What are your top cutting-edge ideas about leadership and how do you approach the need to be innovative in an era of disruption?
Leading in a way that makes people feel secure while at the same time not constraining them so that new and innovative ideas can emerge is a constant tension and balance for a leader. Different circumstances require different approaches. A constraint as severe as COVID-19 can make us want to circle the wagons, buy lots of toilet paper and hide until it all goes away. But opening up and finding creative, completely different ways of doing things that we have traditionally done a certain way is liberating, frightening and ultimately incredibly rewarding. I do not think you can do that if your team is exhausted, or uninspired, or micro-managed. So my approach has been to embrace new ways of doing things, support and coach members of the team who are thinking of incredible different ways to do things, take on and manage risk so that they can be creative without fear of retaliation.
What is your advice to young female academics looking to find their true voice and take risks?
You need to keep bouncing back, taking weird turns, and trying to maintain a passion despite setbacks. When it became obvious to me that I was not made of stern enough stuff to negotiate a career as a performer I had to have a flexibility in how I was going to change and move on. I had to do an inventory of what I valued and what were the other skills I possessed, and then reflect on what was a good fit for me that was not singing professionally.
Associate Professor Ebi Cocodia – Head of Counselling
What woman inspires you and why?
Maya Angelou, writer and poet. I enjoy her work. I find Angelou’s story compelling. She overcame adversities and became an inspiration to many.
As a female leader, what are your core values, and how have these come through in your professional career?
I believe in treating others the way we want to be treated. In other words, respect is a value that resonates for me. Integrity is another core value. Knowing and doing what is right is necessary for good leadership.
Over the month of March, Excelsia will be celebrating all things innovation. What are your top cutting-edge ideas about leadership and how do you approach the need to be innovative in an era of disruption?
Serving the common good is important for good leadership. In addition, using a person-centered approach means that one is non-judgemental, has empathy and is congruent. The key is to reach the core of the people we lead and serve.
What is your advice to young female academics looking to find their true voice and take risks?
Find your niche no matter where you end up.
