Dr. Michael Goh Kicks off 2021-22 Leadership U Speaker Series

"From Emotional Intelligence to Cultural Intelligence: Why Intercultural Competence Matters in Leadership"

On Monday, September 27, Gopher Athletics heard from one of the most knowledgeable and passionate in the field of inclusivity and intercultural competence. Dr. Michael Goh, Vice President for Equity and Diversity at the University of Minnesota, presented an incredible leadership learning opportunity for the athletics department by explaining why intercultural competence matters in leadership.

Dr. Goh began by sharing his personal story and what led to his passion for this field. Growing up in Singapore, one of the top ten multicultural spaces in the world, Dr. Goh soon realized his passion for intercultural diversity. The four P's are what served as the foundation to his journey (Purpose, Principles, Programs and People). As a child, Dr. Goh aspired to be a taxi driver. Over time and through his own experiences and reflection, he soon realized that it wasn't the act of being a taxi driver that was appealing – it was the element of being surrounded by people and serving others. This led him to take on a career in an applied helping profession.

Through his work, he found that there was something above age, background, race and gender – there was an intercultural space. Dr. Goh described this intercultural space by stating, "How do I, a person of a different age, background, race and gender pretend to be able to empathize and understand what another individual is going through."

Many opportunities for engagement and discussion occurred throughout the Speaker Series. These activities inspired reflection on how every individual has a different story and context, origin, and experiences that contribute to the way you interpret a given story. It is known that well-being and equity make up a campus climate and Dr. Goh is applying his expertise on a daily basis to strengthen the campus climate at the University of Minnesota. In addition, respect, sense of belonging, and sense of autonomy are strong contributors.

It is through this series that we continue on the progression of unconscious incompetence to conscious competence. Through deliberate practice in the intercultural space, the goal is to finally get to unconscious competence where thoughts, feelings and behaviors are more intuitive, fluid and flexible. Emotional intelligence (EQ) and cultural intelligence (CQ) both have a strong skills component and contribute positively to the environment around us.

Dr. Goh's Speaker Series presentation inspired thoughtful discussion and many laughs. Leadership U looks forward to hosting Speaker Series events in the future.

Dr. Michael Goh was a doctoral student at the University of Minnesota and went on to become a professor in the Department of Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development, a faculty member, associate vice provost for equity and diversity and interim Vice President for Equity and Diversity. In September of 2018, Dr. Goh was named the Vice President for Equity and Diversity and has continued his committed work of encouraging inclusive excellence across campus and beyond. In addition, Dr. Goh is a valuable member of the Leadership U Advisory Group enhancing the experiences offered for our student-athlete programming.

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Dr. Michael Goh Kicks off 2021-22 Leadership U Speaker Series

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