StellarHE: Nina Gow’s Experience on the Programme

Black, Asian and ethnically diverse leaders have so many attributes to bring to the higher education sector: inclusive emotional intelligence, cultural competence, and inclusive leadership to name a few. And yet, many continue to be under-represented in senior roles whilst having to navigate daily negative experiences, from micro-aggressions to outright discrimination.

This is why we’ve developed the StellarHE programme, which supports and develops diverse leaders in the field of higher education.

The programme is a tried and tested development experience for diverse leaders in higher education, equipping them with the unique leadership competencies and strategies required to respond to the distinct challenges and opportunities they face as Black, Asian and ethnically diverse academic and professional staff.

In this blog series, we’ll introduce you to some recent StellarHE alumni and ask them about their experiences on the programme.

Introducing Nina Gow, Deputy Security Manager at King’s College London

Nina has been in her role for five years, having previously worked as a site manager. She is thinking ahead to the next stage of her professional life. In her work, she is passionate about DEI and mentoring.

We sat down with Nina to find out why she joined the latest StellarHE cohort, the benefits she experienced, and the key learnings she took away form the programme.

Hi Nina. So, what motivated you to join the StellarHE programme?

Well, unfortunately, even though there has been progress, we still have a very undiverse senior management team within our department. And I think we’re all still learning – I didn’t really know what bias and non-diversification meant until I came to Kings College.

I know some of my colleagues have taken part in the programme before, but this year I was really keen to be considered. 99% of my team are Black, Asian or ethnically diverse in some way, so these are conversations we’re having all the time.

And what were your first impressions of the programme? Was there anything that surprised you?

I think what surprised me most was how much I learned about myself. Because you learn things about yourself all the time in your day-to-day work. But a course like this gives you the opportunity to look back and reflect on your experiences and learn from them.

What I discovered was that I’m actually better than I thought I was – as a person, as a manager, and as a leader. Much better. And that gives you hope. That kind of confidence allows you to look at the challenges you face through a different lens.

It’s true that there are biases in my workplace and in my department, but the course showed me that diversification is slowly moving things forward – and it’s great to be a part of that.

You’ve had quite a long career, and a lot of lived experience in your field that I imagine, at times, was challenging. Did you feel able to discuss these things openly with the rest of the cohort?

The course has opened an absolute floodgate. It was great to be able to talk to so many other Black and ethnic minority leaders, and to take those conversations back to my team and continue listening to and learning from them.

I’ve also gotten closer to a few people I didn’t get on with before. It’s really nice, because I’ve been able to connect with people in a more human way. We’re now able to have the conversations we need to have, and there’s nothing terrible or awful in talking about those things.

And what were your first impressions of the programme? Was there anything that surprised you?

I think what surprised me most was how much I learned about myself. Because you learn things about yourself all the time in your day-to-day work. But a course like this gives you the opportunity to look back and reflect on your experiences and learn from them.

What I discovered was that I’m actually better than I thought I was – as a person, as a manager, and as a leader. Much better. And that gives you hope. That kind of confidence allows you to look at the challenges you face through a different lens.

It’s true that there are biases in my workplace and in my department, but the course showed me that diversification is slowly moving things forward – and it’s great to be a part of that.

You’ve had quite a long career, and a lot of lived experience in your field that I imagine, at times, was challenging. Did you feel able to discuss these things openly with the rest of the cohort?

The course has opened an absolute floodgate. It was great to be able to talk to so many other Black and ethnic minority leaders, and to take those conversations back to my team and continue listening to and learning from them.

I’ve also gotten closer to a few people I didn’t get on with before. It’s really nice, because I’ve been able to connect with people in a more human way. We’re now able to have the conversations we need to have, and there’s nothing terrible or awful in talking about those things.

Every participant was asked to identify a leadership challenge that they wanted to tackle in their organisation. What was that challenge for you, and how have things progressed?

Our overarching policies and training (including DEI) needed to be rolled out to our frontline teams, but communication was a problem. Frontline teams can’t sit at the computer all day and they can’t join meetings, because they do shift work. We’ve got people working permanent nights, those that aren’t computer literate, and people whose first language is not English.

These frontline teams didn’t know much about our policies and DEI. They don’t feel involved or included in it. So we had to work out how to move forward with that.

I’m therefore looking at doing 20-minute podcasts with frontline teams, so I’m trying to bring that forward at the moment. It’s at the formulation stage, but it’s something I’m working towards.

Are you able to define your leadership style or signature more clearly now that you’ve completed the programme?

Yes. I have a leadership statement:

“My leadership purpose is to create a vision of growth, inclusivity equality and diversity, empowering a legacy of celebrating and embracing cultural differences.

I also want to engage collaboratively, envision and receive logic, solidify commitments to change, and harness potential by embracing challenges as an opportunity to self-transformation”.

This encompasses everything I am passionate about as a leader; embracing culture, bringing and showing people how to move forward, and creating a legacy of celebration.

If I were to pinpoint my key learning from the programme, it would be to be a better version of myself, and see better versions of people.

Why do you think that this programme is necessary or important for the higher education sector or in general?

It is vital. It offers stories, narrative, support and understanding for Black, Asian and ethnically diverse leaders. We need this programme everywhere, no matter what the university or higher education facility.

What would you say to other Black, Asian and ethnically diverse staff working in higher education, or to leaders like yourself who might be wondering if the programme is for them?

Don’t even hesitate. Open up the conversation within yourself and open up the conversation with other people. You will always have something to learn, and you will be a changed person by the end of the course.

Join our next StellarHE cohort!

The StellarHE programme builds on modern leadership models and thinking to help diverse leaders progress in senior management roles.

We use a variety of learning approaches including leadership diagnostics, facilitated dialogue, experiential activities and reflective coaching to equip participants with the tools and strategies to drive sustained change in the organisations they work for.

If you would like to register for the next cohort taking place from January to April 2024, please visit: https://www.stellarhe.com/enrol

Please note, we are accepting applications up until 15th December 2023.