On shifting from being a local to global academic.
About twelve years ago, I received my first invitation to give a global talk - from the US to Hong Kong.
About eight years ago, I received my first invitation to coach doctoral students - to spend a week with a chair in Germany.
Since then, I’ve visited several campuses, learned a lot, and enjoyed almost every minute of the experiences.
Often, I am asked how do you get these invitations?
Honestly, there is no formula.
Sometimes invitations come from friends - others from people that I have only seen online.
You just need to be open to travel & be sure that you can provide value.
If you do, it seems invitations pile up.
If you choose to join the global academic community I’ve learned a few habits that make planning your trip & your stay better for you and your host.
First, plan for Jetlag, esp. as you get older. It does not get easier to get off a plane and rebound.
If you can, fly in on a Saturday and take Sunday to recover.
Second, plan to contribute.
It’s not a holiday.
Take preparing your talk seriously. Find out what is expected. And deliver.
Third, trust that you will have fun.
A good host will arrange to show you their city & feed you.
Fourth, if there is someone you want to meet or something you want to see, ask in advance.
Most hosts work hard to accommodate guests. They invest a lot in planning.
Being a good guest means making it easy for your host to plan.
Fifth, open your mind.
Resources and norms that you take for granted are not the same everywhere.
Take some time to learn about differences and understand how they change the way you interact & what is possible.
Sixth, show restraint.
In many countries, the rhetoric that xyz journal is all that matters or xyz behavior leads to success is not welcome.
What matters values widely across countries.
Most schools invite international guests to exchange ideas - so exchange ideas & suggestions if asked - & if asked. don’t take the position that your approach is best.
Seventh, learn.
I mostly take the trips bc I learn something on each one.
I learn what others do, how they manage their teams, what ideas are important, and more on each visit.
I learn from different vectors - conversations with my host, early career faculty, students, and staff.
I’ve become better at building teams, crafting narratives & appreciating different ways of work through visits.
Shifting from being local to global has forced me to drop my view of what is best in a U.S. based model is best for everyone to appreciating what I can learn from recognizing from the global landscape and thinking deeply about how to bring it home to my team.
If you get a chance to be global, try it out. For me and my family, it has been transformational
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