The CQ Spotlight initiative aims to showcase stories about the impactful work that CQ Certified Facilitators do at home and abroad. The CQ Spotlight for this quarter is Dr. Rahn Franklin Jr.!
Dr. Rahn Franklin Jr serves as the Director of Strategic Diversity Initiatives at Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa. He recently completed his Ph.D. in education, with an emphasis in organizational leadership, from Northcentral University. His research examined the impact of a Chicago teacher residency program on teachers’ CQ levels.
In 2019 Rahn was certified as a CQ Facilitator after completing the CQ Train-the-Trainer under the tutelage of CIC president Dr. David Livermore. Rahn also completed the Unconscious Bias Train-the-Trainer program in 2019.
As a CQ Certified Facilitator, Rahn uses his training to help schools, business entities, and religious organizations clarify their DEI vision, plan strategically, establish accountability measures, and take action. For example, in 2015, Rahn and his colleague Dr. Valerie Stokes led efforts to develop and adopt Northwestern’s Vision for Diversity, a statement that articulates the college’s goals within its Christian college context. The two lead their college’s efforts toward inclusive excellence.
From City Streets to Corn Rows
Rahn’s own need for cultural intelligence became especially clear when he left his urban upbringing to attend college in rural Iowa and eventually marry a spouse from a farming community. His growing awareness helped him understand and respond to differences in values, lifestyles, and racial and ethnic backgrounds.
Cultural intelligence training informs Rahn’s work with international and BIPOC students as he works to foster intercultural understanding, servant leadership, and CQ. A CQ mindset is also useful in the relationships he maintains with peers: “I employ my CQ when chatting with a friend from Nepal working for the World Bank, a Bosnian friend in Southeast Asia serving with Catholic Relief Services, my Rwandan friends in the hospitality industry, or closer to home, academic colleagues across various disciplines–whose jargon can sound like another language!”
No matter the context, Rahn believes that CQ is critical: “The needs may vary, but the necessity is the same. CQ promotes human flourishing and unlocks potential in all of us.”
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Want To Become The Next CQ Spotlight?
The CQ Spotlight initiative offers CQ Certified Facilitators the opportunity to showcase their CQ work with our readers on our blog page, social media, and upcoming Certified Facilitator Newsletter. To submit a request to be featured, simply email Jennifer Benbow at Jennifer.Benbow@CulturalQ.com with the following information:
- Why is CQ important to you?
- How has CQ impacted your life and business?
- Share an important CQ experience, project, or deal.
You must have attended our CQ Certification, CQ Train-the-Trainer, or Unconscious Bias Train-the-Trainer programs to qualify. We look forward to featuring you!
About the Cultural Intelligence Center
The Cultural Intelligence Center is an innovative, research-based consulting and training organization that draws upon empirical findings to help executives, companies, universities, and government organizations assess and improve cultural intelligence (CQ) – the ability to work effectively with people from different nationalities, ethnicities, age groups, and more. We provide you with innovative solutions that improve multicultural performance based on rigorous academic research. More information about the Cultural Intelligence Center can be found on our website located at http://www.CulturalQ.co.uk.
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