bodyType

customContents

entityId

printArticlePageQuery

filter

article

body

urlAlias

articleSectionsContent

articleSeoArticle

articleSourceHeaderArticle

contentSchemaRenderContent

contentSubHeadlineContent

contentHeadlineContent

mainImagePrintArticleArticle

authorBlockPrintArticleArticle

contentSponsorTagContent

articlePianoPaywallContent

scmpYoutubeContent

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

query printArticlePageQuery(
  $entityId: String!
  $customContents: [CustomContentInput]
  $bodyType: BodyFormatTypeEnum
) {
  article(filter: {entityId: $entityId}) {
    entityId
    body(customContents: $customContents, type: $bodyType) {
      json
    }
    urlAlias
    ...articleSectionsContent
    ...articleSeoArticle_3o8td4
    ...articleSourceHeaderArticle
    ...contentSchemaRenderContent
    ...contentSubHeadlineContent
    ...contentHeadlineContent
    ...mainImagePrintArticleArticle
    ...authorBlockPrintArticleArticle
    ...contentSponsorTagContent
    ...articlePianoPaywallContent
    ...scmpYoutubeContent
    ...hooksTrackPageViewArticle
    id
  }
}

fragment articlePianoPaywallContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...hooksPaywallPromiseContent
}

fragment articleSectionsContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  sections {
    value {
      ...helpersCheckIfNewsSectionInFirstIndexSection
      ...entityLink
      name
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment articleSeoArticle_3o8td4 on Article {
  ...hooksArticleSeoArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle
  ...helpersGetArticleTypeArticle
  entityId
  publishedDate
  updatedDate
  summary {
    text
  }
  subHeadline {
    text
  }
  body(customContents: $customContents, type: $bodyType) {
    text
  }
  keywords
  sections {
    value {
      name
      id
    }
  }
  topics {
    name
    entityId
    id
  }
  urlAlias
  authors {
    name
    id
  }
  images {
    style(filter: {style: "768x768"}) {
      url
    }
  }
  readingTime
}

fragment articleSourceHeaderArticle on Article {
  urlAlias
  ...entityLink
}

fragment authorBlockPrintArticleArticle on Article {
  ...defaultArticleDateContent
  ...authorNamesArticle
}

fragment authorNameAuthor on Author {
  ...entityLink
  name
  entityUuid
}

fragment authorNamesArticle on Article {
  authorLocations
  authors {
    entityId
    location
    ...authorNameAuthor
    id
  }
}

fragment blockquoteQuoteContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...contentShareWidgetContent
}

fragment checkersCheckContentContainsStarlingImageContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  topics {
    entityId
    id
  }
}

fragment contentHeadlineContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  headline
  socialHeadline
  ...contentHeadlineTagContent
  ...helpersUseContentSponsorContent
}

fragment contentHeadlineTagContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...hooksContentHeadlineTagContent
}

fragment contentNewsletterWidgetContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  topics {
    relatedNewsletters {
      ...helpersMassageToNewsletterItemNewsletter
      id
    }
    id
  }
  sections {
    value {
      relatedNewsletters {
        ...helpersMassageToNewsletterItemNewsletter
        id
      }
      id
    }
  }
  ... on Article {
    relatedNewsletters {
      ...helpersMassageToNewsletterItemNewsletter
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment contentSchemaRenderContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...blockquoteQuoteContent
  ...imageContent
  ...inlineWidgetContent
  ...photoGalleryWidgetContent
  ...scmpYoutubeContent
}

fragment contentShareWidgetContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  entityId
  urlAlias
  shortUrl
  socialHeadline
  headline
}

fragment contentSponsorTagContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...helpersUseContentSponsorContent
}

fragment contentSubHeadlineContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  subHeadline {
    json
  }
  summary {
    json
  }
  ...contentSchemaRenderContent
}

fragment defaultArticleDateContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...hooksArticleDateUtilsContent
}

fragment entityLink on BaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias {
  __isBaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias: __typename
  __typename
  entityId
  entityUuid
  urlAlias
  urlRedirect {
    toUrl
    id
  }
  application {
    entityId
    id
  }
  ... on Section {
    fullSectionPath {
      entityId
      id
    }
    parentSection
  }
  ...helpersAppBarVariantBase
  ...helpersApplicationBase
  ...helpersCheckIsPlusArticle
  ...helpersStyleSectionContent
}

fragment helpersAppBarVariantBase on BaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias {
  __isBaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias: __typename
  ...helpersCheckIsLiveArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsPlusPage
  ...helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsPostiesPage
  ...helpersCheckIsPostMagazineArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsStyleArticle
  ...helpersSectionContent
  ...helpersStyleSectionContent
}

fragment helpersApplicationBase on BaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias {
  __isBaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias: __typename
  ...helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsPostiesPage
  ...helpersCheckIsPlusPage
}

fragment helpersCheckIfNewsSectionInFirstIndexSection on Section {
  name
}

fragment helpersCheckIsAmpEnabledArticle on Article {
  entityId
  types {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
  sections {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
  disableOffPlatformContent
  sponsorType
  published
  ...helpersCheckIsPlusArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle
}

fragment helpersCheckIsLiveArticle on Article {
  flattenTypeIds
  liveArticle {
    status
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersCheckIsMainTopicContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  topics {
    entityId
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersCheckIsPlusArticle on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ... on Article {
    paywallTypes {
      entityUuid
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersCheckIsPlusPage on Page {
  urlAlias
}

fragment helpersCheckIsPostMagazineArticle on Article {
  sections {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle on Article {
  sections {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersCheckIsPostiesPage on Page {
  urlAlias
}

fragment helpersCheckIsStyleArticle on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  sections {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersGetArticleTypeArticle on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ... on Article {
    types {
      value {
        entityId
        id
      }
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersMassageToNewsletterItemNewsletter on Newsletter {
  entityId
  name
  alternativeName
  description {
    text
  }
  summary {
    text
  }
  homepageDescription {
    text
  }
}

fragment helpersSanitizeArticleTypeEntityIdsArticle on Article {
  types {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersSanitizeAuthorTypesArticle on Article {
  authors {
    types
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersSanitizedAuthorEntityIdsArticle on Article {
  authors {
    entityId
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersSectionContent on Section {
  fullSectionPath {
    entityId
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersStyleSectionContent on Section {
  fullSectionPath {
    entityId
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersUseContentSponsorContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  topics {
    entityId
    sponsor {
      ...sponsorTagSponsor
      name
      type
      id
    }
    id
  }
  ... on Article {
    sponsorType
  }
  ...helpersCheckIsMainTopicContent
}

fragment hooksArticleDateUtilsContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  createdDate
  publishedDate
  updatedDate
}

fragment hooksArticleSeoArticle on Article {
  ...helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsPostMagazineArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsStyleArticle
  ...hooksContentHeadlineTagContent
  ...helpersCheckIsAmpEnabledArticle
  entityId
  headline
  socialHeadline
  types {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
  authors {
    entityId
    id
  }
  images {
    generic_og: style(filter: {style: "og_image_scmp_generic"}) {
      url
    }
    styles(filter: {styles: ["og_image_posties_article", "og_postmag", "og_image_style", "og_image_scmp_analysis", "og_image_scmp_explainer", "og_image_scmp_editorial", "og_image_scmp_fact_check", "og_image_scmp_debate", "og_image_scmp_live", "og_image_scmp_obituary", "og_image_scmp_opinion", "og_image_scmp_review", "og_image_scmp_series", "og_image_scmp_generic"]}) {
      url
      style
    }
    type
  }
  urlAlias
}

fragment hooksContentHeadlineTagContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  __typename
  ... on Article {
    types {
      value {
        name
        entityId
        description {
          text
        }
        id
      }
    }
    ...helpersCheckIsStyleArticle
  }
  flag
  sections {
    value {
      name
      id
    }
  }
  ...hooksContentHelperContent
}

fragment hooksContentHelperContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...helpersSanitizeArticleTypeEntityIdsArticle
  ...helpersSanitizeAuthorTypesArticle
  ...helpersSanitizedAuthorEntityIdsArticle
  flag
}

fragment hooksPaywallPromiseContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  entityId
  ...helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle
}

fragment hooksTrackPageViewArticle on Article {
  entityId
  publishedDate
  headline
  sections {
    value {
      name
      id
    }
  }
  urlAlias
  authors {
    name
    id
  }
  entityUuid
}

fragment imageContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  headline
  ...checkersCheckContentContainsStarlingImageContent
}

fragment inlineWidgetContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...contentNewsletterWidgetContent
}

fragment mainImagePrintArticleArticle on Article {
  images {
    title
    url
    isSlideshow
    size_652x446: style(filter: {style: "652x446"}) {
      url
    }
  }
}

fragment photoGalleryDialogContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  __typename
  ...contentShareWidgetContent
}

fragment photoGalleryWidgetContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...photoGalleryDialogContent
}

fragment scmpYoutubeContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  entityId
  urlAlias
  publishedDate
}

fragment sponsorTagSponsor on Sponsor {
  name
  type
  images {
    url
  }
}


sections

types

disableOffPlatformContent

sponsorType

published

headline

socialHeadline

authors

images

publishedDate

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

keywords

topics

readingTime

authorLocations

entityUuid

Andrea Li

IT IS HARD to imagine that Kathleen Slaughter  was ever insecure about anything. The straight-talking Canadian, who is associate dean for Asia, and professor of management communications at the Richard Ivey School of Business, comes across as someone who has never suffered a moment's self-doubt.

She admits, however, that for a long time she had serious concerns about her choice of career.

Excessive worrying about your career can get in the way of achieving full potential in some cases, but Professor Slaughter turned uncertainty to her advantage.

In a way, she believes, the uncertainties became a source of motivation. They caused her to test her abilities in different ways and accept a wide variety of challenges. Succeeding helped her overcome any self-doubts and realise that a fulfilling career did not necessarily follow a straight line or a well-trodden path.

'I learnt that you have to do things out of your comfort zone, things that make your heart race,' Professor Slaughter said.

It is ironic that the dean of a school should have at one time rejected the thought of ever being a teacher. 'When I left university, I said I would never teach. At the time I didn't like teaching. Or teachers.'

After graduating, she went into sales and marketing. She spent seven years with IBM in Canada and the next seven at home as a full-time mother.

When her two sons started school, it seemed the right time to think about going back to work. She considered IT, but technology had evolved considerably in the years she had been away from the working world and she found it  almost impossible to find anything suitable in the computer field.

Meanwhile, a friend at the Richard Ivey business school mentioned an opening for someone to set up a new communications programme. Initially, Professor Slaughter hesitated, but  decided to try her luck, believing  that her business background, sales experience and extensive training  at IBM would  stand her in good stead. She  also had some practical experience from having  taught a series of sales workshops.

'I would always get very good feedback when I taught sales training at IBM,' Professor Slaughter said. 'People said I was suited to the job, even though it was not a role I had actively sought.'

She remembered her days at IBM as being 'extremely tough'. The hours were generally long and the work environment almost completely male-dominated. In fact, when she joined the sales division she discovered that there was only one other woman in the whole company.

It therefore came as a surprise when she was invited to set up the company's communications programme. It was a pleasant surprise, but it was also intimidating.

'I agreed to just a one-year contract with the university because I felt I was underqualified for a job in academia,' she said. 'Also, I had been out of the workforce for so long, I was afraid I had lost my competitive edge.'

As it happened, the one-year contract turned into a long-term commitment that has lasted 23 years ... and counting.

In coming to grips with her role and its responsibilities, Professor Slaughter found her vocation. It was work that she clearly excelled in and it was something she felt passionately about.

Those early days were not easy and not always enjoyable. Designing and organising the programme was straightforward enough, but teaching it was an entirely different matter.

'The first time I taught a class it was scary,' she said. 'I had no specific training and I found myself in front of a class of the smartest students. In such a situation, it can be very hard to deal with your sense of inadequacy.'

She resolved not to succumb to her fears and instead became even more determined to deliver as expected. She took a two-pronged approach to work. She would prepare herself  in two ways: by reviewing the course material in detail before each class and by getting mentally ready. 'I would psych myself so as to give the students the best thing they had ever heard,' she said.

It was a noble  intention, but it was an extra level of self-imposed pressure. By the third class, Professor Slaughter was already showing symptoms of stress. She had developed Bell's palsy, a stress-related condition that weakens the facial muscles and can even cause partial paralysis. But she did not miss a beat and continued to teach every class assigned to her for the rest of the academic year.

Gradually, her teaching style changed. Building on techniques developed during her time with IBM, Professor Slaughter moved towards an open, interactive approach.  The students attending her lectures were also expected to contribute ideas and draw on their own experiences for everyone's benefit.

Meanwhile, as all good teachers discover, teaching revealed itself as a learning experience. 'I always learn something new in a class,' she said. 'It may be from the way people interact or something about an industry, because our students are such a diverse group.'

The diversity comes in all forms and is reflected in the background of the students and the careers they adopt. She cited the case of  a concert pianist who had become an oil trader, a museum curator who went into consulting and an engineer who turned to investment banking.

As her  teaching experience and reputation grew, Professor Slaughter  was in a position to accept short-term teaching stints in China, Slovenia and Mexico. However, the job offer  in Hong Kong in 2003 was something different. It meant having to relocate, and the prospect of a broad range of  responsibilities: working with more than 400 corporate clients to develop customised training programmes, teaching executive MBA courses, recruiting and fund-raising.

'I knew that if I didn't do it I would look back and think: 'What if?' This was an opportunity to do something that made a difference. Sometimes you can't spend a lot of time testing the water, you just have to jump in.'

Many of the principles she  learned in various IBM management development programmes still hold true and she puts them to good use. She is also guided by the philosophy learned in her computing days that there is a solution to every problem.

Her contract has been extended for another three years and she is looking forward to the next phase of an ambitious agenda.

The EMBA programme accepts 35 to 40 students a year, and the students come from as many as 14 countries.

'The programme changes the way students approach and see things. Sometimes it is  frustrating that other people haven't been able to see this yet,' she said.

Given her steely determination and  record for getting things done, Professor Slaughter  is well equipped to put the Richard Ivey business school firmly on the map.

BE BOLD

Always be prepared to try things outside your comfort zone

Don't spend too long testing the water

Look for opportunities that make a difference



Teaching is a learning experience