Spotlight on Katherine
Katherine Rake set up Lucent Consultancy in 2019. Prior to that she was the first Chief Executive of Healthwatch England and led women’s rights campaign The Fawcett Society. Her trustee roles include the Centre for Ageing Better, United Response and the London School of Economics.
What inspired you to set up Lucent?
I worked as a solo consultant for a couple of years, supporting clients to review and refresh their strategies. I got a big buzz from seeing how good strategy unlocks people’s energy and creativity. But I knew that clients could get even more impact if they had access to multiple experiences and talents. That's why I built a team of people with complementary skills and experiences, and Lucent was born!
What is the most rewarding aspect of your work?
We typically work with organisations over a period of time, to develop and to refine their strategy. While many people want to compress strategy work into a single workshop or retreat - little and often is the motto for Lucent.
Strategy isn’t just words on a page. It is the product of a conversation with the people and groups who are most impacted by your work and then a clear set of decisions about your future. When the strategy process gathers momentum, I literally get the shivers!
What actually happens when you develop a strategy?
Good question! Strategy is about attending to what matters most to your organisation. This kind of work doesn’t often make it onto to-do lists. So we break it down into structured research, tasks and conversations. This makes the process manageable and gets best use of precious time by ensuing every conversation builds on the last.
First, in the Discover phase we gather fresh insight – for example, mapping other organisations in your field or reviewing your business model. The second stage is Develop where options are discussed, and we make sure to engage diverse groups in this discussion. In the Decide phase we support the board and senior team to make clear decisions that can immediately be put into operation.
When is a good time for strategy?
People sometimes say they’ll come back to strategy once they have got through a crisis or round of recruitment.
I totally empathise with this but the reality is that you can never turn off daily business in order to devleop strategy. As experienced leaders ourselves, we are used to dealing with the sometimes messy reality of organisations. And we know that bringing people together behind the same long-term goal brings benefits even if you are in a period of considerable change. Indeed, change is quicker (and less painful) when the ultimate purpose is clear. So I’d say be brave and take the first step.
Who or what inspires you?
I am currently prepping an exciting project and have been hearing the stories of different generations of people working for change. Truly inspiring!
You’re planning a celebratory feast – what’s on the menu?
Well if I’m cooking I have a chocolate cake recipe which has never failed to please people big and small. But, if you’re treating me, there is a lovely Thai restaurant just down the road. The mix of flavours is something I have never been able to achieve in my own cooking.
Meet the rest of the Lucent team here.