Oct 17

Life in the PhD Lane…Sure to Make You Lose Your (Old) Mind

Well, it’s official; I’m a doctoral student. I just can’t keep away from the universities around here, I guess. I plan to finish in 2013.

I love it. It’s a little tough to blend school and work, but it’s no more complicated than for those of you who combine work and a vibrant family life. And to those of you who do all three - hats off!

The best 7 things about doing a PhD are:

1) Being a member of and really feeling part of a learning community of scholar- practitioners who are dedicated to making work life much easier, more productive, and truly fulfilling for everyone, not just the people in the C-suite;

b) Having access to the minds and hearts of some really bright and accomplished people;

3) Having access to world-class research about what makes people tick, what makes people and organizations sick, and how human leadership might be advanced for the betterment of life everywhere.

d) Walking a beautiful college campus every week. Boy o Boy, those tuition dollars give me access to some beautiful surroundings, including a view of the Pacific;

5) Getting a perspective on business that is just not possible when only working in business;

f) Student discounts (Why are there no student discounts for tuition?)

7) Playing with ideas in a way that is usually “not practical” in everyday business. But, as they say, the consciousness that led us into the problem will not lead us out of it. So I say, get wild and crazy and by golly, use best practices, but how about come up with a few of our own?

h) Sharing what I’m learning with others. If there is something you’d like to find out about, especially if it is not in popular magazines, let me know. I might be able to get it for you (as long as we honor copyrights.)

I’m sure there are more, but those are seven of my favorites.

My courses so far have been Adult Development (lots of Erikson, Piaget, Kegan, Wilber, Wincott, Senge, Socratic method, Western, and Argyris); Organizational Change (lots of work around organizational mindsets, creating a generative culture, evolution of org structures, what makes individuals resistant and open to change, effective strategies for shifting org culture); and Leadership Research and Inquiry (a combination of research methods, leadership theory and practice as it’s been done so far around the world, and examination of historically successful leaders and the thought leaders who examined them such as Lincoln, Gardner, and JM Burns.)

I feel happy. I hope you do, too. If there’s anything I can do to help you out, let me know.

Executive Coaching