At this point, you've weathered (more likely passed with flying colors, you rockstar you) your first class. Instead of talking about each proceeding class one by one, I figured a yearly overview might be more beneficial and entertaining so we could get to the good stuff, the dissertation. There should be a few good pearls of wisdom I can distill from a year's worth of doctoral work. Again, this is told from my lens of experience, and I will do my best to lend transferable points that can help you in your doctoral journey. They'll be bolded for emphasis. Ready? Great!
The remainder of my first year consisted of these five courses:
Year 1 Classes:
Doctoral Success Lab (See the last post for details)
A History of Applied Management Theory*Global Leadership and Ethics
Organizational Behavior and Social Responsibility
Global Perspectives in Human Resource Management
Research Methods – Qualitative
Starting with a Shakeout Course
This adventure began with the first shakeout class. I heard rumors from prior cohort members that the History of Applied Management Theory course was challenging. Knowing this in advance helped me frame the experience as a 'mini-boss level' and allowed me to embrace the feedback as a ready-ment for future challenges. This class is one where I would 'skill up.' Challenge accepted.
The class structure was like the first course. We had discussion assignments due weekly and projects at the end of the eight weeks. Weekly modules were filled with information and additional articles to read and respond to. The key differentiating factor was the degree of critical thinking applied to the sources we used, our writing styles, and our sourcing proficiency. The class also hosted a new professor with a different lens of focus.
One pearl of wisdom from the contrast of teaching styles is to learn what elements are essential to each of your professors. All professors are different. As such, expecting the nuances of their courses to be the same is far-fetched, at best. This professor possessed the magic of detailed feedback with equal care for his students. Make no mistake; detailed feedback (if you take the time to learn from it) will help you improve. The professors that gave me feedback, even when harsh, were the ones that helped me improve.
Another differentiator of this course was our final project was a team project. If you have taken any class with a team project, the 'ughs' might have been triggered. Team projects are all about the luck of the draw when it comes to your team members. If you can craft accountability and a sense of commitment within every team member, the experience is magical. However, team dynamics like that often don't just happen; you must create them.
The final deliverable for this project was a 15–20-page paper with a minimum of 20 references in APA7 format. The topic? Write about a business theory in alignment with a current specific business issue and the associated social responsibilities implicated in the dilemma.
This project team of four largely possessed a high productivity mindset. By and large, personal accountability across team members was present. Everyone on the team came together to deliver their assigned tasks. The challenge presented from this assignment was weaving together starkly different writing styles to sound like one cohesive voice. Additionally, we encountered a challenge where we had to rewrite a section to ensure the academic integrity of our submitted work. That's the thing about teamwork; the whole team is held accountable for one team member's misstep. In these cases, I found it's best not to waste time blaming others and instead spend time making corrections. These are teachable moments if handled correctly.
As mentioned previously, the fallout from this course reduced our ranks in half, but those who remained were all the better for it. We were more aware of our Areas of Improvement (AOIs) and knew what to look for when reviewing our later works. While demanding, the class was profoundly beneficial, and I left the course with a sense of accomplishment and a quote that would hang on my wall for the rest of the journey:
Leading by Example
The next class was a welcomed reprieve from the intensity of the shakeout class (TBF, maybe the skill-up made the courses feel a little easier by proxy). Cohort 17 met with a seasoned leader, author, and advisor to guide the Leadership course. Dr. Dool understood the rigor and life demand of what we were seeking to accomplish and managed to bring a sense of calm confidence to the course while instilling a sense of intrinsic motivation that inspired me to apply myself further. The class environment was what my students would refer to as 'chill' but still set a professional expectation of excellence.
The course examined leaders' ethics and values as they govern their employing institutions. We looked at varying leadership styles, and the actions managers take to realize the benefits of those styles. Dr. Dool was also working on his next book to be published, highlighting and discussing the leadership methods of those doing the work across various industries.
This work paralleled the positioning of our final assignment, which was to research and discuss the practices of a known leader, whether in business or otherwise. For my last course submission, I focused my research on AMD's Dr. Lisa Su. Dr. Su's work must've piqued his interest as he said he would investigate her going forward. In an ultimately insignificant but personally meaningful way, I felt I made a difference by adding to his work by culminating awareness for a fantastic leader.
Another fantastic facet of this course was Dr. Dool's efforts to tie in what we were doing as applicable to the dissertation. He gave copious guidance and advice on habits to get into to realize a successful dissertation experience. Words cannot express the depths of my gratitude for the wisdom he bestowed:
Work a little on your dissertation daily, even if it's only 15 minutes (he meant EVERY day, weekends included).
Leave your work in the middle of a paragraph or thought so you can pick back up more quickly the next day. This technique was a unique memory trigger that helped immensely.
Use the assignments to determine your research interests and narrow them down as you go from course to course.
Gaining the Survival Mindset
In one course, I realized that professors (either with or without intent) may pass on the tradition of unnecessary academic revision to 'earn' your keep. The same assignment structure for the course was consistent with the others. Still, the level of scrutiny concerning the work could have been more helpful (as it did not help me to advance my understanding or skills in any way, but as a bonus, it did have me doubting my abilities the first few weeks).
I equated this to hazing instances I underwent while working in the entertainment industry. The attitude of "this is what I went through, so this is what you must endure" rings true. It smelled familiar, so I knew what to do. It's best to keep your head down and push through in this setting. Let the comments roll off you, and make changes to show you're listening, but don't try to fight it out. JUST GET IT DONE.
Note: This method may become the case for your dissertation pending your committee. Fortunately, I had a stellar chair/committee, but I have heard tales of rough dissertations from the chair-student dyad relationship. Rest assured, the "get er' done" (in my best Larry the Cable Guy impersonation voice) approach works here. You must decide where to pick your battles; sometimes, it's more important to be DONE than RIGHT.
More on this when we talk about the dissertation. You will likely have one experience like this in your journey. After all, some 'Doctors are the foremost experts in their field, and that renown can fuel their egos if not checked. In these cases, be prepared to use the approach above, band together with your cohort, and like the great Monica once sang, 'Don't Take It Personal, Baby."
Aspirational Scholar Goals
Closing out year one was a class on one of my favorite disciplines, Human Resources, taught by a professor with a dizzyingly profound knowledge level. (For those unaware of the magic of HR or look at the discipline with dismay, please know that all organizations involve people, and taking care of your people is the work that should be happening collaboratively between leaders and the human resources folks. I will get off the soap box, but put some respect on HR; they deal with a lot and are often stifled by leadership to realize the full value they're capable of.)
You may have had a prof. or two whose lectures are imbued with such passion that you can't help but be enamored by the depth covered from week to week. I aspire to become one of these profs. They can talk for hours; you want to make sure to get everything because it's all relevant and significant.
Our classes would often run late but be filled with such information that we stayed the whole way through, regardless. At one point, I expected and planned for the course to have overtime. In moments like these, you can earn a bit of clout by sticking it out (rhyming is not intentional here, but it works as a mnemonic). Like office culture in action versus espoused culture, take your cues from the professor and the class. Don't stick out in negative ways by leaving 'on time' when you're still working through lesson content (I understand that life demands might get in the way of being able to stick around; in those cases, speak with your prof. beforehand individually so there is an understanding of the circumstances.)
The work and research I did in the first year opened my mind to new possibilities and fueled my desire to continue onward. The next big personal challenge looming around the corner was something I knew would be difficult, the quantitative courses. For context, I managed to get to this level without successfully passing College Algebra, but now it was time to confront quantitative studies head-on.
We'll discuss this leg of the adventure in the next post. Til' next time!