Sorry, I've been in shock for the past three hours.
Still speechless.
I'll try and write more later…
I'M GETTING MARRIED!!!!
I can't even breathe!
Thursday, February 27, 2014
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
Ladies who Lead
I had the privilege of attending a lunch/tea with some amazing women from around campus. These were Deans and Interim Deans who assembled to share with faculty and students about their experiences in leadership. I took notes to help capture some of the gems that they shared. Here's some highlights:
Take Risks
Have a spirit of discernment around using your gifts and tools
Consider the specific environment/context in which you lead, and bring the skills and attitude that will help you be successful in that kind of environment
Network to expand your exposure
Become fiscally savvy
Examine your excuses
Look for diverse leadership; assemble people with diverse strengths
Stay calm in the face of crisis
Know WHY you want to be a leader
Forget a mentor, Find a sponsor. A mentor helps you find a dream, a sponsor is a dream enabler
Be broader than your discipline; have a far reach; be known outside of your institution
You lead from WHO you are, so be careful about WHO YOU ARE
Always take the high road
Set your boundaries; under what conditions do you stay? Under what conditions will you move on?
Don't assume anything starts with your arrival
Authentic Leadership: You CAN'T b anything other than who you are
At what cost are you assuming your leadership roles?
Books to check out: Lean In and Turnaround leadership
Take Risks
Have a spirit of discernment around using your gifts and tools
Consider the specific environment/context in which you lead, and bring the skills and attitude that will help you be successful in that kind of environment
Network to expand your exposure
Become fiscally savvy
Examine your excuses
Look for diverse leadership; assemble people with diverse strengths
Stay calm in the face of crisis
Know WHY you want to be a leader
Forget a mentor, Find a sponsor. A mentor helps you find a dream, a sponsor is a dream enabler
Be broader than your discipline; have a far reach; be known outside of your institution
You lead from WHO you are, so be careful about WHO YOU ARE
Always take the high road
Set your boundaries; under what conditions do you stay? Under what conditions will you move on?
Don't assume anything starts with your arrival
Authentic Leadership: You CAN'T b anything other than who you are
At what cost are you assuming your leadership roles?
Books to check out: Lean In and Turnaround leadership
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
Just remember to connect the pieces.
Today's Aha Moment comes courtesy of grappling with my dissertation...Go figure.
Sometimes in this process you forget that it is a process, a set of inter-related happenings that all works together in getting you to your ultimate goal. Yeah, like those first two years of course work, yup, they matter to these final three years of writing. I know, DUHHHHHH! But here's the thing: you bust your ass just to make it through those first two big ones. You study hard to pass those major exams and subconsciously you reduce the beginning of this whole experience to that moment when you find out you've passed and got your approval to move on to the main event: The dissertation.
I might have written somewhere in here before about the weird space you feel after all that beginning hustle and bustle is over. The last day of Comps and SIA writing your brain goes into a fog and your world freezes. You want to turn it all off for a little while because what you've just endured was some next level madness that you want to simply erase from every possible memory chamber in your physical body. It all becomes a blur...
...And then you snap back into reality, recharge your batteries and get going on figuring out your topic and writing for your life. But, sometimes, in the midst of the mad dash, you forget to connect some very important dots, like really acknowledging how all the stuff you learned is what you will need to help get you through this final monster project.
Today, as I went back to my first year research textbook and reviewed the first chapter, I remembered this important thing called the research paradigm. This paradigm includes an explanation of the framing principles that provide the foundation for the direction of my research design. I realized as I read between the lines that I had jumped so far ahead into trying to explain my ideas and justify my research design that I neglected to get solid in the foundation of the whole story. Just by stopping and articulating how the interpretivist and constructivist paradigms frame my worldview as a researcher I gave new life to my document and my revisions. Praise God!
You may not understand what all this means or you may be judging me for this brain fart, but this is truly a profound turning point in my soon-to-be dissertation history.
Simply put, I just had to go back to where it all started...and now I can move forward.
Sometimes in this process you forget that it is a process, a set of inter-related happenings that all works together in getting you to your ultimate goal. Yeah, like those first two years of course work, yup, they matter to these final three years of writing. I know, DUHHHHHH! But here's the thing: you bust your ass just to make it through those first two big ones. You study hard to pass those major exams and subconsciously you reduce the beginning of this whole experience to that moment when you find out you've passed and got your approval to move on to the main event: The dissertation.
I might have written somewhere in here before about the weird space you feel after all that beginning hustle and bustle is over. The last day of Comps and SIA writing your brain goes into a fog and your world freezes. You want to turn it all off for a little while because what you've just endured was some next level madness that you want to simply erase from every possible memory chamber in your physical body. It all becomes a blur...
...And then you snap back into reality, recharge your batteries and get going on figuring out your topic and writing for your life. But, sometimes, in the midst of the mad dash, you forget to connect some very important dots, like really acknowledging how all the stuff you learned is what you will need to help get you through this final monster project.
Today, as I went back to my first year research textbook and reviewed the first chapter, I remembered this important thing called the research paradigm. This paradigm includes an explanation of the framing principles that provide the foundation for the direction of my research design. I realized as I read between the lines that I had jumped so far ahead into trying to explain my ideas and justify my research design that I neglected to get solid in the foundation of the whole story. Just by stopping and articulating how the interpretivist and constructivist paradigms frame my worldview as a researcher I gave new life to my document and my revisions. Praise God!
You may not understand what all this means or you may be judging me for this brain fart, but this is truly a profound turning point in my soon-to-be dissertation history.
Simply put, I just had to go back to where it all started...and now I can move forward.
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
Draft. Revise. Repeat.
A few weeks ago I stepped on the gas and went full speed ahead to get out a third draft of my proposal. This meant long nights with peers on campus working on section after section of this document. With a proposal goal of sometime this semester, there's lots to get done and little time for messing around.
About a week ago today, I took a major sigh of relief as I submitted my draft to my advisor. I exhaled for a little bit and then began to catch up on some other unfinished tasks like my fellowship renewal and abstract submission for CSWE 2014. I even planned a short getaway home to celebrate my youngest niece's birthday with the fam. But before my feet got planted in the concrete jungle that is New York, I got a call from my advisor and my respite was abruptly brought to a close.
I was exhausted of all things dissertation at that point, but grateful for the timely feedback. We had a very detailed conversation about the changes I made to my my draft and I answered some clarifying questions about my document and research goals. One major lesson I got from this discussion: DO NOT SECOND GUESS MYSELF. I am clear now, more than ever before, that my topic is important and can help me make a significant contribution to discussion around African American mental health.
Sometimes, as you engage in the the terrorizing task of writing and re-writing you can end up feeling not so sure. But I now know that I must keep trudging confidently in the direction of my vision, for there is definitely value there.
It is now Tuesday and we are in the second week of February. I have returned from NY and am officially back at it. I've made revisions to Chapter 1 and am planning to speak with my advisor about those changes and moving forward. I'm a little anxious because time is definitely ticking, but that's what it does; if it stopped therein would lie a whole other set of problems. So I will keep pushing, trusting that my divine date to defend is already orchestrated by the Master Planner.
Woooooooosah.
Your prayers are greatly appreciated!
Cheers.
About a week ago today, I took a major sigh of relief as I submitted my draft to my advisor. I exhaled for a little bit and then began to catch up on some other unfinished tasks like my fellowship renewal and abstract submission for CSWE 2014. I even planned a short getaway home to celebrate my youngest niece's birthday with the fam. But before my feet got planted in the concrete jungle that is New York, I got a call from my advisor and my respite was abruptly brought to a close.
I was exhausted of all things dissertation at that point, but grateful for the timely feedback. We had a very detailed conversation about the changes I made to my my draft and I answered some clarifying questions about my document and research goals. One major lesson I got from this discussion: DO NOT SECOND GUESS MYSELF. I am clear now, more than ever before, that my topic is important and can help me make a significant contribution to discussion around African American mental health.
Sometimes, as you engage in the the terrorizing task of writing and re-writing you can end up feeling not so sure. But I now know that I must keep trudging confidently in the direction of my vision, for there is definitely value there.
It is now Tuesday and we are in the second week of February. I have returned from NY and am officially back at it. I've made revisions to Chapter 1 and am planning to speak with my advisor about those changes and moving forward. I'm a little anxious because time is definitely ticking, but that's what it does; if it stopped therein would lie a whole other set of problems. So I will keep pushing, trusting that my divine date to defend is already orchestrated by the Master Planner.
Woooooooosah.
Your prayers are greatly appreciated!
Cheers.
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