Labor Day Weekend

Getting some rest this weekend! I was SO TIRED this week, I was dragging for sure.

I am beginning to do my reading to prepare for the comprehensive final in October. I have one comprehensive exam in October and one in April ('11). These comps are standing in the way of working on my dissertation. It is frustrating! I want to get to the dissertation and right now I feel like I'm spinning my wheels.

I'm ready to choose my 3rd committee person, ready to do my pre-proposal and ready to get into the literature to write my literature review. If I didn't have the comps as a barrier, I would be elbow deep in articles right now!

There aren't enough peanut butter M&Ms to get me through the stress!

It's Move-In Time!

The weekend is barreling down upon me! Saturday at 8:00 a.m. we throw open the doors and welcome the residential students to their new homes.

It's such an exciting time!!! What a gift to be a part of this time of this students' lives. This week has been Residential Leader training--what an AMAZING group of wonderful leaders. Wow the RL "Class" of 2010-2011 absolutely rocks!

Distracted Weekend!

This month is whirling by so quickly. In some ways I want time to slow down and let me capture it but in other ways I want to hurry up and get August over with. There are so many things going on at work during this time of year that I feel like I'm jumping from minute to minute. With work related to my doctorate I need to slow down time!

Weekend after weekend slips by and I'm not getting my stuff done like I want/need to get done. I feel that part of me is apprehensive to begin, to jump in with both feet. It is almost like I'm worried I'll be too overwhelmed with all the information that I'll drown and not be able to find my way out.

It scares me to think about waiting until April 11 to really roll up my sleeves and get things done. I feel like I'll be spinning my wheels until then. I feel that I can't really get serious about my dissertation and proposal until after I get comps out of the way. Part of me has even thought about dropping the PhD and going for an EdD so I can get started. The "Activator" in me is ready to get busy. But is that the right thing to do?

So, should I "stay the course" of the PhD which means likely having to wait on the comps in October (2010) and April (2011) and then doing my proposal/dissertation OR should I check on dropping the PhD and going the EdD route which may mean going straight to the dissertation?

Thoughts?

Weekend Update

This weekend I’ve spent most of my time reading and finding articles on a strengths-based philosophy and team effectiveness. I read a couple of dissertation literature reviews on strengths (one was Louis, 2008 ( so very thankful she was THOROUGH)) and have a long list of books I need to get from the library as well as making a rather substantial order from Amazon. I anticipate spending time writing about the strengths-based philosophy definition and the two schools of thought then go into the StrengthsFinder tool itself. It seems there is a good bit of information in the technical report itself so I need to get that document as well.

Team effectiveness looms a bit larger for me. I am really starting as a blank slate on this topic so I’ve been looking at both some dissertation literature reviews and then beginning to get articles that seem to appear over and over in the reviews. My worry though is that I’ll miss some huge work that is out there. But I guess the worst thing that can happen is that I miss it, I find out I’ve missed it and then I go back and get it. Problem solved! I have found a good number of articles to get me started this week and we’ll see where I land by week’s end. So far I have a definition of team and work group and am beginning to work on effectiveness. Although I have about 16 articles waiting on me as I avoid them now by working on this blog entry!

The area I haven’t tackled yet is trust. I have a stack of articles that is waiting on me but I’m thinking I’ll just really cover one construct at a time.

Heading Towards Dissertation

I have now finished all of my coursework!!

Laying ahead are: 2 comprehensive exams (one in October and one in April) unless I can get exempted from the comps due to being published (hopefully I can work on the article I began last Fall) and the dissertation.

Luckily the dissertation is broken into pieces: the proposal (Chapters 1-3) then data gathering and the remaining chapters.

What a whirlwind this has been. It seems that just such a short time ago I was wondering what it was going to be like to be in a doctoral program and the big question: what the writing was going to be like.

Now here I am three years later completing coursework-done with the program and just needing to take care of some details! I'm going to miss coming out to California and being immersed in learning and discourse. I'm going to miss the cohort members and the fun we have. It feels odd as we all go our separate ways-promising to keep in touch and to encourage each other along the solitary path of dissertation.

As I turn towards dissertation I had a great conversation with both Alex and Eileen this week. As I worked through the "aim" of my dissertation some things came into focus regarding what I really am wanting to know and what my study should be.

Alex gave me the advice that I should be able to summarize my dissertation in one sentence. When I left his office I couldn't do that but I feel like I've been working on refining things and am better at it now.

I'm going to call Alex this coming week to begin working through my thoughts and hopefully I'll be able to begin searching for resources for my lit review. Before I can identify my problem statement and purpose of the study I need some more literature for sure.

I will continue to write my ruminations about the Ph.D. journey on this blog as I now begin the path to dissertation.

Great Quote

Something to think about:

Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, "I will try again tomorrow." Mary Anne Radmacher

Another Great Leadership Post by Wally

Responsibility and Leadership

http://blog.threestarleadership.com/2010/07/02/responsibility-and-leadership.aspx


On June 6, 1944, 156,000 American, British, and Canadian troops landed in Normandy to establish a foothold in France and begin the drive to Berlin and victory in Europe in World War II. It's easy to remember the victory and to praise the leaders and stand in awe of their competence and confidence.


But there were plenty of uncertainties at the time. Nothing this large or complex had ever been attempted. The great mass of US troops were still untested in battle.
The excellent German army was just across the Channel in well-prepared fortifications. They were led by one of Germany's legendary military leaders, Field Marshal Erwin Rommel.
Even the weather was a factor. Eisenhower had already postponed the invasion because of some of the worst storms in memory. When he gave the order to launch the operation on June 6, he had only the most rudimentary weather information to go on.


Since we know how things came out, it's easy to underestimate the uncertainty. But, for Ike there were huge gaps in information, complex operations that could break down, and a determined foe whose actions would influence the outcome of the day.


He faced the very real possibility that the invasion would fail and that thousands of Allied men would die without achieving victory. As he thought about that, he wrote out the message he would release if things went badly. Here it is.


"Our landings in the Cherbourg-Havre area have failed to gain a satisfactory foothold and I have withdrawn the troops.
My decision to attack at this time and place was based upon the best information available. The troops, the air and the Navy did all that bravery and devotion to duty could do. If any blame or fault attaches to the attempt, it is mine alone."


That kind of willingness to take responsibility is rare today. Today our leaders often deny any part in decisions that turned out wrong. They practice the art of spin.


How about if, just for the Fourth of July, we talk less about leadership and think more about responsibility?


Boss's Bottom Line
No one wants to work with a coward or a liar. Be assured that your people will know if you act like either one. Great leaders give praise and take responsibility.