After 3 years, being a graduate feels good man
After spending over a decade working in technology and seeing its accelerating impact on society, I decided to pursue graduate studies at Pepperdine’s Master of Science in Organization Development to explore how we could manage society with more wisdom. As a graduate, I now realize how much I’ve learned about myself, teams, organizations, and the complexity of working across them.
Some key insights that stood out to me during my time in the program include:
- Embracing Tensions and Paradoxes: I’ve always been quick to see tensions but wanted to resolve them immediately. Now, I’m learning to be more comfortable with life’s paradoxes rather than clinging to a right/wrong mindset.
- Being Kinder: I realized I’ve been too hard on myself and others. I’m learning to approach both with more kindness and compassion.
- Letting My Creativity Shine: I’ve discovered how creative I am and how important it is to let that side of me be more visible.
- Navigating Team Dynamics: Sometimes, teams need to experience discomfort to address core issues. Team-building can often create a false sense of security instead of tackling what really needs attention.
- Influencing Through Listening: The best way to influence a group is by deeply listening to its process. It’s not about finding the “right” answer but about aligning on an answer the group is committed to pursuing.
- Recording Conversations for Clarity: Capturing every word of initial conversations with clients is essential. Relying on memory — especially in groups — can lead to misalignment, so written words are invaluable for getting everyone on the same page.
- Shifting Energy for Impact: Creating change often requires people to break out of a “business-as-usual” mindset. Dialogic techniques and appreciative inquiry are tools that can help shift the energy and unlock new impact.
- Interconnectedness of Systems and Individuals: I entered the program wanting to grow leaders, but I’ve come to realize that meaningful change happens when working with both individuals and systems together.
As the program ended and I’ve had a month or two to reflect, here are a few things I’m especially proud of:
- More Time in My Life: I now have more space and time to explore what matters most to me.
- Greater Comfort with Paradoxes: I’ve become more at ease with complexity and ambiguity.
- Published Research: I’m happy to be a published researcher again, especially on a topic related to climate.
- New Friendships and Confidence: I’m grateful for the new friendships I’ve formed, the fresh ideas and models I’ve encountered, and the increased confidence I’ve gained.
Thank You Notes:
- Jane Huston: Thank you for putting up with the uncertainty and changes in my life and for joining me on some epic trips
- Parents and Brother: Thanks for all the support over the years
- Darren Good: Your support when I had to restart the program after getting COVID meant a lot
- Chris Worley: Fantastic thesis advisor and good champagne advisor (would be fantastic at that too if he was easier to meet up with in Truckee)
- Alanna & Golnaz: Thanks to my first cohort friends who’ve stayed in touch and shed light on what to expect
- Michael Fischer: A special alumni who joined our program as a learning group consultant, was the consultant for my group, and just a very generous person.
- Leslie Mulder: Thank you for the great friendship and for being a good listener.
- Sequoia: Thank you for being an amazing learning group.
- Karen Wirick: For your creative energy.
- Christina Watt: Thank you for organizing our group and for the great photography.
- Carlen Arima: Thanks for kicking off the program with so much love and energy with me.
What’s Next?
So, am I supposed to have a job now? Well, I don’t. I’ve applied for many roles in OD, climate and sustainability, but I haven’t found the right fit yet. In the meantime, I’m having a lot of fun building small prototypes of ideas I’ve always wanted to explore and brushing up on some tech skills. If you know of any meaningful full-time or part-time opportunities that might be a good fit, I’d love to hear about them!
Otherwise, feel free to follow along here and check out my monthly Medium posts where I dive deeper into what I’ve been up to since graduation.
