Waiting until after you finish your dissertation help to "get a life"? There's no need to wait!
While there is much that is unique about the power, politics, and processes of working on a dissertation, there is much that is the same. It was not until I started using the skills that made me successful in business that I realized I could create similar successes in the academic world.
I have identified three Intrapersonal skills, three interpersonal skills, and three general life skills that are central to the success of a dissertation...and also to the success of your career and family life!
In this article, I will explore the three intrapersonal skills: Clarifying your Values, Enhancing your Motivation, and Overcoming the Imposter Syndrome.
Clarifying your Values. In order to have clear direction and drive, it is important to have a clear sense of your values. Without too much thought, answer the following questions. Keep your answers short - no more than a word or two, and select no more than three items for each answer:
1. What do I hope to achieve in life?
2. How do I measure success?
3. Why do I want to get my PhD (or EdD)?
While your answers should come quickly, your reflection on the answers should be measured. Think about what you wrote. Think about what led you to these values. Make sure they resonate with your inner self, not outside expectations.
If you're unsure how to answer these questions, you might want to start by prioritizing the terminal and instrumental values listed in the Rokeach Value Survey. (A Google search Rokeach Value Survey will identify the listed values.) Terminal values highlight the values one would like to achieve during a lifetime, while instrumental values highlight the behaviors one uses to achieve the terminal values. Examples of terminal values include a prosperous life, social recognition, and a world of peace. Examples of instrumental values include cheerful, logical, and responsible.
Once you've finalized your list, consider where and how your PhD fits into your life journey. How will a PhD help you achieve your inner values? By aligning your goals and your values, you will have more energy, perseverance and focus on your work.
Enhancing your Motivation. Perhaps one of the most helpful tools that I received during my dissertation help was a link to the comic, Grad Student Motivation Level (see phdcomics.com). It helped me to realize that motivation was bound to wax and wane during a multi-year project. What we need to identify, though, is what contributes to the upswings on our motivation graph.
Sit back for a moment and think of a time when you were most motivated. (It may help to have one example related to your academic journey and one example related to another aspect of your life.) What about the event or circumstance caused the motivation? Be sure to think of as many components as possible!
In general, there are two major types of motivation: intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation. Intrinsic motivation comes from something inside ourselves or inherent in the task. For example, if I love learning about people and I'm conducting interviews for my dissertation, I am likely to be intrinsically motivated for that part of the project. Extrinsic motivation is motivation that comes from others, such as financial rewards, praise, and the like. If you think back to your days in classes, you may be able to identify some colleagues that were most motivated by a grade (extrinsic) and others who were most motivated by curiosity or the learning process (intrinsic).
To the extent that we can draw on our intrinsic motivation, we may find the dissertation process more palatable. If we find, however, that we're typically motivated by extrinsic rewards, there is no need to panic. We can devise ways to find extrinsic rewards as we go. Some ideas may include: setting up a small fund and paying yourself for your achievements, connecting with a group of dissertation students and celebrating each other's successes - even the smaller accomplishments -- along the way, or tweeting your accomplishments to receive high fives from friends and colleagues.
Looking at motivation from McLelland's theory of needs is more daunting. McLelland identified that motivation will vary depending on which need is greatest: achievement, power, or affiliation. The typical dissertation process is not designed for any of these! However, once again, you can build YOUR process to meet your individual needs.
Motivated by achievement? Be sure to meet track your successes. This can be as simple as rating your daily achievements (a wall calendar and stars can help). As you go along, be sure to share your research with professional organizations or in articles. This will provide you with tangible measures of your growth and achievement.
Motivated by power? Once again, a leadership position in a professional organization may be the perfect outlet for meeting your needs and advancing your career. You can also look for an outlet outside your dissertation. Identify one of your strengths and find a place where you can contribute. Are you an outdoors person? Perhaps you want to volunteer be a leader in your local hiking group. Have a love of books? Perhaps you can find a job managing a bookstore. While you want to watch your time commitment, meeting your motivational needs may help reenergize you, allowing you to focus more effectively on your dissertation work.
Motivated by affiliation? Find ways to connect with others. Whether you join a club at the university, teach classes, join a dissertation support group, or partner with a colleague to do joint research, there are many ways you can affiliate with others within the academic community. In addition, be sure you don't drop all your "outside" contacts. Periodic visits with friends for coffee can serve as both rewards and energizers.
Overcoming the Imposter Syndrome. If you've reached this point in your academic career, you clearly have gained significant knowledge; according to the 2000 U.S. Census, less than 6% of the population in the U.S. has earned a masters degree! Nonetheless, regardless of evidence to the contrary, many of us feel like imposters, waiting for someone to uncover the fact that we're really fakers! In fact, some of us may have embarked on this dissertation journey simply to overcome the feeling of 'not being good enough.'
Of course, if we feel this way, there is always plenty of evidence to "support" our theory. There are the researchers who have explored more in a subfield than we have, the professors who is more of a generalist than we are, and the professionals who have made more money. In fact, as the saying goes, the more we know, the more we realize how much we don't know!
If you're always feeling like you'll be found out or like you need one more certification or degree or award to "prove" yourself, you may be suffering from the Imposter Syndrome.
One of the best antidotes to this is the recognition of what is going on. Just being aware that the Imposter Syndrome exists, and is not uncommon, can help us reevaluate our perspectives. Other ways to create a more accurate self-impression:
identifying trusted mentors or confidants to talk with to gain a more accurate perspective of your abilities
reframe your expectations: you don't need to know every answer to be an expert
learn to acknowledge external validation
Skills for Life
We've explore three intrapersonal skills -- Clarifying your Values, Enhancing your Motivation, and Overcoming the Imposter Syndrome - as they relate to your dissertation. However, all three are equally important in other areas of your life. By drawing on your increasing skills in this area, you will benefit in your career, work-life balance, and home life.
Clarifying your Values - While no job is satisfying all the time, holding jobs that are at odds with our core values can cause emotional and physical distress. By learning to identify our core terminal and instrumental values, we will be more adept at picking industries and careers that are most rewarding.
Enhancing your Motivation - Each of us is motivated by something, but none of us our motivated by everything. There is a part of life and work that each of us find unrewarding. By identifying what does motivate us, we can structure our jobs, lives, and activities in a way that energizes us, providing sufficient motivation to carry us through the less desirable, but critical, chores.
Overcoming the Imposter Syndrome - Let's face it, if you feel like an imposter now, one more degree is unlikely to allow you to overcome that. While a PhD puts you with just 1% of the population of the U.S., you'll still be at the bottom run on the academic ladder. Moreover, while experience may lead to prominence in your field, you are likely to find others who have more savvy in other ways. By learning to overcome the Imposter Syndrome now, you will learn a lesson that will hold throughout your career - and your life!
By building our intrapersonal skills, we'll not only find benefit during the dissertation process, but we'll have developed transferable skills that will help us in all areas of our life.
Watch for Part II where we'll explore interpersonal skills that can benefit academic, career, and personal goals.
Article Resource
While there is much that is unique about the power, politics, and processes of working on a dissertation, there is much that is the same. It was not until I started using the skills that made me successful in business that I realized I could create similar successes in the academic world.
I have identified three Intrapersonal skills, three interpersonal skills, and three general life skills that are central to the success of a dissertation...and also to the success of your career and family life!
In this article, I will explore the three intrapersonal skills: Clarifying your Values, Enhancing your Motivation, and Overcoming the Imposter Syndrome.
Clarifying your Values. In order to have clear direction and drive, it is important to have a clear sense of your values. Without too much thought, answer the following questions. Keep your answers short - no more than a word or two, and select no more than three items for each answer:
1. What do I hope to achieve in life?
2. How do I measure success?
3. Why do I want to get my PhD (or EdD)?
While your answers should come quickly, your reflection on the answers should be measured. Think about what you wrote. Think about what led you to these values. Make sure they resonate with your inner self, not outside expectations.
If you're unsure how to answer these questions, you might want to start by prioritizing the terminal and instrumental values listed in the Rokeach Value Survey. (A Google search Rokeach Value Survey will identify the listed values.) Terminal values highlight the values one would like to achieve during a lifetime, while instrumental values highlight the behaviors one uses to achieve the terminal values. Examples of terminal values include a prosperous life, social recognition, and a world of peace. Examples of instrumental values include cheerful, logical, and responsible.
Once you've finalized your list, consider where and how your PhD fits into your life journey. How will a PhD help you achieve your inner values? By aligning your goals and your values, you will have more energy, perseverance and focus on your work.
Enhancing your Motivation. Perhaps one of the most helpful tools that I received during my dissertation help was a link to the comic, Grad Student Motivation Level (see phdcomics.com). It helped me to realize that motivation was bound to wax and wane during a multi-year project. What we need to identify, though, is what contributes to the upswings on our motivation graph.
Sit back for a moment and think of a time when you were most motivated. (It may help to have one example related to your academic journey and one example related to another aspect of your life.) What about the event or circumstance caused the motivation? Be sure to think of as many components as possible!
In general, there are two major types of motivation: intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation. Intrinsic motivation comes from something inside ourselves or inherent in the task. For example, if I love learning about people and I'm conducting interviews for my dissertation, I am likely to be intrinsically motivated for that part of the project. Extrinsic motivation is motivation that comes from others, such as financial rewards, praise, and the like. If you think back to your days in classes, you may be able to identify some colleagues that were most motivated by a grade (extrinsic) and others who were most motivated by curiosity or the learning process (intrinsic).
To the extent that we can draw on our intrinsic motivation, we may find the dissertation process more palatable. If we find, however, that we're typically motivated by extrinsic rewards, there is no need to panic. We can devise ways to find extrinsic rewards as we go. Some ideas may include: setting up a small fund and paying yourself for your achievements, connecting with a group of dissertation students and celebrating each other's successes - even the smaller accomplishments -- along the way, or tweeting your accomplishments to receive high fives from friends and colleagues.
Looking at motivation from McLelland's theory of needs is more daunting. McLelland identified that motivation will vary depending on which need is greatest: achievement, power, or affiliation. The typical dissertation process is not designed for any of these! However, once again, you can build YOUR process to meet your individual needs.
Motivated by achievement? Be sure to meet track your successes. This can be as simple as rating your daily achievements (a wall calendar and stars can help). As you go along, be sure to share your research with professional organizations or in articles. This will provide you with tangible measures of your growth and achievement.
Motivated by power? Once again, a leadership position in a professional organization may be the perfect outlet for meeting your needs and advancing your career. You can also look for an outlet outside your dissertation. Identify one of your strengths and find a place where you can contribute. Are you an outdoors person? Perhaps you want to volunteer be a leader in your local hiking group. Have a love of books? Perhaps you can find a job managing a bookstore. While you want to watch your time commitment, meeting your motivational needs may help reenergize you, allowing you to focus more effectively on your dissertation work.
Motivated by affiliation? Find ways to connect with others. Whether you join a club at the university, teach classes, join a dissertation support group, or partner with a colleague to do joint research, there are many ways you can affiliate with others within the academic community. In addition, be sure you don't drop all your "outside" contacts. Periodic visits with friends for coffee can serve as both rewards and energizers.
Overcoming the Imposter Syndrome. If you've reached this point in your academic career, you clearly have gained significant knowledge; according to the 2000 U.S. Census, less than 6% of the population in the U.S. has earned a masters degree! Nonetheless, regardless of evidence to the contrary, many of us feel like imposters, waiting for someone to uncover the fact that we're really fakers! In fact, some of us may have embarked on this dissertation journey simply to overcome the feeling of 'not being good enough.'
Of course, if we feel this way, there is always plenty of evidence to "support" our theory. There are the researchers who have explored more in a subfield than we have, the professors who is more of a generalist than we are, and the professionals who have made more money. In fact, as the saying goes, the more we know, the more we realize how much we don't know!
If you're always feeling like you'll be found out or like you need one more certification or degree or award to "prove" yourself, you may be suffering from the Imposter Syndrome.
One of the best antidotes to this is the recognition of what is going on. Just being aware that the Imposter Syndrome exists, and is not uncommon, can help us reevaluate our perspectives. Other ways to create a more accurate self-impression:
identifying trusted mentors or confidants to talk with to gain a more accurate perspective of your abilities
reframe your expectations: you don't need to know every answer to be an expert
learn to acknowledge external validation
Skills for Life
We've explore three intrapersonal skills -- Clarifying your Values, Enhancing your Motivation, and Overcoming the Imposter Syndrome - as they relate to your dissertation. However, all three are equally important in other areas of your life. By drawing on your increasing skills in this area, you will benefit in your career, work-life balance, and home life.
Clarifying your Values - While no job is satisfying all the time, holding jobs that are at odds with our core values can cause emotional and physical distress. By learning to identify our core terminal and instrumental values, we will be more adept at picking industries and careers that are most rewarding.
Enhancing your Motivation - Each of us is motivated by something, but none of us our motivated by everything. There is a part of life and work that each of us find unrewarding. By identifying what does motivate us, we can structure our jobs, lives, and activities in a way that energizes us, providing sufficient motivation to carry us through the less desirable, but critical, chores.
Overcoming the Imposter Syndrome - Let's face it, if you feel like an imposter now, one more degree is unlikely to allow you to overcome that. While a PhD puts you with just 1% of the population of the U.S., you'll still be at the bottom run on the academic ladder. Moreover, while experience may lead to prominence in your field, you are likely to find others who have more savvy in other ways. By learning to overcome the Imposter Syndrome now, you will learn a lesson that will hold throughout your career - and your life!
By building our intrapersonal skills, we'll not only find benefit during the dissertation process, but we'll have developed transferable skills that will help us in all areas of our life.
Watch for Part II where we'll explore interpersonal skills that can benefit academic, career, and personal goals.
Article Resource
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