Those identified from the interview with the Chair and those identified from the interview with the Student are labeled as such.


I entered the Antioch University PhD in Leadership and Change program with the singular purpose of reframing myself as a leader of change in the field of sustainability in higher education. Each day brings me closer to the completion of my doctoral journey and serves to affirm and strengthen both my choice of doctoral program and my chosen field of study. On the cusp of entering the dissertation phase, I pause to reflect upon my journey through the program to date as a learner, leader, and scholar.
In the first learning achievement of the program, I spent some time evaluating various definitions of leadership in order to choose one that would resonate with my own work. The one that seems right for me is one that was offered up by Dick Couto during the very first residency of the program: Taking initiative on behalf of shared values. It has since become something of a mantra for me: A way to focus my energies on what is important, a lens through which I can recognize what is based solely on self-interest and what is based on shared values (and when, thankfully, they sometimes overlap), and a standard to which I can hold myself and others accountable. I find it simple, elegant, and effective. It also serves as a reminder that when I feel more like a good manager than a leader, in the end they are the same thing. To the extent that I have taken initiative on behalf of shared values, I have been a leader.
My personal experience over the years in several different organizations, however, is that some never bother to collaboratively define the shared values to begin with. In other instances, the organization may have clearly defined shared values, but any given unit within the organization may or may not actively embody those values.
It was in this first essay that I also laid out what I knew about myself that seemed relevant to the journey from several self-assessments engaged during my master’s studies, including the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, Kolb Learning Style Inventory, Emotional Competence Inventory, Strength Deployment Inventory, and Pace Palette. These all continue to be accurate and help me to understand and relate to others with very different approaches and perspectives. I am one who needs time to process, think things through, and analyze. I must remain aware that to others this can appear to be non-engagement or even callousness. I can synthesize vast quantities of information into concise logical forms. I like long-term planning and goal setting. I see illogical and inefficient systems and want to comprehensively address them. I am very curious and like to learn. All of these qualities, as well as an awareness of their potential downsides, have served me well in both my academic life and my work life.
