It has been an interesting week and productive Saturday so far. I was initially feeling that I have not been productive but now recognize that I am in a “connecting” zone and this is a important part of my dissertation journey. There has been a fair bit of dialogue, via Linked-In, with my Henley cohort as we all grapple with finishing off the MSc and commencing the DBA stage. I have enjoyed reading updates on how people are faring and comforting to know that we are all “muddling through” a range of issues. Now that I have learned that several of my fellow researchers are planning to attend graduation this month I am a little sad that I will not be joining them. That said, I have way too much on my plate right now to squeeze in the trip.
I have also been liaising with “think-tanks” and researchers in my field. Next week I have set up two important meetings, one in Canada and the other in the US, via telephone. Additionally, I am meeting with my supervisor as well as a recent Henley DBA graduate. Not surprisingly, I have spent this morning planning agendas for these meetings and creating some new decks to present. I also wrote up the notes from a very energizing call that I had yesterday with a American professor who has conducted leadership and results research in the past and is currently working on a new study. It was great to talk to someone who understands my research interests and is passionate about both theory AND practice! She also provided some very useful general advice and I look forward to staying in touch with her.
I am going to have a lunch break now and then resume work, which will focus on my favourite task: updating my spreadsheet! I am going to input three papers, and then if there is time remaining I am going to read a bit of a statistics text. I have plans to meet my girlfriend on a patio to enjoy nachos and beer at 4pm . Suffice it to say with this in mind, I am highly motivated to have a focused afternoon!