Has anyone had a professor who absolutely loved to teach? We were discussing just that very topic with a VIM Executive Coaching client.
One of our professors who taught well into her eighties, would begin each class at the start of each new semester, with the phrase “O’Hare we go!” She apparently lifted the vaguely creative expression from a billboard sign outside the Chicago international airport. What made it funny, was that she thought it was funny, over and over again.
We asked, “Doesn’t she ever get tired of the dumb pun?” With time, we realized it wasn’t about the joke, but the opportunity to start anew.
For the professor, having the opportunity to impart her knowledge was a tremendous joy.
The courses she taught were not what we once called “gut courses,” or easy courses, but higher-level biological sciences coursework (then) at the cutting edge of genetics and biochemistry. Preparation for each semester required her to stay current, search the literature and keep aware of all of the issues around a line of research. For biology, as with any other line of academic pursuit is never stagnant.
Any one of our followers with an interest in biotech or healthcare, will well understand that “thinking and theories” as well as the science behind things requires an openness to understanding that change and adjustments to change are inevitable.
Inspiration in a sign
The professor, who held a Ph.D., was rather clueless when it came to the association between her age and the sciences she pursued with great passion. By clueless, we refer to the fact that she saw no correlation between her gray hair and wrinkles and the complex knowledge she was required to absorb.
As far as we knew as students, she took no magic supplements nor was she following a “brain-food” regimen of raw foods, vegan foods, exotic or disgusting foods. However, she might have been the most mindful of professors we had ever encountered. That was a difference-maker.
She listened, she wanted to learn, she invited exploration and clearly encouraged conversation about a myriad of scientific issues. Yet, with all this high IQ requiring, high intellectual functioning stuff, why was she inspired to start each semester with a rather hackneyed slogan from a fading airport sign? What inspired her about the beginning of each educational journey?
Without being able to name it at that time, what we were witnessing was mindfulness in action. For, she was not threatened by questions or opposing points of view, she was not afraid to respond nor did she adopt a different or haughty persona when she lacked knowledge. She was authentic. The authenticity kept her fresh and real in all facets of her job as professor.
The modern workplace
To date, we have not seen an “O’Hare we go!” sign outside of any of the offices in the various cities where our clients work. Yet many of our clients strive to be more mindful and authentic. What inspires them to be great executive leaders? It is the joy of openness and the desire to be more authentic in their pursuit of excellence.
Our professor who indeed loved to teach, loved to teach because each day offered the ability to change and grow in professionalism and knowledge. It should be no different with executive leadership. The more mindful we are, the better the ability to manage and motivate.
What is lacking in many “modern workplaces,” is not a lack of technology or brilliance, but a lack of joy and inspiration.