Last month we explored the nature of fear of success. This month’s post identifies some of the effects of fear of success. In April, we will identify strategies to mitigate it.

If you have experienced fear of success, please share how this fear has affected you.

We will begin with the assumption that fear of success impedes our ability to succeed. As such, if our ability to succeed is compromised, we are likely to decrease our chances of success and we will fall short of our goals. An experienced Advanced Learner Doctoral Advisor colleague shares her insights on the effects fear of success has on learners (C. Watts, personal communication, January 16, 2010). She suggests fear of success may elicit these effects:

• Not attaining goals can lead to self-rebuke. In other words, a learner may feel guilt, shame, or even self-loathing for not accomplishing a goal.
• Not attaining goals can breed negative self-talk, which may, then, confirm our worst fears about our abilities and our own self-perception. A “loser” mentality can lead to shame and lead to isolation.
• Our self-confidence may be diminished.
• Colleagues and supervisors may alter their views and perceptions of our potential.
• Negatively influence future promotion and progress in career.
• Could lead to depression.

Can you relate?

Researchers Jason Plaks and Kristine Stecher (November 27, 2007) discovered that some individuals cannot handle success if they believe their professional skills and abilities are fixed. They found that if people think their professional skills and abilities are unchangeable, they will become anxious if they are successful. Their research revealed that “those who thought of their capabilities as fixed were more likely to become anxious and disoriented when faced with dramatic success, causing their subsequent performance to plummet, compared to those who thought of their abilities as changeable.” Plaks adds, “People are driven to feel that they can predict and control their outcomes. So when their performance turns out to violate their predictions, this can be unnerving—even if the outcome is, objectively speaking, good news.”

Can you identify with this condition? Have you ever been disoriented when you have experienced success?

Messina (2009) believes fear of success can result in these effects:

* “A lack of effort to achieve goals you have set for yourself in school, on the job, at home, in relationships, or in your personal growth
* Self-destructive behavior, such as tripping yourself up to make sure that you do not sustain a certain level of success or achievement you once had in school, on the job, at home, in relationships or in your personal growth.
* Problems making decisions, being unable to solve problems
* Losing the motivation or the desire to grow, achieve and succeed
* Chronic underachievement
* Feeling guilt, confusion and anxiety when you do achieve success–this leads you to falter, waver and eventually lose your momentum.
* Sabotaging any gains that you have made in your personal growth and mental health, because once you become healthier, a better problem solver, and more together,’ you fear that no one will pay attention to you. You are habituated to receiving help, sympathy and compassionate support.
* Your choosing to do just the opposite of what you need to do to be happy, healthy and successful
* Reinforcing your chronic negativity, chronic pessimism and chronic lack of achievement since you cannot, visualize yourself in a contented, successful life
* Denouncing your achievements and accomplishments, or seeking ways in which you can denigrate yourself enough to lose what you’ve gained”

Fear of success also may carry specific professional and financial implications:
• Not applying for the “perfect” job
• Not being hired for that “perfect” job
• Accepting lower salaries than the amount for which you qualify and  deserve
• Not pursuing promotions
• Rating yourself “average” or “needs work” on employee self-evaluations

How has fear of success affected you?

Next month, we will identify strategies to mitigate fear of success.
References:

Messina, J. (2009). Handling fear of success. Retrieved from http://www.livestrong.com/article/14659-handling-fear-of-success/#JUMP2

University of Toronto (2007, November 27). Self-sabotage: Why Some People Can’t Handle Success. ScienceDaily. Retrieved from http://www.sciencedaily.com¬ /releases/2007/11/071126115315.htm

“Developmental” is a collollary to “Becoming.”

Becoming is a process of seeking a desired state. It requires change and growth.
Developmental is growth, building upon a foundation of knowledge so that one can take the next step. 

In order to become, one needs to develop skills, to deepen knowledge.  One needs to develop.

Writing is developmental. 
No matter what one’s skills are, writing can be improved.  Academic writing is difficult. Most of us need to work on developing these skills. 

Communication skills are developmental.
The ability to express an idea in a clear, concise manner. 
The ability to develop an argument and articulate those points. It is an essential skill to respectfully and substantively express ideas with someone who is seen as an expert in the field. 

Building one’s career and seeking a job is developmental. 
A job hunt is most effective when one has engaged in multiple activities, such as networking and involving others in this process.

Knowledge is developmental.
One builds a foundation of knowledge and uses that knowledge to build new knowledge and understanding….moving into the higher orders of thinking.
That said, critical thinking is developmental. One cannot analyze, synthesize, evaluate until one knows something and understands that something. 

Coursework is designed to help learners develop knowledge in the process of becoming.
Coursework is designed to help learners develop their writing and communication skills. 

As a doctoral learner, you are responsible for engaging in your coursework and to develop these skills.

Resources are provided to help you in your journey to become a PhD. 
Doctoral learners need to realize they need the resources, then USE the resources.

What does it take to become? 

PRACTICE. FAILURE. REFLECTION.
PRACTICE. SUCCESS. REFLECTION.
PRACTICE. FAILURE. REFLECTION.
PRACTICE. SUCCESS. REFLECTION.
DEVELOP. BECOME.
SUCCEED.
Ph.D.

( and keep on practicing and reflecting!)

We want to make sure that learners who are completing their first quarter in dissertation are communicating with their mentor, are beginning to understand what the dissertation is all about, and are moving forward in the process.

We have also learned that our advisees at every stage of dissertation sometimes struggle to stay motivated — for any number of reasons. One of the questions we will ask our advisees is how they stay motivated. As you can imagine, they are motivated by everything from financial issues to just getting done and seeing Ph.D. behind their names.

One of my advisees shared that he stayed motivated by keeping a gratitude journal. And I thought what a great idea! I know that it is so easy to let yourself go negative during the dissertation process. It seems like one would not have to look too far to find something to complain about.

However, I also think one would not have to look too far to find something to feel good about. It might be that you wrote one really solid paragraph – or a whole page. Perhaps you tracked down that elusive article you have been searching for. Perhaps your mentor, along with suggestions for improvements, also let you know that you are on the right track. Perhaps you just mastered the latest version of Microsoft Word. Along the way to the completion of each milestone, you will surely find many positives. Focus on them.

I suppose a disclaimer is in order at this point in my writing. At the AskDoctoralAdvising blog we have a schedule for contributors and I have chosen to submit my post on the fourth Monday of the month. So here it is 6:15pm CST on Monday, February 22nd and I am just now tackling my monthly assignment. (By the way, my day ends at 7:30, so I have about 75 minutes to write this before I sign out for the day. Do you think there may be some procrastination going on?

Since procrastination is a subject far too large to tackle in a short blog post, I decided to write only about one of the many causes. In my case, the reason I usually wait to do something is that I cannot settle on a single topic about which to write. I experience this whether I am choosing ceramic tile for a bathroom remodel or shopping for a water filter (I visited Home Depot, Lowes, Target and Sears before I settled on a Pur faucet filter.) I know I spent nearly as much in gas and wear and tear on my car than the cost of the filter, but I digress.)

This is all quite puzzling to me, as I am a fervent believer in “just do it!” Yet, I suffer from something that many of my learners do – possibilities paralysis. Some learners cannot settle on a topic and a basic research question because in their research they uncover additional interesting avenues to explore. Each new wrinkle excites them and they continue to uncover even more possibilities. Rather than finalizing their choice and pursuing it, they continue to search.

Think about your own work habits. Have you hesitated to submit your MRF* because you cannot settle on a topic? Do you claim that you do not have long blocks of time for uninterrupted writing and thus cannot your ideas down on paper? Are you still exploring ideas even as you are in your third quarter of dissertation?

As corny as it sounds, the best way to tackle procrastination is to make a decision, then sit at the keyboard and write. If you have a spare 20 minutes, then write for 20 minutes. A writer friend of mine was very disciplined and placed himself in front of his PC every day for 4 hours, from 8am to noon. He often deleted much of what he wrote, but he managed to make slow, steady progress. The result was definitely measurable – he published three novels after he turned 70!

Submitting drafts and receiving feedback is basic to the dissertation process. With all of the steps required, the approvals needed and the level of scholarship required, it is expected that give and take be part of the journey. The only way to find out if a topic will be accepted is to present it to the mentor.

Once learners become comfortable with the process, the path becomes much smoother. Nobody expects learners to do perfect work along the way. Learners are like novices or apprentices who are learning the craft from the masters. It is not unusual to have a few false starts before making significant progress.

Therefore, it comes down to simple, basic advice: do a little each day, be open to critical feedback, and continue to make revisions until your work is approved.

I guess there is little time to get feedback on this post before the publishing deadline, but rest assured I will be rewriting and revising until the bewitching hour – 30 minutes from now!

*The MRF or Methodology Review Form is used in the Harold Abel School of Psychology as a preliminary proposal. It is completed prior to the proposal and is reviewed at several levels.

In the next three months, we will explore fear of success. This post examines the nature of fear of success. Next month’s post will identify some of the effects of fear of success. In April, we will identify strategies to mitigate it.

Pawlik-Kienlen (2008) believes success can be intimidating. While success can elicit a variety of responses, such as pride and an increase in self-confidence, it also can elicit fear. A person who experiences success may face a myriad of “What if?” questions. For example, “What if others expect more of me, and I can’t handle the pressure?” “What if I can’t live up to others’ expectations?” “What if I have no other goals?” “What if this is the end of the line for my goals?” “What if this is as far as I can go?” “What if others are jealous?” “What if my friends or family resent my success?” “What if success still doesn’t bring me happiness?” Success implies change, and the implications of change may be daunting.

Individuals who experience success may understand that with success comes additional unknowns, pressures, and expectations. Pawlik-Kienlen (2008) suggests that people may experience fear of success because they are unsure if they can live up to their achievements. They also may not think they are capable or good enough to meet others’ expectations. In addition, individuals may fear success because they may question whether they have what it takes to meet new challenges and responsibilities or that others may expect too much of them.

Similarly, individuals may fear that they are capable of sustaining their success. They may ask, “What if I am unable to sustain this success?” This doubt, known as the Impostor Syndrome, may exacerbate fear of success. The Impostor Syndrome has played a role in many individuals’ lives—keeping them from fully seeking, embracing, and enjoying success. Wikipedia describes the Impostor Syndrome: “Regardless of what level of success they may have achieved in their chosen field of work or study or what external proof they may have of their competence, those with the syndrome remain convinced internally they do not deserve the success they have achieved and are actually frauds. Proof of success is dismissed as luck, timing, or as a result of deceiving others into thinking they were more intelligent and competent than they believe themselves to be.”

Brookfield (2005) sheds additional light: “We wear an external mask of control, but beneath it we know that really we are frail figures, struggling to make it through to the end of each day. There is the sense that around the corner is an unforeseen but cataclysmic event that will reveal us as frauds” (p. 230). Messina (2009) posits that those who fear success may fear that their accomplishments can self-destruct at anytime.

Can you relate? Do you sometimes feel like an impostor?

Laursen (2008) writes that the Impostor Syndrome was thought to be particularly common among professionally successful women but has since been shown to occur in an equal number of men. He adds that it is typically associated with academics and is widely experienced by graduate students. The field of psychology has examined women’s fear of success. Hoffman (1972) suggests that females have strong needs for affiliation—which can inhibit women from realizing their potential (as cited in Ruderman, 2006). Person (1982) relates women’s work inhibitions to fear that they will lose affiliative ties (as cited in Ruderman, 2006). Person also notes sources of workplace inhibitions to include fear of success, fear of public exposure, and a sense of fraudulence. Messina (2009) suggests that fear of success is the flip side of fear of failure. He maintains fear of failure involves the fear of making mistakes and losing approval. In contrast, Messina posits that fear of success involves the fear of accomplishment and being recognized and honored for that accomplishment.

Are you someone who is sometimes embarrassed when others recognize your success?

In addition, an individual may be uncomfortable with the possibility of success because of its effects on self-perception. If a person has experienced moderate accomplishments but nothing as significant as completing a Ph.D., she or he may be comfortable living in that mode. An individual may believe she or he capable of achieving only moderate success. Earning a doctorate reflects a super success, and the prospect of realizing super success may be foreign and, therefore, unsettling. Have you ever asked yourself, “How will it feel to earn the Ph.D. and accomplish this great success?” “Will I change?” “Will I act differently?” “Will I BE different?” These unknowns and concerns may deter doctoral learners from achieving success and earning the doctorate.

Does achieving a super success cause concern?

Ruderman (2006) considers the role of “masochism” and women’s fear of success. She posits, “Any discussion of the subject of women’s fear of success must include a focus on ‘masochism’ in women and must begin with the premise that the interface between women’s earliest interpersonal and intrapsychic development, the social and cultural context in which they exist, and the political force around them, have been prime determinants in keeping women unempowered” (p. 86). Ruderman (2006) defines “masochism” as the “interplay between the woman, her concepts of herself as a total person, the derivatives of her earliest infant-caregiver relationship, and a sociocultural and political milieu that imposes distinctively negative, ingrained attitudes that still, to this day, label ambition, aggression, active mastery and success as shameful, unfeminine, and inappropriate for ‘ladies’” (pp. 86-87).

Ruderman (2006) also maintains that the origins of women’s fear of success, and conflicted feelings about success, is a multifaceted phenomenon. She believes it is worth exploring “the complex relationship of women to their earliest caregivers to demonstrate the conundrum created by aspects of unresolved competition and envy (of mother toward daughter, and of daughter toward mother), and how life-long patterns of self-defeat can emanate from this phenomenon” (p. 88).

Do complex family dynamics play a concerning force in your life?

Messina (2009) identifies some beliefs of individuals who fear success:

* “I have worked so hard to get this far, yet I need to keep on working hard; I’m not sure the effort is worth it.
* I know people care about me when I am down and out, but will they like me when I am on top and successful?
* I’ve never been happy before, so how can I be sure I’ll be happy once I achieve my goals?
* I am nothing, and I deserve nothing.
* How can people like me if I succeed in reaching my goals in life?
* I can’t sustain the momentum I would need to achieve my goals.
* How can I be sure that my good fortunes won’t go sour and be destroyed?
* There are always more demands and more needs that have to be met in order for me to be successful, no matter what I do it will never be enough.
* They are all better, brighter, smarter, and more talented than I am. I really don’t deserve to be successful.
* It’s hard to be at the top.
* Everyone is out to shoot down the head man [or woman].
* No one really likes a winner.
* Everyone goes for the underdog.
* I am happiest when I am under pressure and challenged.
* Hard work, no play and constant effort make me happy. What would I do if it were different?
* I feel so guilty when I realize how much I have been given in my life.
* I’m always afraid I’m going to lose it all.
* Starting over again gives me meaning and a sense of mission and purpose.
* I’m so bored with what I’ve accomplished. What’s left to do?
* Everyone has the right to fail in life, and I have the right to choose to fail if I want to.”

Fear of success is complex. Anyone who struggles with this fear may find it a puzzling and distressing reality. An individual may often ask, “Why do I repeatedly shoot myself in the foot?” Understanding the causes of fear of success may be the beginning step to resolving it.

In next month’s blog, we will discuss the impact of fear of success.

References:

Brookfield, S. (1995). Becoming a critically reflective teacher. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Hoffman, L. (1972). Early childhood experiences and women’s achievement motives. Journal of Social Issues, 28, 129-155. In E. Ruderman. (2006). Nurturance and self-sabotage: Psychoanalytic perspectives on women’s fear of success. International Forum of Psychoanalysis. (15), 85-95. doi:10.1037/0278-6133.24.2.225

Impostor Syndrome. (n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impostor_syndrome

Lucas, L. (2008, February 15). No, you’re not an impostor. Retrieved from http://sciencecareers.sciencemag.org/career_development/previous_issues/articles/2008_02_15/caredit_a0800025.

Messina, J. (2009). Handling fear of success. Retrieved from http://www.livestrong.com/article/14659-handling-fear-of-success/#JUMP2.

Pawlik-Kienlen, S. (2008). How Fear of Success Works: Signs of Self-Sabotaging Your Relationships & Goals, & Why You Do It. Retrieved from http://psychology.suite101.com/article.cfm/how_fear_of_success_works#ixzz0bHlHTPSk.

Person, E. (1982). Woman working: fears of failure, deviance and success. Journal of the American Academy of Psychoanalysis. (10), 67-80. In E. Ruderman. (2006). Nurturance and self-sabotage: Psychoanalytic perspectives on women’s fear of success. International Forum of Psychoanalysis. (15), 85-95. doi:10.1037/0278-6133.24.2.225

Ruderman, E. (2006). Nurturance and self-sabotage: Psychoanalytic perspectives on women’s fear of success. International Forum of Psychoanalysis. (15), 85-95. doi:10.1037/0278-6133.24.2.225

Basically my advisee wanted to know, “Is That All There Is?” to the dissertation. (Cue Peggy Lee.)  He did not feel that he had worked very hard. I agreed with him; he had not worked very hard. It appeared that his mentor had done more work so far on the advisee’s dissertation than the advisee had.

I also included a list of questions in that email – because I wanted to get a sense of just what he thought his role was in this process. I also wanted to know if he and his mentor had held the phone conference that I strongly encourage all of my advisees to hold during the first week or two in their first dissertation quarter. I think it is important for the mentor and mentee to get to know each other a bit. I tell them to establish the ground rules for their communication and turnaround times. I want them to talk about how this mentor approaches the proposal phase because mentors use many different (but successful) approaches to getting that proposal approved. And I asked additional questions.

The learner responded that he felt like I was yelling at him (well, I was) and no, he had not really asked any of those questions of his mentor.  I encouraged him to have that conversation as quickly as possible. He did. The learner let me know that it was an amazing discussion. He came away from it with a whole new perspective on and understanding of the dissertation process. He understood that just because he got on the dissertation horse, it did not mean that the horse was going to actually go anywhere unless the learner took the reins in hand. I think the learner has now settled into the saddle on his dissertation horse.

In a future post, I will further elaborate on the importance of evolving from an andragogical approach to adult learning to a heutagogical approach, but today, I’d like to share a general observation on the adult learner’s adaptability in times of crises. 

Upholding myself as an example of the “typical” adult learner.  Like many of you, I believe I am an individual that takes initiative.  I’m rather comfortable and cognizant of my learning needs.  I have both personal and professional goals that intrinsically motivate my actions.  And on a very basic perspective, I see doctoral education as an opportunity to better discover myself.  As a husband and a father, I have family responsibilities.  I have a mortgage, a car payment, and student loans to repay.  And a job that I love, but demands my time and passion.  After a long day’s work, I pick my son up from school, help him with his homework, sit for a few minutes to relax and then up again to make dinner before my wife comes home from her day.  After the evening’s events unfolds and some family time and bedtime routine are finished, it’s 9:00-10:00 PM and I find myself needing to be ready to read that first 100 pages of homework, research those peer-reviewed articles and texts, and hopefully make some discussion posting that resembles an insightful contribution – only with thoughts of the bigger assignment due that weekend or on the common occurrence, a passing inspiration of future dissertation research (is this what I’m passionate about most?  Maybe.) 

And here’s the interesting thing, I think I am my advisor’s worst nightmare.  I am relatively disengaged from him.  I don’t schedule regular appointments.  And quite honestly, while I have yet to experience such a moment, the idea of calling my advisor during a time of medical, academic, or financial crisis probably is at the bottom of my list.  It’s not that I come from a generation of non-sharers.  Granted, my family model has perhaps taught me, without conversation, that personal matters are personal matters not to be discussed, but shouldn’t my position as a professional advisor help overcome that?  After all, I ask people daily to keep me informed and let me help them.  This should be a no brainer, right? 

Unfortunately, such advice is counter-intuitive to my adult learner identity.  I should be able to self-diagnose my own needs, without the help of others, right?  I just articulated my initiative.  I have the upper-hand in knowing the “other side” of not seeking counsel and the evaluative skills to recognize, not doing so, puts my academic well-being at risk.  What it comes down to, I want to control my learning, but I need to learn to trust the humanness in human resources. 

So what?  Why share this all?  The fact is, people need people.  I need you, and I think, you need me.  Many here are carrying significant burdens and I recognize that while my responsibilities fall into the category of “typical,” they are by no means extraordinary, in a time when we are faced with extraordinary circumstances.  Many are losing their jobs, unexpectedly.  Many are carrying significant financial burdens.  Some are poorly situated to continue learning.  On a daily basis, I hear from those who have lost loved ones or who are caring for family or having to consider placing their parents in the care of others.  Make no mistake, these are significant demands and stresses on even the strongest, most independent of scholars, and all pose very real risks to your academic well-being.  I talk to my colleagues about the survival of the doctoral learner.  Cause, that’s what you’re doing, right?  You’re surviving to live another day.

On a conscious or unconscious level, I hope you see just how important it is to call on those who have been placed on your journey to help you.  You cannot do this alone.  Let me say that again, you cannot do this alone.  Yes, you are capable, but enabling that capability requires the experiences and expertise of your institution to help you negotiate that learning potential. 

So I challenge you (and myself) to look at yourself, take a moment to reflect on your adult learner identity, acknowledge your stresses, and ask for help.  Trust, no matter how significant the burden, it lessened greatly by sharing it with another.

Why the fear?
Job search anxiety has a lot of sources. For some people, the discomfort is due to a feeling of incompetence – they don’t feel like they know how to effectively search for open positions or write a resume or interview well. Other people are overwhelmed by the sheer amount of work involved in executing a job search. They’re afraid they’ll put forth a lot of effort that won’t yield results. Others feel like they don’t have any marketable skills, and worry that a job search will confirm these suspicions. Many people are afraid of failure or rejection, both of which are part of most job searches. Finally, some job seekers feel hopeless in the face of a poor economy, which leads to fears about not being able to provide for themselves or their family. 

The ostrich syndrome
Regardless of the source of fear about job searching, the end result is usually the same: we ignore the problem until we absolutely have to deal with it. If you are relatively satisfied in your current position, or busy with other commitments (or busy with work itself), it’s easy to tell yourself that there’s not anything to do right now because you’re not actually looking for a job. For students enrolled in an degree program, this often manifests itself in statements like, “I’ll think about job searching when I’m done with my degree/dissertation. Right now I’m focused on school.” 

Take your head out of the sand!
Here’s the thing, though: failing to pay attention to your career until you want to change jobs is not a smart strategy. In fact, it’s a sure way to make at least one of the fears listed above come to fruition – it almost guarantees that your next job search will be a long, drawn-out, and frustrating process.

A job search is much easier to execute if it occurs as part of an ongoing process of career management. You may not be ready to change jobs, so you may not be at a point where you need to read job postings or polish up your formal interviewing skills. But there are lots of career management activities you could be doing to lay the groundwork for when you are ready to launch a formal job search. Activities could include:

• Attending a conference in your discipline or industry
• Posting on professional blogs or listservs as a way to develop connections in the field
• Emailing former supervisors, colleagues, professors, and classmates to update them and check in
• Scheduling coffee with a professional contact with whom you’d like to develop a stronger relationship
• Seeking out opportunities to acquire teaching or training experience
• Reviewing and updating your CV on a regular basis

Intentionally and continually taking concrete, specific actions to manage your career not only lays the foundation for a successful job search, but it can also help curb your anxiety about job searching. Instead of anticipating having to take action at some point in the future, you can take action now, which will help you feel more in control and less stressed by the idea of a job search looming at some point in your future. 

For more advice about effective job search and career management strategies, please visit the Capella Career Center.

Do you recall an occasion where your organization was going a direction and your immediate thought was “Here we go again.” Or with a collective sigh, “Same present, new wrapping paper.”  I had such a moment recently, but then I was reading some work by Argyris and Schön and this idea that organizational learning differs from individual learning really moved me.  As you ponder that idea further, you begin to realize just how significant it is when an organization looks beyond the superficial immediacy of an issue and truly reflects deeply on their identity and contribution to society. 

With this in mind, I was reading some Senge, and this conclusion that schools (k12 schools in this case) are really a strong representation of the Industrial-Aged assembly line.  Put the child in school, put some expertise in front of the child in the form of segmented, specialized teaching, and spit him out of the machine with the expectation that knowledge has been acquired.  But as Senge points out, children aren’t machines, but living beings with unique gifts and needs. 

So with these ideas swirling in my head, it made me reconsider our work together.  In short, the PhD is asking you to accomplish something truly remarkable, in that it perhaps, for many, the first time you have been asked to fully abandon what you think you know to be true.  Give yourself up to the ambiguity of questioning self and purpose and all that came from that Industrial-Aged machine.  But even that’s not enough, now consider your affiliation with your program and your contribution to helping your organization learn.  You may very well possess the intelligence and knowledge needed to solve a significant problem, but don’t lose sight of the fact that the organization may still be reading the introductory chapter of that book of knowledge. 

I share this, today, as a personal self-reflection, but also as a reminder to all present, learning is organic.  Abandon the Industrial-Aged machine and think about how you are evolving and learning.  Are you at the door paying your tuition with the expectation of a degree?  Or are you questioning and learning more about your own gifts and talents; contributing to something greater than any building or program?  Are you cultivating scholarship?

I have told more than one advisee to grow a thicker skin and to change their attitude about the feedback. We can all improve our writing – no matter how well we write. Writing comprehensive exams and dissertations requires everyone to step up their level of writing. Everyone gets feedback on their comps and their dissertation chapters. The question is what do they do with that feedback? Do they acknowledge that the feedback is a fair comment on their writing or do they become defensive and refuse to accept the suggestions offered for improvement?

A few years ago I taught a series of writing classes. I have never believed in grade inflation, so some of my learners were astonished that the highest grade in the class for the first assignment was a C.  Unfortunately, some of the learners in that first class had routinely gotten an A on all of their papers – and the only feedback had been “good job.” If I had graded writing papers like that, I would not have been working 60 to 90 hours a week to provide serious feedback. But I would not have been trying to help my learners improve their writing, either.

The learners in that class responded to the feedback in a variety of ways. Some thought I could not have possibly known anything because I was failing them rather than giving them the A they had been used to. Those learners also failed to apply the feedback to future assignments, so their failing grades remained failing grades.

Some responded to those parts of the feedback where they could make a quick fix, but chose not to respond to all of it.

And the third group was exemplified by the learner who showed up in my office after my final grades had been submitted one term. He told me bluntly that when he got that C in his first class with me he had hated me. His feedback in previous classes had never gone beyond “good job” and he routinely got his A. But, he actually read the feedback I had provided, and saw that if he applied it, he really would improve his writing. He took the feedback seriously and he got better and better grades on his assignments. He then took additional writing courses from me and kept applying the feedback.

He built himself a “cheat sheet” in which he noted the kinds of mistakes he had been making. Yes, the list kept growing, but the important thing was that he was not repeating the same mistakes in each subsequent assignment. Pretty soon I was having a harder and harder time finding ways to help him improve his writing – which is the position all who teach writing want to reach. The learner thanked me profusely for the feedback that had turned him into a very solid writer. I thanked the learner for actually reading and applying the feedback.

Are you defensive when you get feedback? Or do you look forward to the next round of feedback because you know every suggestion from your mentor or committee members is going to help you improve your writing?