From Forklift to Doctorate

The Journey of Transformation 0:00 Every goal can be achieved if it is narrowed down to the finest detail. 0:05 You you break it down to the parts where you can easily achieve these micro goals. 0:11 I'm not an achiever in comparison to the big leagues out there, but whatever goals I set forth for myself in the program, like for each course, I was able to achieve them 0:24 because I... did a pretty good job at breaking them down into digestible portions. 0:42 Dr. Raghav, we are so excited to have you. Let's dive right in and start talking about where this like the foundation of it all, where it all came from. 0:49 What were you like as a kid? Were you like a high achiever then as well? Yeah. Well, first of all, thanks for having me here. 0:55 Of course. yeah, I'm originally from India. I was born and raised in a city called Hyderabad. 1:02 I moved to Canada when I was 25 years old. I moved to Edmonton, Alberta. That's in the Western part of Canada. 1:09 And prior to moving to Canada, I was in healthcare. I worked as a physical therapist and I specialize in orthopedic rehabilitation. 1:16 Okay. But after I moved to Canada, I wanted to try something different. I didn't want to be in healthcare anymore. 1:23 So, and always was fascinated by the idea of, you know, earning and learning at the same time. 1:29 So I wanted to get a master's degree in business administration. So I did. I actually pursued my master's degree in business administration with a specialization in strategic management from a university in Switzerland. 1:43 It was, yes, it was online. So I was working full time and I did that MBA online. 1:51 What's your goal then? You decided, hey, I don't do healthcare anymore. And also what happened to make you decide healthcare is not it for me anymore? 1:59 No, just wanted a break from healthcare. Not really a break. I wanted to change career paths because I was more interested in teaching, more interested in organizational behavior, topics like that, international relations, 2:14 international business. So I wanted to take a step back and look into other subjects. 2:20 That's awesome. Where did you, where did the drive for leadership come from? So you're coming from healthcare, orthopedics, and at some point you decide to make a huge shift and decide, I want to be an organizational leadership and help guide and lead 2:36 people. Where and how did that come to be? So Freda, ah when I was in healthcare, I worked with leaders who did not really have the leadership skills to lead organizations because they were primarily from a medical 2:51 background. So they lacked the leadership abilities to really get things done because they were thinking from a standpoint of a medical perspective. 3:03 So they decided to pursue. higher education and they started doing programs like Master of Business Administration in healthcare and stuff like that. 3:12 And when I looked into the topics that they were actually pursuing, I decided to maybe I should focus on that as opposed to keeping that as a specialization and still working on 3:24 medicine. I mean, the medical related subjects. So after I did my MBA in strategic management and international business, I really enjoyed the part where there 3:35 clear soft skills and hard skills in business. So the soft skills part where, you know, it's all the gray areas like leadership, organizational behavior, you know, the dynamics between individuals and your leaders, 3:48 that really fascinated me. I wanted to pursue further. So I went into a program called Master of Science in Organizational Leadership, and I specialized in project management, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. 4:00 And after I finished the program, I was still employed. And right when I finished it in 2018, I decided maybe, you know what, I should take it even further. 4:11 I decided to pursue a doctorate. So, and I started looking into different programs that offered specialization and organization leadership because that's something I really enjoyed learning about. 4:24 So I chanced upon University of Phoenix and then I had an incredible journey. 4:31 You know, I started out in 2018, October. I aced through all my coursework and everything's turned out really perfect because there was support throughout the way. 4:41 And even though I was working full-time and I was managing other obligations because I'm also a dad, my daughter really kept me on my toes, but still that allowed me to 4:51 attain my objectives in a very streamlined fashion. 4:57 the University of Phoenix has these really awesome resources on different platforms. 5:04 And that allowed me to really exploit these opportunities, connect with different individuals. 5:11 And because the University of Phoenix's Doctor of Management in Organizational Leadership Program also had these residencies, residency classes, that allowed me to travel from 5:21 Canada to Phoenix, Arizona a few times. And I connected with- I had the opportunity to interact with my faculty members. 5:30 I also had the opportunity to meet my cohort members and, you know, visit the great city of Phoenix. 5:36 Yeah, it was an awesome experience and um I thoroughly enjoyed it and I highly recommend it. 5:45 Well, one, I have to tell you that I completely agree. So I, too, am a doctoral student and we're getting a similar degree. 5:53 I'm the doctorate of management. So I know about the program and just how you continue to learn and grow just as a person. 6:02 feel like it's very interesting to me that the more I the further I get in my degree, the more humbling it is because you have the ability to learn how. 6:12 people behave, why they may be doing that, how you can approach that, because it's servant leadership, essentially, that we're learning to apply, to not necessarily push people to 6:23 do things, but to be that much more present and aware and become the leaders that they deserve. 6:29 And so in doing that and learning that, I've learned that being a servant leader is the actual goal. 6:39 Is that something similar to what you experienced? Yeah, I mean, there are different leadership approaches, I'm sure you know, but I personally embrace the coaching style approach to leadership. 6:49 And I also employ the same approach at work. I work in a very similar position in a supervisory role as a forklift driver. 6:59 I'm currently working in an operations role, varjo's operations as a forklift driver. And I actively use a coaching style approach to leadership. 7:09 And I've seen really awesome results. And I think I've grown more as a person in this program through the help of this program, because it provided the tools people need to really unlock their leadership 7:25 potential. You know, it talks about many things in the program, but there are three things that really, you know, resonated with me. 7:33 ah You know, the structures, the systems, the processes in 7:39 any organization is what makes an organization successful. And um all the components that were taught in the program allowed me to really connect these three components. 7:53 And I really enjoyed the journey and I still ah employ these elements actively in my day-to-day life. 8:05 Absolutely. Tell me about the time that you first implemented one of them or all three of them. 8:10 It involves a lot of communication and it involves a lot of time management in order to ensure there's high levels of operational efficiency at every front. 8:22 There are absolutely no barriers of communication. So I think from a leadership perspective, know, the structures, the systems and the processes are so well established that, you know, everything Leadership and Education: A New Perspective 8:36 runs like a well-oiled machine. And in order to ensure that there are no inconsistencies and inefficiencies in the process, you 8:45 had mentioned before that previously in your healthcare experience, that those leaders weren't necessarily the best leaders. 8:52 And you would address the fact that leadership was kind of secondary, healthcare was first in their education. 9:00 What do you see different from your studies and or your experience with your current leadership that... 9:08 is drastically different from going to an incredible environment, as you had mentioned, really great leadership program that there's no barriers there. 9:16 But there were many in the health care experience that you had. What would you say is the drastic difference? 9:23 So again, the individuals that are responsible for getting things done in the healthcare field are actually, you know, doctors, medical doctors. 9:33 Again, they don't have a lot of time at hand because, you know, they already are, you know, board certified doctors and they got, you know, duties to discharge. 9:44 So not a lot of doctors actually take the time to, you know, invest in their personal. 9:50 development, you know, get into a master's program in healthcare administration or healthcare leadership, things like that. 9:56 So I feel that the people in non-healthcare backgrounds have a better appreciation of leadership because they do understand that, you know, yes, it is important to have the 10:11 knowledge, the skills and the experience in the area that we are working in, but leadership is a completely different ball game. 10:18 In order to throw that into the mix, really need to have an understanding. You can't learn leadership on the go because leadership is not a destination, it's a journey. 10:28 Absolutely. You couldn't have said that better. I completely agree. Being that leadership is not a destination, but a journey. 10:36 I know that you've been on a journey, you so much so that you didn't have the opportunity to attend your own graduation. 10:44 So tell me, it sounds like there's an awesome event happening fairly soon that you're going to attend. And there's some really cute little eyes that will be watching dad walk across the stage. 10:52 Tell me some more about that. As I mentioned earlier, Freda, I live in Calgary, Alberta in Canada. 10:58 ah And um I've been busy. I graduated in 2022 with a 4.0 GPA and a lot of scholarships and lots of inductions and honor societies. 11:08 And I've had a really incredible journey, but I never had the time to celebrate or walk the stage to attend my commencement. 11:16 But it is going to change tomorrow because I am going to be walking the stage tomorrow. ah And my daughter. 11:22 who's going to be turning seven next month is here to witness this. And ah I'm really glad that if you could make it, yeah. 11:32 That is so incredible. We are so glad that you brought your little one to be able to watch you walk across the stage. 11:38 What does that mean to you? It means a lot because um kids these days are so focused on social media. 11:46 Like my daughter can't stop watching YouTube. She knows more about the functions of my phone than I do. 11:52 ah So she's very tech savvy, I can tell. So I still want her to pursue higher education. 11:59 seeing daddy walk the stage ah would maybe inspire her to pursue higher education when the time comes. 12:08 I really want her to understand the importance of higher education and the opportunities that are associated with higher education. 12:17 So that is my objective. That is the reason why I wanted her to be with me on this special occasion. 12:24 parents do the same, do they instill that in you as well, that higher education is the goal. Yes, they did. ah All the women in my family, like my grandmother included, at least have a master's degree. 12:36 So ah pursuing higher education was like the bare minimum, I would say. 12:43 Yeah. My grandmother got her master of arts in English literature at the age of 62. 12:50 Yes. And she's a very inspiring woman. And I have tremendous admiration for her. 12:57 you know achievements and for her grit yeah yeah yeah absolutely yeah she is turning 90 13:07 Incredible. Now, I don't want to breeze past the fact that I do know that you've been part of many honor societies. 13:14 Right. Let's chat about that because 4.0 in your doctoral experience, 4.0 with your masters, I don't know how did the bachelor's go? 13:25 Was that a 4.0 as well? ah Pretty much. So I did my bachelor's degree from India. 13:32 I did it in physical therapy ah and I graduated in 2009. And ah then ah my master of science in organization leadership with a specialization in project management from North Central University, San Diego, California was almost a 3.98 13:48 GPA. I got inducted into two honor societies at that time during my master's. 13:53 One was the Delta Mu Delta. International Honor Society for Business. And the other one was the Golden Key International Honor Society. 14:02 So this played a very important role because this allowed me to apply for a scholarship during my doctoral journey ah because every year Delta Mu Delta International Honor 14:16 Society for Business has these scholarship opportunities every year. 14:21 So you just have to basically write an essay as to what you're going to be doing and your leadership abilities and stuff like that. 14:28 But you need to be part of this membership and membership is only, it only comes by invitation. 14:36 I was able to win a scholarship during my first year in my doctoral journey. 14:42 I got inducted again at the end of my doctoral journey into the same honor society for a second chapter. 14:51 And then I also got inducted into the national ah Society of Leadership and Success. 14:56 um yeah, in total I have like four inductions. 15:02 um And these inductions, yes, they recognize you for your efforts, but for me more than the recognition, it's more about networking opportunities that bring forth with these 15:16 associations because you get to be part of associations that have individuals from 15:23 a multitude of professions. Okay. I'm actually very interested in that because I just got in the mail yesterday, National Honor Society invitation. 15:35 Yes. Thank you. And I didn't necessarily, my husband's also, he just got his associates, but he's going for his BS in IT and he's reached the Dean's List and all the great things. 15:51 And so I knew about it because he was on it. And then when I got it in the mail, was like, my goodness. 15:57 And so I didn't know what the benefit would be for me if I did decide to do the Honor Society. 16:04 So it sounds like the ultimate. Highly recommended. and that's due to the networking opportunity. 16:11 Yes, totally. um You get to meet a lot of different people. ah And I believe in the power of networking because I live in Canada and I still have a strong network in the United States. 16:25 Wherever I go in the States, I always have some people to meet with, some really ah good conversations that I can have with people. 16:34 And I always want to connect with more people because there's always an opportunity to learn. 16:39 I believe in remaining in a state of constant improvement. That's how one remains, you know, ah learning professional. 16:48 Absolutely. Yeah. If we're, we're not growing, then we're dead is essentially right. 16:53 a plant that's not growing. oh It is definitely dying. Um, with that said though, knowing that you have the honor society, you, you're at the 4.0 with your doctorate in the middle of that, you had a baby. 17:06 Yes. So how did you balance all of that? So ah my daughter was born in 2018, March 23, 2018. 17:15 I was enrolled in, I just started my, I started my Master of Science in Organization Leadership in 2017. Balancing Life and Education 17:25 And my daughter really added color to my life. She didn't make my life difficult. 17:31 She actually made it a lot more streamlined, I would say, because I got better at time management because 17:39 And she never really um affected my um schedule. 17:46 I always was able to modify my schedule. And I still attained the objectives I set forth for myself for each course that I enrolled in. 17:55 And my daughter was a very big part of it. if anybody has kids and is keen on pursuing higher education, it is absolutely doable, guaranteed. 18:07 Absolutely. Tell me about that drive because though it is doable, it is a challenge. 18:15 What is what did you create? What pattern of behavior did you create to set yourself up for success in that way? 18:22 So every goal can be achieved if it is narrowed down to the finest detail. 18:29 You break it down to the parts where you can easily achieve these micro goals. 18:35 So I mean, I'm not an achiever in comparison to the big leagues out there. 18:44 um whatever goals I set forth for myself in the program, like for each course, 18:50 I was able to achieve them because I did a pretty good job at breaking them down into digestible portions. 18:57 I see. Yeah. So everything can be done because you've made the decision to get into the program because you really took the time, did your research and decided that, yes, this is the program 19:11 that's actually going to further my professional objectives. congratulations that you finished the first part. 19:17 Now the second part, you actually execute the plan. where you actually break it down and then you start working towards it. 19:24 And if something goes wrong, you always have to be in a position to adapt, improvise. 19:34 So don't get upset if it doesn't go exactly your plan. Do you typically write it down? 19:39 Like these, these. visual learner. So I always have these little sticky notes and these things that remind me constantly everywhere. 19:48 And um I also have a very rigid Google Calendar, oh which constantly reminds me about the things I need to do, because ah consistency guarantees excellence. 20:03 And I believe that good habits can be built by forcing yourself 20:10 to ensure that that task that you set for yourself is done at that particular time. 20:17 And Google Calendar is really awesome. It helps me get things done. You were not alone. I love Google Calendar. 20:24 I'm curious, what's next if you, you've accomplished so much. 20:29 What could be next? So, Freda, that's a very great question. For the longest time, I've been wanting to become an adjunct faculty member, and um I have not been successful in that regard. 20:42 I love my job, but that's not what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I also want to pursue an adjunct faculty career. 20:50 Hopefully, one day I will be in a position where I want to be, which is to teach online to master's students, to doctoral students. 21:00 and also undergrad students, why not? Yeah. Yes. So that's something that I'm hoping will happen one day. 21:06 I continue to keep applying at these jobs, but so far I haven't had any luck. 21:12 Well, I know that you're gonna get picked up. Thank you. I also want to mention, Freda, that I also actively play an important role in the Center for Leadership Studies and Organizational Research. 21:25 It's a research center at the University of Phoenix's research hub. And I am a research fellow there. 21:32 It's an unpaid role, but I have a writing corner where I publish academic blogs. 21:37 And so far I've published like four or five. ah And I've partnered with a few other great people. 21:43 And I always want to bring forth some subject matter that really resonates with the current trends and some practical implications with these theoretical frameworks that 21:57 we've studied in our courses. um And I try to help out as many individuals as possible through this research center by giving them the visibility, the recognition. 22:08 For instance, a very good friend of mine who's originally from Spain. 22:14 His name is Ian. He's one of my best friends. ah He's currently pursuing his doctor of business administration from a university in Italy. 22:23 So I provided him a platform to participate in an international conference. 22:30 So we tagged team together and we presented a topic at the international conference recently, like I believe in October. 22:39 So I want to give an opportunity to other individuals who are in the same boat and we all help each other out. 22:49 Yes. And that's what it's about, lifting one another up and being, showing up for one another. 22:57 I love that. I love the community with the University of Phoenix. And I want to chat with you about that as well, because you brought some community with you. 23:05 And you even have some faculty that's actually super excited to come meet you and hang out as well. 23:11 Talk to me about your relationships that you've built here at University in Phoenix and how they've become so important to you. 23:19 So right from the start, ah I mean, even before I enrolled into the program at the University of Phoenix, when I was attending my commencement ceremony for my master's 23:27 university, oh which also happens to be in Phoenix. ah So when I came down here, I requested a campus tour in 2018. 23:36 ah I wanted to check University of Phoenix out because I heard good things about University of Phoenix. 23:42 And I always believe in the idea of academic diversity. 23:47 So trying to... pursue a different university if you're going to pursue a different program. 23:52 ah So when I had this campus tour, I interacted with some academic advisors and enrollment advisors, and I made some good friends. 24:01 And then when I got into the program, every faculty member that I had became a professional friend. 24:10 I connected with them, and then they were more than happy to write recommendation letters needed for those scholarship opportunities that I mentioned earlier. 24:18 And they helped me throughout the journey, like at every step of the way. 24:24 And they were there, they were willing to go above and beyond to help me achieve my goals. And never did I have a professor throughout my entire doctoral journey where I came across someone not willing to help me. 24:39 They challenged me in order to understand the concepts better, in order to ensure that the course outcomes. 24:47 were fully achieved in order for me to move forward. So even the research process, like when I started the program, I didn't know anything about research or research methodology. 24:58 And I didn't really believe that I would be capable enough to write a dissertation. But the tools that I mentioned, the university has, and the faculty members and the very well-designed program ah really helped me navigate the entire process. 25:14 oh in a relatively painless manner, I would say. Yeah. 25:19 Tell me what your dissertation was about. So I did my dissertation on the role of coaching style leadership in the change management process in mechanistic organizations. 25:31 So ah it was a narrative inquiry study and I interviewed a bunch of people and then I did a lot of, know, in vivo analysis. 25:44 And then I were your findings? The findings of my research study. So coaching style plays a very important role. 25:50 in the change management process, especially in organizations with a mechanistic structure. When I say mechanistic structure, it means very bureaucratic. 25:58 So higher education, manufacturing, military, healthcare, all these organizations, the government sector, high levels of bureaucracy. The Power of Community and Networking 26:06 So how do you navigate change in these big organizations where the decision-making comes from the top? 26:13 So implementing change in these organizations is very difficult. So I wanted to explore 26:19 how leaders in these organizations implement to change because you come across a lot of rigidity and resistance to change, especially in these organizations, but nonetheless, 26:31 change is very important. So when they have to implement change, how are they able to overcome the resistance? 26:39 That's what I wanted to explore. But I explored it through the lens of coaching style leadership. So if the leaders employed coaching style leadership in 26:48 their plan of implementing and executing this change, these proposed changes in these organizations, how would they achieve the outcomes they were hoping to achieve? 26:58 So I delved into this ah by carefully picking my subjects, the people who could give me the exact information I needed to really make out what ah they're trying to say and what 27:13 the conclusion is. Like I interviewed people from the military, from the US military. 27:18 I interviewed people from higher education. I interviewed people from healthcare and other bureaucratic organizations. 27:25 So they could actually give me the raw data I needed to decipher the knowledge that I wanted to come to a conclusion that yes, coaching style leadership is definitely the way 27:39 to go if you're wanting to implement change in mechanistic organizations. In my opinion, 27:45 ah something that is easily transferable and can be applied throughout every organization, regardless of the industry. 27:52 I see. So I'm sure they're able to achieve, you know, desirable results should they choose to employ coaching-style leadership in their strategy. 28:03 Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. I highly encourage everybody wanting to pursue a strong leadership approach in their workplace to really ah 28:14 read a little more about Coaching Cell Approach to Learning, leadership, and then you'll really find some interesting results. 28:21 So I read your blog about it. Because you did, you've done some really incredible blogs here at the University of Phoenix. 28:28 So thank you for those. I dove into those. Some really great information in regards to coaching leadership was one of the ones that I enjoyed the most. 28:37 The table is yours. If there's anything that you want to make sure that our listeners and viewers know for sure about you today, what would that be? 28:45 The most important thing is you need to have a clear direction of what you want to achieve. ah then secondly, once you've made the decision to pursue that goal, make sure you break it down into digestible portions, these micro goals that are really important for 29:02 you to stay focused. Now, there will be a lot of obstacles along the way, obviously, because it's life. 29:08 Now, you should be in a position to adapt, improvise. 29:14 without a moment's notice. And it can be done. nothing is impossible because ah if I can do it, anybody can do it. 29:23 Again, believe in yourself, stay positive, and always believe in your capabilities. 29:31 And if you really think ah that you're lacking ah some skills to move forward, always mingle with people who can elevate you, not bring you down. 29:42 surround yourself with people that can actually elevate your thinking and also teach you skills that would prove useful in the future. 29:52 You heard it here first from motivational speaker to fork to fork lift driver and doctor. 30:01 And you do so many other things. Leadership coach and also an incredible father. 30:07 Thank you so much for joining us. We couldn't have done this without you. We're very, very proud of you. Take heed to what he says. 30:14 Stay connected. Stay using the networks. And. I've been your host, Freda Richards here. 30:21 on degrees of success. Thank you so much for joining us and remember your next chapter just might be your best one yet. 30:29 See you soon.