PhDs: In Biz (team member) vs Academy (individual expert) (via David M Giltner,

PhDs: In Biz (team member) vs Academy (individual expert)
(via David M Giltner, a PhD, Physics)

In biz, PhD’s are valued for their technical skills… but:

Problem: 1) they think they’re smarter than everyone else, 2) they find fault not solutions, 3) they want to keep analyzing and not make a decision and moving forward.

Solution: Team player vs Individual Expert a) Be effective not just smart: don’t become the expert – the opposite of academia b) Find solutions not faults: don’t be the naysayer (Exhaust the potential of an idea) c) Be Decisive: have the courage to make the best decision you can with the information you have, in the time you have, and move forward.

(Note that I haven’t had this problem with tech staff but I’ve had it with every other class I’ve hired. Though my primary complaint in meetings is fault finders instead of trying to make an idea work until it can’t.)