Dear Students,
Happy new year and happy new decade! I hope you got some break over the break and that you have returned to campus with energy and excitement for the new semester. I am excited to see you again and to start working together in this new year. Any time we come together -- whether in class, at an OHDCC event, during a TC coffee break, or chatting in the halls -- I feel more hopeful about our shared world, even amidst what feels like incessant calls for division among us. In an exchange with my younger son over the break, I was frustratingly reminded of yet another way we engage in "us" and "them" these days.
Me: "Will you sign me in to our Netflix account, I can't remember the password."
My 13-year-old: "Okay, boomer."
Me: "Hey, I'm Gen X!"
My 13-year-old: "Touched a nerve?"
Me: Sigh.
If you aren't familiar with the phrase, "Okay, boomer," and its multiple meanings and concomitant memes, you can read more about it here. Suffice it to say that the phrase is attributed to Millennials in reference to their frustration with elders' (baby boomers') actions, assumptions, judgments and seeming indifference to today's global, societal and economic crises. The baby boomers have clapped back, and feuding between the generations has only intensified. I know that generational issues are important, especially given that there are at least five different generations in today's workforce, but I see this latest clash as just another example of "othering" and our collective forgetting that "they" are actually "we."
In a program faculty meeting many years ago, my colleagues and I were trying to choose a date for an all-day retreat where we could work together on our program's mission, vision, and strategic plan. We had difficulty coming up with a day everyone was free, although we were all trying to make something work. In trying to free up my own schedule to accommodate the retreat, I made a comment that I no longer remember but I do remember that in response, Professor Burke turned to me and replied, "Be careful of the planning fallacy. Everyone thinks they will have more time in the future than they do now, but you won't. You will be just as busy in the future as you are right now." I never forgot it. He was right. Part of the reason for the planning fallacy is that we tend to do a poor job at imagining our future selves. It's also why it can be difficult to save money or to stop at one serving of ice cream. We have trouble imagining ourselves in the future, needing those saved funds, or being grateful to have foregone too much dessert.
The baby boomers were once young, and many of them were activists. And, at some point, the younger generation will, of course, be old. None of us will have more time than we do now. We will have the same amount of time - to understand that there is really no us and them, only us.
Wishing all of us a wonderful start to our new decade together.
Warmly,
Sarah Brazaitis, PhD
MA Program Director
Current Student Profile
zad smiling
Zad ElMakkaoui is currently a second-year student in the Social-Organizational Psychology MA Program. After graduating from the American University of Beirut with a bachelor's degree in psychology, Zad worked in philanthropy consulting, where she designed and built social impact projects with clients in the Middle East and Europe.
At the age of 15, Zad came across the field of Organizational Psychology and found herself drawn to the topics of the Future of Work and Leadership. After her first year at TC, Zad spent her summer in Singapore interning with PwC on their People and Organization Consulting team. This semester, Zad will be interning with gothamCulture, an organizational development and culture consulting firm here in New York.
Previously serving as Vice President, Zad is excited to be taking on the role of President of OHDCC. She is always happy to hear your thoughts and suggestions on how OHDCC can further support its members.
Zad is a certified Team Diagnostic Survey Advanced Practitioner and is a CIPD-certified L&D Associate. Zad loves anything and everything that has to do with stage performance - musicals, concerts, plays, improv - you name it. She is always up for dancing and outdoor activities.
Zad ElMakkaoui
Zad ElMakkaoui is currently a second-year student in the Social-Organizational Psychology MA Program. After graduating from the American University of Beirut with a bachelor's degree in psychology, Zad worked in philanthropy consulting, where she designed and built social impact projects with clients in the Middle East and Europe.
At the age of 15, Zad came across the field of Organizational Psychology and found herself drawn to the topics of the Future of Work and Leadership. After her first year at TC, Zad spent her summer in Singapore interning with PwC on their People and Organization Consulting team. This semester, Zad will be interning with gothamCulture, an organizational development and culture consulting firm here in New York.
Previously serving as Vice President, Zad is excited to be taking on the role of President of OHDCC. She is always happy to hear your thoughts and suggestions on how OHDCC can further support its members.
Zad is a certified Team Diagnostic Survey Advanced Practitioner and is a CIPD-certified L&D Associate. Zad loves anything and everything that has to do with stage performance - musicals, concerts, plays, improv - you name it. She is always up for dancing and outdoor activities.
Alumni Profile
shreevi smiling
Shreevi Kanesan Rathna is a proud 2017 graduate of the Social-Organizational Psychology MA program. After completing the TC program, she worked at Anheuser Busch as a talent assessment project manager and then joined Deloitte as a human capital consultant. Prior to TC, she worked as a corporate lawyer in India for a few years, and now looks for ways to integrate law with org-psych in her work. She credits the org-psych program for expanding her professional horizons.
At Deloitte, she works with the Learning and Leadership Practice. Her recent experiences include learning governance implementation, leadership development for physicians, talent competency development and future of work for legal departments. She is also trained as a Deloitte leadership coach to debrief 360 survey results with clients.
Shreevi is an aspiring career coach and has recently been coaching early career lawyers. In her free time, she loves to take long walks, catch up on reading and experiment with cooking.
Feel free to connect with Shreevi on LinkedIn or email her at gshreevi@gmail.com.
Shreevi Kanesan Rathna
Shreevi Kanesan Rathna is a proud 2017 graduate of the Social-Organizational Psychology MA program. After completing the TC program, she worked at Anheuser Busch as a talent assessment project manager and then joined Deloitte as a human capital consultant. Prior to TC, she worked as a corporate lawyer in India for a few years, and now looks for ways to integrate law with org-psych in her work. She credits the org-psych program for expanding her professional horizons.
At Deloitte, she works with the Learning and Leadership Practice. Her recent experiences include learning governance implementation, leadership development for physicians, talent competency development and future of work for legal departments. She is also trained as a Deloitte leadership coach to debrief 360 survey results with clients.
Shreevi is an aspiring career coach and has recently been coaching early career lawyers. In her free time, she loves to take long walks, catch up on reading and experiment with cooking.
Feel free to connect with Shreevi on LinkedIn or email her at gshreevi@gmail.com.
Recommended Readings
See below for readings on different generations in the workplace, including an article by our own Professor Elissa Perry:
Take a look at these articles of you want to learn more about the notion of the planning fallacy:
As with all of these recommendations, feel free to let me know what you think and/or to offer your own suggestions for possible inclusion in upcoming newsletters. I welcome your input.