Receiving my PhD degree was an extremely humbling experience

When we give cheerfully and accept gratefully, everyone is blessed.
― Maya Angelou

I am Dr. Swati Mankad and I did my research in the area of leadership communication. During my PhD, I experienced the true meaning of give and take. Yes, there were stresses and strains, challenges and roadblocks. But at every moment of stress, there was also a hug of reassurance and hope. The challenges waiting for me came along with helping hands to overcome them. In the blind alleys of research, family, friends and strangers were willing to light the path for me without any vested interest. They were happy to help, even though they knew that those they were helping might not reach their destinations.

The music of encouragement, trust, and confidence drowned the noises that dissuaded and discouraged. Before I started my research, words like humility, gratitude, and resilience had been just that – words. My PhD journey drew on unknown and uncharted depths of strengths—mine as well as others’ as they cheered and helped me ignore those who jeered on the way.

To illustrate my point, one of the professors I knew was doing her second PhD, while I was doing my first. The research design in her first doctoral thesis was similar to that of mine. She had made a small error in the design, because of which it had taken her more than six years to complete her PhD. When she came to know that I too was going to make the same mistake, she advised me to do it the right way. Her timely advice cut down the time taken by me considerably and I could submit my thesis in four years.

There were also several others who helped me along the way. For instance, Ms. Leena Nair, the Chief of Human Resources at Unilever, helped me in my data collection even though I had never met her, and still have not! She did not have any vested interest in me completing my PhD. I asked for her help and received it willingly. Further, when I was writing my thesis, I received suggestions, corrections and help from many of my colleagues. Because of this assistance, my thesis was accepted without any corrections or revisions.

These are just some of the major ways in which I received help. It would not be possible to enumerate the other countless ways in which I was helped and encouraged. Receiving my PhD degree was an extremely humbling experience. If we can remember that this journey of research is one of the highest of human endeavors and we are all in it together, we can achieve the unimaginable.