A couple of years ago, I was driving down the highway in Dallas and saw a billboard. No billboard has materially impacted my life before. That one did.
A few weeks prior to that I spent time with my sister at my parents' house. She had recently enrolled in a master's program, and I was a bit jealous. We're Chickasaw Indian (the other side of the family were accomplished bootleggers), and the Chickasaw Nation was funding a huge chunk of her degree. I started researching Master's programs that weekend.
The obvious choice was a Master's in Business Administration (MBA), but everyone has an MBA in my world, and the curriculum looked boring. If I was going to spend hours away from my family, I wanted to do something different that excited me, with courses that I would love.
A few nights prior to seeing the billboard I had drinks with a friend who is an accomplished private equity investor. He teaches entrepreneurial classes at Georgetown and recently started his own private equity fund. His Georgetown students often ask him what they really need to know to do great in business. His response? Psychology. "To differentiate yourself," he told them, "learn about people. Learn how they think. Learn how to predict their behavior. That will make you rich. MBAs are a dime a dozen."
The billboard I saw was an advertisement for a Southern Methodist University master's program in dispute resolution and conflict management. I had no idea what that meant, but I was intrigued. I got home and looked it up. The courses covered topics like neuroscience in conflict, the psychology of conflict, negotiation, advanced negotiation, decision theory, communication and a dozen other topics I knew I'd love. I wanted in. A few months and a few stacks of paperwork later, I was admitted, and the VA and the Chickasaw Nation were gonna chip in. Giddyup.
Through that program, I'm now going to Rwanda and Kenya to teach leadership and conflict management. There are seven of us going (pictured above, from left to right):
We leave tomorrow through Amsterdam to Kigali, Rwanda. After a week there, on to Nairobi, Kenya.
Off we go.
A few weeks prior to that I spent time with my sister at my parents' house. She had recently enrolled in a master's program, and I was a bit jealous. We're Chickasaw Indian (the other side of the family were accomplished bootleggers), and the Chickasaw Nation was funding a huge chunk of her degree. I started researching Master's programs that weekend.
The obvious choice was a Master's in Business Administration (MBA), but everyone has an MBA in my world, and the curriculum looked boring. If I was going to spend hours away from my family, I wanted to do something different that excited me, with courses that I would love.
A few nights prior to seeing the billboard I had drinks with a friend who is an accomplished private equity investor. He teaches entrepreneurial classes at Georgetown and recently started his own private equity fund. His Georgetown students often ask him what they really need to know to do great in business. His response? Psychology. "To differentiate yourself," he told them, "learn about people. Learn how they think. Learn how to predict their behavior. That will make you rich. MBAs are a dime a dozen."
The billboard I saw was an advertisement for a Southern Methodist University master's program in dispute resolution and conflict management. I had no idea what that meant, but I was intrigued. I got home and looked it up. The courses covered topics like neuroscience in conflict, the psychology of conflict, negotiation, advanced negotiation, decision theory, communication and a dozen other topics I knew I'd love. I wanted in. A few months and a few stacks of paperwork later, I was admitted, and the VA and the Chickasaw Nation were gonna chip in. Giddyup.
Through that program, I'm now going to Rwanda and Kenya to teach leadership and conflict management. There are seven of us going (pictured above, from left to right):
- Joey Cope is Executive Director of the Conflict Resolution Program at Abilene Christian University. Joey may be one of the most likable humans I've met. He is humble, wise, kind, and soft spoken. He observes more than he engages. He's the father of the group. He's sort of a cross between Jesus and Gandhi.
- Robyn Short is a multi-faceted person. She is an author, publisher and independent filmmaker. Robyn believes that every person's actions are either an act of love or a cry for love. She just completed her master's at SMU.
- Malcolm McGuire is a police officer and Air Force reservist. He has a dry, witty sense of humor, and he's quick to crack a joke. He's a family man and exudes trustworthiness.
- Betty Gilmore is a clinical psychologist and Director of the Dispute Resolution Master's Program at SMU. She's the leader of the group. Betty has a huge, kind heart. She has children and a pet turtle.
- Me
- Dan and Allison Russell are married. Dan is a police officer in Dallas. He's built like the Incredible Hulk, and he is very well read and articulate. Loves the military. He's intense about his work, and despite his warrior ethos, he's a big teddy bear on the inside.
- His wife Allison will fool you. She's quiet and soft spoken and instantly likable. But she's also been on a ton of adventures through Outward Bound, and she is a Gold Award recipient of the Girl Scouts (equivalent of an Eagle Scout).
We leave tomorrow through Amsterdam to Kigali, Rwanda. After a week there, on to Nairobi, Kenya.
Off we go.
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