“I saw that research was a powerful microphone to project voice and knowledge far beyond my reach as a tactics instructor. I began to see research as a means of communicating important ideas,” said Wayne Johnson, a Cornell University doctoral student and Army veteran.

His path to graduate school began while by leading a counter-bomb unit where he used radical experimentation to overcome heavy losses. When his new methods were successful, he was assigned to the Army Research Lab to develop a training regimen. It was through this experience that he found inspiration to pursue a Ph.D. in management.

Concentrating his studies on management and organizations, Johnson is using the skills he learned in the Army during his program. “I learned in the Army that I am much more likely to be successful when I go to someone whose help I need with a solution to a problem they have,” he said. “I learned the way to do that is to find commonalities so that it was in their own interest to help me.”

Partnering this skill with the lessons he learned about emotional leadership, Johnson was eager to teach a course on leading and managing organizations last spring. “I’m thrilled to have field experience and authenticity for that,” he said. “I think I have some good context for many of the subjects I want to teach.”

Read more about Wayne Johnson in his Q&A graduate student spotlight.