Shows / R3ciprocity.com - Prof David Maslach: Innovation; Research Life; Striving Towards Happiness
R3ciprocity.com - Prof David Maslach: Innovation; Research Life; Striving Towards Happiness
Professor David Maslach talks about graduate school, research, science, Innovation, and entrepreneurship. The R3ciprocity project is my way to give back as much as I possibly can. I seek to provide insights and tools to change how we understand science, and make it more democratic.
Episodes
- R3ciprocity.com - Prof David Maslach: Innovation; Research Life; Striving Towards Happiness
Education Is Not a Guarantee. It Is Access.
School does not always make you better. It gives you access to rooms you could not enter before. That sounds harsh. But I think it is closer to what education…
- R3ciprocity.com - Prof David Maslach: Innovation; Research Life; Striving Towards Happiness
Life Is More Random Than Successful People Admit
Most of life is not as planned as we pretend. That may be one of the biggest lies we teach young people. We tell them: Get the degree. Get the job. Make the…
- R3ciprocity.com - Prof David Maslach: Innovation; Research Life; Striving Towards Happiness
The Most Important PhD Skill Is Ignoring People
The most important PhD skill may be learning what to ignore. That sounds wrong. We are trained to listen. To take feedback. To respect senior people. To read…
- R3ciprocity.com - Prof David Maslach: Innovation; Research Life; Striving Towards Happiness
The Hidden Penalty Of Caring In Academia
You have to build your own small world. A tiny world where you still have dignity. A tiny world where you can walk away if you need to. A tiny world where…
- R3ciprocity.com - Prof David Maslach: Innovation; Research Life; Striving Towards Happiness
What High School Teaches Us About Social Class
High school never really ends. I know that sounds ridiculous, but watch almost any coming-of-age high school movie and you see something real. At some point…
- R3ciprocity.com - Prof David Maslach: Innovation; Research Life; Striving Towards Happiness
How To Keep Building When People Doubt You
Most lives change in boring ways. Not in one big breakthrough. Not in one perfect moment. Just one more day with quiet confidence. One more step forward. One…
- R3ciprocity.com - Prof David Maslach: Innovation; Research Life; Striving Towards Happiness
Why Academic Entrepreneurs Stop Believing Words
Most people talk. Very few help. One of the biggest lessons I have learned as an academic entrepreneur, innovator, and builder of the R3ciprocity platform is…
- R3ciprocity.com - Prof David Maslach: Innovation; Research Life; Striving Towards Happiness
The Checklist View of Life
We are sold a very modern checklist view of life. Get the degree. Get the job. Make good money. Be practical. Go on the trips. Exercise. Meditate. Do all the…
- R3ciprocity.com - Prof David Maslach: Innovation; Research Life; Striving Towards Happiness
The Tyranny of Numbers
I’ve been thinking about the tyranny of numbers. I know that sounds peculiar. But over the last 200–250 years, we’ve put a number on almost everything. Grades…
- R3ciprocity.com - Prof David Maslach: Innovation; Research Life; Striving Towards Happiness
Why No One Listens… Until You’ve Been Doing It for 10 Years
What’s funny is… my message hasn’t changed. People just started listening because I got older. I’ve been saying the same thing for over a decade. When I…
- R3ciprocity.com - Prof David Maslach: Innovation; Research Life; Striving Towards Happiness
Why Do I Feel So Stressed Right Now? (It Happens Every Year)
I’ve been thinking a lot about stress lately, and I don’t think it’s as personal as we make it. I think it comes in cycles. Every year, there are periods where…
- R3ciprocity.com - Prof David Maslach: Innovation; Research Life; Striving Towards Happiness
Why Your PhD Feels So Hard (Even If You’re Smart)
Most PhD students think success is about intelligence, productivity, or discipline. It’s not. It’s about your relationship with yourself. Three versions of you…
- R3ciprocity.com - Prof David Maslach: Innovation; Research Life; Striving Towards Happiness
Why Do Professors Feel So Burned Out and Isolated?
I have felt strangely happy at the end of the day lately. That has not been normal for me. Most days, by the end of work, I feel worn down. Grumpy. Flat. A…
- R3ciprocity.com - Prof David Maslach: Innovation; Research Life; Striving Towards Happiness
If Success Feels Hard and Repetitive… You’re Doing It Right
Success is almost the opposite of what you think it is. We’ve all been sold the same idea. There’s a shortcut. A trick. A moment where it all clicks. One…
- R3ciprocity.com - Prof David Maslach: Innovation; Research Life; Striving Towards Happiness
No One Teaches You “Why” to Make a Research Contribution
I realized something uncomfortable about why I do research. It’s not just curiosity. It’s not just impact. I want people to like me. I want them to see my…
- R3ciprocity.com - Prof David Maslach: Innovation; Research Life; Striving Towards Happiness
Why Midlife Isn’t a Crisis: When Parenting Ends
Here’s a harsh reality nobody tells you about parenting. When your kids grow up and leave the house… you’re economically finished. Not literally. But the…
- R3ciprocity.com - Prof David Maslach: Innovation; Research Life; Striving Towards Happiness
The Most Dangerous Question in the World Is “Why?”
One of the biggest problems in the world is simple. Most people never stop to ask why. Why do we do things this way? Why are these the rules? Why do these…
- R3ciprocity.com - Prof David Maslach: Innovation; Research Life; Striving Towards Happiness
AI Job Replacement Is Real. But Here’s What Will Actually Save Your Career.
Artificial intelligence. AI agents. Job replacement. The future of work. Yes. Many jobs will disappear. Entire organizations will become virtual. Agents will…
- R3ciprocity.com - Prof David Maslach: Innovation; Research Life; Striving Towards Happiness
I Mandated a New Tool in My Class and the Student Results Shocked Me
I built the R3ciprocity platform. And I did not expect what it did to my students. Last semester I offered it as an optional bonus project. Two students took…
- R3ciprocity.com - Prof David Maslach: Innovation; Research Life; Striving Towards Happiness
The Cottage Industry of “How To Get Published” In Research
There’s a whole industry built around one thing in academia: How to get published. Courses. Consultants. Threads. Whisper networks. Even journals that make it…
- R3ciprocity.com - Prof David Maslach: Innovation; Research Life; Striving Towards Happiness
Why Do People Not Get That PhD Life Is About Motivation?
Why Do People Not Get That PhD Life Is About Motivation?
- R3ciprocity.com - Prof David Maslach: Innovation; Research Life; Striving Towards Happiness
When a Senior Researcher Dismisses Your Work Without Reading It (PhD Reality Check)
The first time a senior researcher discredits your work without even reading it will shock you. You will want to defend yourself. You will want to explain. You…
- R3ciprocity.com - Prof David Maslach: Innovation; Research Life; Striving Towards Happiness
If Your PhD Feels Easy, Something Is Wrong
If your PhD feels easy, something is wrong. When I hear people say their PhD was easy, I almost cringe. Because that tells me they’re not getting pushed. The…
- R3ciprocity.com - Prof David Maslach: Innovation; Research Life; Striving Towards Happiness
Everything That Makes You Human Is Bad for Your Academic Career As A Professor
If you want to succeed in academia, stop doing most of the things you think matter. Let me say the quiet part out loud. There are only two indicators. In the…
- R3ciprocity.com - Prof David Maslach: Innovation; Research Life; Striving Towards Happiness
Why Is It So Hard To Admit Scientific Culture Has Problems?
The most controversial thing I say about scientific culture is often the most obvious: It has warts. Not because science is bad. Not because research is…
- R3ciprocity.com - Prof David Maslach: Innovation; Research Life; Striving Towards Happiness
The Greatest Privilege I Ever Had Was Parents Who Cared.
The Greatest Privilege I Ever Had Wasn’t Money. It Was Parents Who Cared. People often ask me whether I feel fortunate to be a professor. The truth is… The…
- R3ciprocity.com - Prof David Maslach: Innovation; Research Life; Striving Towards Happiness
Why Playfulness Might Save Academic Careers
I fell in love with researching business strategy and innovation because it felt serious. It felt rational. It felt like it mattered. But when I entered the…
- R3ciprocity.com - Prof David Maslach: Innovation; Research Life; Striving Towards Happiness
Why the People Who Study Entrepreneurship Are Terrified of It
Why do so many academics not do the thing they actually study? One of the most fascinating things I find about being in academia and research life is the…
- R3ciprocity.com - Prof David Maslach: Innovation; Research Life; Striving Towards Happiness
Why Can’t I Let People Dislike Me?
Just stop caring. I think one of the biggest lessons I have ever learned, and I continue to learn, is how to become a better teacher and educator so that other…
- R3ciprocity.com - Prof David Maslach: Innovation; Research Life; Striving Towards Happiness
Why Academia Talks About Community but Rewards Isolation
Conversations about family, about community, about looking out for each other. But often that talk is meaningless. It is impression management. It is…
- R3ciprocity.com - Prof David Maslach: Innovation; Research Life; Striving Towards Happiness
Why Thinking I Am Exceptional Was Hurting Me
One of the most profound lessons I have learned as a professor after decades of studying human performance is simple: I am no better than average. When I…
- R3ciprocity.com - Prof David Maslach: Innovation; Research Life; Striving Towards Happiness
You Are the Problem. I Finally Accepted That.
You Are the Problem. I Am Too. This took me a long time to accept. I look at the world and I see chaos. Cruelty. People hurting other people. People who don’t…
- R3ciprocity.com - Prof David Maslach: Innovation; Research Life; Striving Towards Happiness
I Saw a Group of Grown Men Racing RC Cars and It Changed How I Think About PhDs
I have not talked about PhD motivation much on this channel because I thought it was obvious that this entire channel was about that. Everything about PhD life…
- R3ciprocity.com - Prof David Maslach: Innovation; Research Life; Striving Towards Happiness
Are We Overestimating How Logical Humans Really Are?
The longer I study social science, the less I believe we’re “rational.” That’s uncomfortable to say as a business professor. Because so much of what we do is…
- R3ciprocity.com - Prof David Maslach: Innovation; Research Life; Striving Towards Happiness
Why do so many PhDs feel guilty about not keeping on top of the literature?
Why do so many PhDs and senior professors feel guilty… about not keeping on top of the literature? I’ve struggled with this for 20 years. And I don’t think…
- R3ciprocity.com - Prof David Maslach: Innovation; Research Life; Striving Towards Happiness
The Hidden Pressure of Having “Successful” Parents
When your parents are successful, there is a quiet pressure to be successful in the same way. Not because anyone says it out loud. But because expectations…
- R3ciprocity.com - Prof David Maslach: Innovation; Research Life; Striving Towards Happiness
The Honest Cost–Benefit Analysis of Doing a PhD
If you list it out honestly, most of it is terrible. The pay is bad for a long time. The uncertainty is extreme. The grind never really stops. You are…
- R3ciprocity.com - Prof David Maslach: Innovation; Research Life; Striving Towards Happiness
I Teach Business And I Ignore Business Headline
I despise most business news, and I say that as a business professor. It teaches the wrong lesson. It trains you to chase fast money, big deals, and quick…
- R3ciprocity.com - Prof David Maslach: Innovation; Research Life; Striving Towards Happiness
That Hero in Your Mind Never Shows Up.
I used to have this fantasy that somebody would come rescue me. A boss would notice. A mentor would step in. Money would get easier. Work would get simpler…
- R3ciprocity.com - Prof David Maslach: Innovation; Research Life; Striving Towards Happiness
The Most Opportunity-Rich Moment in Human History
We are living in the most opportunity-rich time humans have ever experienced. And so many people are terrified of it. What surprises me most is that…
- R3ciprocity.com - Prof David Maslach: Innovation; Research Life; Striving Towards Happiness
Anything Meaningful is Just Repetition.
Anything meaningful is just repetition. The same work. Every day. For years. Sometimes for decades. Look at Wikipedia. Roughly one person contributes for every…
- R3ciprocity.com - Prof David Maslach: Innovation; Research Life; Striving Towards Happiness
The Real Reason Senior Faculty Feel Drained (And How to Get Back Up).
If you’re a senior professor or academic leader, I hope you hear this clearly. Most days, you’re navigating enormous ambiguity. You’re expected to have…
- R3ciprocity.com - Prof David Maslach: Innovation; Research Life; Striving Towards Happiness
What If the Only Thing You Really Need Is 15 Minutes a Day?
My biggest message with the R3ciprocity Project is simple: Hope matters. And small steps matter even more. If you think you’re behind… If you think you’re not…
- R3ciprocity.com - Prof David Maslach: Innovation; Research Life; Striving Towards Happiness
What Trevor Noah Teaches About Adversity
One of the best autobiographies I’ve read in modern history is Trevor Noah’s book Born a Crime. It’s extraordinary. He grew up in apartheid South Africa with a…
- R3ciprocity.com - Prof David Maslach: Innovation; Research Life; Striving Towards Happiness
I Wasn’t Groomed for Greatness
I wasn’t trained for greatness. Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about how strange it feels to be a professor of innovation when I grew up in a tiny town in…
- R3ciprocity.com - Prof David Maslach: Innovation; Research Life; Striving Towards Happiness
Breaking Into Genomics, Virology, and Artificial Intelligence When You Feel Like an Outsider
If you’re listening to this, you probably want a career in something that looks impossibly advanced from the outside — biotechnology, genomics, artificial…
- R3ciprocity.com - Prof David Maslach: Innovation; Research Life; Striving Towards Happiness
Why Smart, Kind People Get Treated Poorly
You have probably met a lot of people in your life that will treat you poorly. This week, or even today, you may experience somebody who is short with you…
- R3ciprocity.com - Prof David Maslach: Innovation; Research Life; Striving Towards Happiness
My Immigrant Dad Never Said ‘I Love You.’ He Just Worked.
(The Real Reason I Still Keep Going Even When It Feels Pointless) Real work. The kind that doesn’t show up on social media. The kind that doesn’t get…
- R3ciprocity.com - Prof David Maslach: Innovation; Research Life; Striving Towards Happiness
Entrepreneurship in Academia Is a Lonely Game
Here’s what nobody tells you. Building something truly different is like flying a plane while you are building it. When I first heard that in my PhD program, I…
- R3ciprocity.com - Prof David Maslach: Innovation; Research Life; Striving Towards Happiness
Why People Don’t Want to Cooperate (Even When It Helps Them)
Many systems—academic, economic, organizational—are built on the belief in rational, cooperative actors. But people often enter interactions: • Threatened by…
- R3ciprocity.com - Prof David Maslach: Innovation; Research Life; Striving Towards Happiness
What Senior Scholars Quietly Think About Massive Publication Counts
If you’re in the research game, you eventually have this weird shift. You start discounting highly published people. Not because you’re bitter. Not because…
- R3ciprocity.com - Prof David Maslach: Innovation; Research Life; Striving Towards Happiness
The Anxiety Behind High Performance in Academia and Professional Careers
I’ve been digitizing old photos of myself as a kid. What hit me was not the haircut. It was how hard I was on myself even then. By 13 or 14, I had already…
- R3ciprocity.com - Prof David Maslach: Innovation; Research Life; Striving Towards Happiness
How Do People Even Get Paid to Do Research?
(The short answer: we get paid every two weeks. The long answer is… complicated.) I’ve studied research and innovation for almost 20 years. I live it. And I…
- R3ciprocity.com - Prof David Maslach: Innovation; Research Life; Striving Towards Happiness
What If School Taught Grit, Grief, and Getting Along Instead of Algebra?
We spend years teaching kids how to solve abstract word problems and memorize sequences. But rarely do we teach them how to handle rejection. Or get back up…
- R3ciprocity.com - Prof David Maslach: Innovation; Research Life; Striving Towards Happiness
The Hidden Cost of Being a Smart Person in a PhD Program
I found my old scholarships this weekend. And I felt like I failed them. Not because I did badly. But because I didn’t live up to the story I thought they…
- R3ciprocity.com - Prof David Maslach: Innovation; Research Life; Striving Towards Happiness
When Doing Everything Right Still Fails
When I was younger, I believed that most problems could be solved with mathematics, logic, and engineering. I truly thought that if we just worked hard enough…
- R3ciprocity.com - Prof David Maslach: Innovation; Research Life; Striving Towards Happiness
Lonely Careers: Does Anyone Really Understand How Lonely Research Feels?
I still do the R3ciprocity Project because being a research professor is, at its core, a deeply lonely career. It’s not the work itself that makes it…
- R3ciprocity.com - Prof David Maslach: Innovation; Research Life; Striving Towards Happiness
AI Is More Capable Than Most Humans. Education Isn’t Ready.
Artificial intelligence is going to force a major pivot in education. And it’s going to happen extraordinarily quickly. I’ve been using these tools heavily…
- R3ciprocity.com - Prof David Maslach: Innovation; Research Life; Striving Towards Happiness
You Are Underestimating How Fast Innovation Is Moving
You are massively underestimating how much the world is about to change. Most people don’t understand the scale of innovation that happens every year. We think…
- R3ciprocity.com - Prof David Maslach: Innovation; Research Life; Striving Towards Happiness
Why Grad School Feels So Empty (Even When You’re Doing Everything Right)
When you were a kid, you got a sticker when you did something right. In school, you got a grade. In a job, maybe a raise. You learned early: “Do the thing, get…