Solving For "Why"

Often in higher education, the focus is on the "WHAT" and the "HOW". But if you're sitting in a class with 100 other students, how likely is it that you're working towards a better understanding of YOUR meaning and purpose? Solving for "WHY" will help you ask the right questions to find these answers. This book is meant for students and professionals interested in knowing the "WHY" of what they do.

Often in higher education, the focus is on the "WHAT" and the "HOW". But if you're sitting in a class with 100 other students, how likely is it that you're working towards a better understanding of YOUR meaning and purpose? Solving for "WHY" will help you ask the right questions to find these answers. This book is meant for students and professionals interested in knowing the "WHY" of what they do. Readers will be encouraged to ask themselves questions like: - What kind of people do I need to know? - What are my strengths? - How will I define success? The questions are aimed at guiding readers toward direction and fulfillment, and contains specific exercises to help answer them. Although the main audience of the book is learners in higher education, early and mid-career professionals would benefit from reflecting on the questions in this book as well. We all do need to know the "WHAT" and the "HOW", but as we live our lives, the "WHY" becomes ever more important. Higher education currently doesn't do a good job with the "WHY". This book will help you fill that gap, and hopefully to help you live your life with greater meaning and purpose.

Antonius Tsai is an educational innovator, reinventing higher education to bring greater balance between the "why" and the "how". He has worked with students and faculty to promote a greater sense of meaning and purpose within their experience of education. In his leadership role, he has helped generate interest in greater student leadership and empowerment. He graduated with a degree in business from the Wharton School of Business. After college, he served as an officer in the U.S. Army in the 3rd Infantry Division. He earned an MBA from Columbia Business School and went on to work in corporate finance, though he preferred his side role as a recruiter. In 2005, he left his corporate role to head up the Career Center at the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan. Advising students on life choices and careers was much more meaningful, but he wanted to teach. Joining the faculty of University of Michigan Medical School, he began teaching leadership to post-resident fellows and junior faculty, and helped lead the development of a masters program in medical education and the transformation of a medical school curriculum towards student leadership. He continues to work in medical education, transforming educational programs towards great physician leadership. He knows that to become a leader, we need to look inside because the answers are there. When he interacts with students and faculty, he tries to prompt them to reflect and find their own answers.