Dr. Laura M. Giurge is an award-winning behavioral and organizational scholar. Currently, she serves as an assistant professor of Behavioral Science at the London School of Economics and Political Science. She has a Ph.D. in Management from Erasmus University Rotterdam and two cum laude Master’s degrees from the University of Groningen in Economics and Business and Human Resources Management (NL). Before joining the London School of Economics, she worked as a post-doctoral research fellow at Cornell University (USA) and London Business School (U.K). She was also a visiting scholar at Harvard Business School (USA).
Laura’s research has been published in several top academic journals, including the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Nature Human Behaviour, Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, and The Leadership Quarterly, and it is often featured in the media. She is highly passionate about communicating her research to organizational leaders and the general public and has written about her work in the Harvard Business Review, The Wall Street Journal, and Forbes
Recently, we got a chance to sit down with Dr. Giurge to learn more about her work to address ongoing challenges in the workplace.
Below are the highlights of the interview.
Please tell me your story. Or how did you get your start?
Dr. Giurge: I’m currently an assistant professor at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). I am also a behavioral scientist and academic advisor for different organizations, including MoreThanNow, and a Research Affiliate at the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford. On the side, I’m a photographer and artist and have already had my own photography exhibit in 2016. I’ve started my multiple careers by pursuing my interests and exploring my curiosity. It hasn’t been easy, and it is still challenging to wear so many hats simultaneously, but each hat brings something unique to my life.
What would you say has been your greatest accomplishment?
Dr. Giurge: Thus far, my greatest accomplishment has been the scholarships I’ve won to study abroad.
Being a key person in this environment is challenging and all-consuming—are you prepared for the challenge? (How would you Control the Situation)
Dr. Giurge: Various experiences taught me some difficult and painful lessons. So, I seek to control the situation by being extremely careful who I work with. To me, people are everything
What does success look like for you?
Dr. Giurge: One of my key measures of success is the number of people I’ve helped achieve their goals, professionally or personally.
What is your “vision” in life, e.g., what drives you to a Successful Journey?
Dr. Giurge: One piece of my vision is to leave Earth a better place by helping those without voice or agency.
What’s the best advice you’ve recently received?
Dr. Giurge: We create our meaning in life, and that is scary and liberating at the same time. Once you know what motivates you, it becomes clearer what you should say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to.
Give us advice that you would share with entrepreneurs just starting.
Dr. Giurge: One of my guiding principles is action because. I know from research that some of the most painful regrets in life are those of inaction rather than action. So, even when the outcome is painful, I’m grateful to have tried something than to have wondered what if.
You should reach Dr. Giurge through her website, e-mail, and LinkedIn for more details