A dance expert learns new steps
Alison O'Donnell takes you inside the current OSR Master’s cohort to meet Jason Stephens, a Liaison Engineer at Boeing.
In October 2007, 33 students in the OSR 14 cohort were just strangers taking the first tentative steps into the unknown. The thrill and nervous anticipation of starting the first day of school rendered some as giddy as school children, while others tried to hide how anxious they were, and many silently questioned if they had made the right decision to attend OSR while skeptically assessing the people with whom they were going to spend the next 20 months.
In those first days together, the only thing we knew we had in common was a shared attraction to the unique OSR Master’s program at Seattle University. However, over the course of that first session, 33 strangers slowly unfolded to reveal intriguing, creative, rediscovered, broken, and passionate parts of their lives, parts that gave meaning to why each had chosen to be in OSR. The seeds of relationships that would be flowering sources of joy seven months later were planted through conversations, class work, and… swing dancing? That last evening of the October session, the group who had taken new steps to enter the OSR Master’s program also began to learn how to take new steps from an unexpected dance teacher.
Jason Stephens (left) and fellow OSR 14 member Francis Lee
OSR 14 student Jason Stephens is a successful engineer at Boeing. He exudes smiling vibrancy, compassion, and demonstrates a deeply reflective quality that drives his personal growth. He is also a semi-professional swing dancer who has danced on the national circuit for the past 10 years. Fluent in German and a world traveler, he even taught swing classes while living in Germany. Surprisingly, his compelling passion for swing dance even brought Jason to OSR. A friend he knew through his dancing was a student in the OSR 13 cohort. She saw that there was something different in Jason, the fact that he was an engineer who was a talented and dedicated swing dancer was just one clue he had something special to offer. She encouraged Jason to check out the OSR program.
While Jason had considered that engineering was not something he wanted to do over the long term, there was some fear in exploring a completely unknown area. “Computers, I know,” Jason reflected, “but organizational systems renewal — that was unknown. People would ask me, ‘what do you do with a master’s program when you are done?’ Not being able to answer this question easily made me unsettled.”
So it was with cautious steps that Jason began exploring OSR by attending open houses. As he learned more about the program the concepts of group dynamics and leadership intrigued him and he became surer it was the right choice, although unquantifiable at the time. “I knew it would be life changing, although it was just a notion. I couldn’t see the end of the two years, but I wanted to learn how to be a leader without authority and I knew this program would build those strengths and characteristics.” He stares out the window for a few seconds before continuing. “The learning community was also really attractive to me; I wanted to be part of a group that traveled for two years on journey, all part of a shared experience.” Jason decided to jump in and apply to the program, even if there seemed to be more questions than answers. “I have a rebellious trait, so I took a leap of faith.”
That leap of faith has turned into a solid foundation Jason is already building upon in his professional and personal life. Seven months after starting the OSR Master's program, Jason reflects on how he has changed. “I have learned not just through studying and papers, but also practices; practical tools I can implement in daily life.” At Boeing, Jason is expanding his impact. “I have led a lot of meetings in the last few months, and it has been really fun to implement some of the learnings. I always wanted to fill silence before, now I am more comfortable with silence, more comfortable in my own skin to see what emerges. One of the great things about OSR is that it provides tools you can take and apply in your workplace that allow you to grow and feel more comfortable, to step out and be a more effective leader.”
Jason has noticed personal shifts as well. The reflective aspects of the program have allowed him to take focus into areas of his life he hadn’t looked at yet, areas he now uses to learn from and grow. “I didn’t realize the value of deconstructing life’s experiences, then reconstructing to do or see things differently.”
Looking towards graduation, Jason becomes animated as he explains his expectations through the end of the program. “I am so excited for the next 12 months, there is so much to learn, and I am excited to go deep in the area of focus for my degree.” Jason’s area of focus is exploring personal mastery, a topic he first explored in his first design team. Detailing his current thoughts on his degree interest, he states “I am focusing on acquiring the knowledge and skills around the awareness of self in order to show up in this world as completely as possible, and to develop a greater personal awareness and emotional intelligence so that I may present myself as more effective leader.” While his area of focus is still a work in process, he concludes, “I know I have the right people supporting me to do the learning over the next year.”
Although he has been dancing for a decade, Jason is learning new steps in OSR. From the courageous first steps to explore and enter OSR, to reaching out and teaching swing steps to a group of people who were tentatively forging new relationships, to expanding his work at Boeing and moving personally and professionally towards new areas where he feels true passion. “I am already thinking way down the road,” he smiles, looking up thoughtfully as he speaks. “I am so excited to keep diving in and the ideas are taking off, but at the same time I don’t want time to move too fast.” He pauses for a moment before elaborating, “I am in such great company in the cohort, truly a group of creative, intelligent professionals.” And through Jason’s expert and gentle leadership, it is also a group of willing dancers who are learning new steps together.
Alison O’Donnell, member of the current OSR cohort and HR Business partner at Microsoft, creates and sustains safe environments that let individuals deal with and recover from family of origin trauma. She is passionate about creative writing, healing through storytelling and mental health advocacy. And she's a beginning swing dancer.
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