Author: Dr. Stephanie Eubank (AKA Dr. Bear)

Hi there! My name is Stephanie Diana Eubank and I am a doctoral student at Concordia University Chicago in their online program for Doctorate of Business Administration. My Masters' degree was completed also online at Southern New Hampshire University in Operations Management with an emphasis in Project Management. Prior to my dissertation completion, I will be getting married and once completing my DBA program I will become Dr. Mrs. Stephanie Diana Eubank (Dr. Bear). All the while working full time as one of the country’s experts in Condo Mortgage Underwriting Compliance. The focus broad topic of my dissertation is remote employment which has never been timelier with the recent lockdowns of quarantine during the COVID-19 crisis.

Is it Authentic Leadership or an Excuse?

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By: Stephanie Diana Wilson- Eubank

There is a movement in trends of leadership called authentic leadership and in both on site and in remote workplaces authentic leadership as a skill is being perverted as an excuse for poor people skills and aggressive management behavior.  First let us define what authentic leadership is.  In layman’s terms it is a leader who is honest to all and is just genuinely themselves.  Not seeking approval from others so that the goals are the focus.

First off how is authentic leadership defined in professional capacity versus layman terms?  Forbes has a great article titled “What is Authentic Leadership” that you can check out for further clarification.  The link for that is, https://www.forbes.com/sites/kevinkruse/2013/05/12/what-is-authentic-leadership/amp/  However, to sum up the article an authentic leader is someone who is able to be themselves and are results driven with a brand of personal honesty.  If interested there is also a great Harvard Business Review article, https://hbr.org/amp/2005/12/managing-authenticity-the-paradox-of-great-leadership for more info on authentic leadership. 

Now this article is not to disparage different learning or performance types.  Everyone has a type of manager they work best with, but this article is specifically for those in leadership roles who act badly to their employees and argue they are using authentic leadership tactics.  This article is to bring the topic of abusive managers.  Where my focus topic of my research is regarding remote employees these sorts of bad players also do more emotional harm for remote employees.  Forbes also has a great article on what is detailed as professional isolation which is a normative pitfall for remote employees as they don’t get to interact with management face to face as often.  Which can put remote people at a disadvantage at the start.  Which means managers must do a little more collaboration to help ease that issue so that it does not create a constant revolving door of hiring.  You can check out the Forbes article at https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurelfarrer/2019/02/15/beware-professional-isolation-is-more-than-loneliness/?sh=17a736712723. 

First off how is authentic leadership defined?  Forbes has a great article titled “What is Authentic Leadership” that you can check out for further clarification.  The link for that is, https://www.forbes.com/sites/kevinkruse/2013/05/12/what-is-authentic-leadership/amp/  However, to sum up the article an authentic leader is someone who is able to be themselves and are results driven with a brand of personal honesty.  If interested there is also a great Harvard Business Review article, https://hbr.org/amp/2005/12/managing-authenticity-the-paradox-of-great-leadership for more info on authentic leadership. 

Many of us have had the boss like the meme from the office with the power object watch and the coffee mug saying, “Yeaaaaaa, I am going to need to you do this project in less time than we agreed”.  Or the manager that when you ask a legitimate question says, “you got to be f***ing kidding me” and starts to berate an employee for a simple question.   Or the manager who always says exactly what they are thinking with no filters.  My personal favorite has been a manager who throws items off desks and screams at people to get his way and HR explains away his behavior because he is a high producer and is, “passionate about his work”.  Yeah… someone’s “passion” should not require me to play dodgeball at work because he cannot accept federal agency guidelines for compliance.

However, Doctor Ramani who has been featured on several Youtube psychology channels, her own channel, and has lead Ted Talks on Narcissists and the abuses in all its forms.  This includes cases of narcissistic abuse within employment.  Here is a link to her interview at MedCircle titled, “Is Your Boss A Narcissist?” at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2P-5q0C31m4&feature=youtu.be .  In this the doctor analyzes she talks about how some managers have work place enablers who allow for managers to have all around bad or inappropriate behavior because they explain away the behavior as, “hey they get results” and/ or “hey they are mean but, you always can trust them to tell the truth”.  The truth is this is a perverted form of enabling narcissistic abuse and using the concept of authentic leadership as the excuse.    

In summary authentic leadership is not about who can be more of a jerk boss and call it honesty and result driven management.  That just perverts the concept of authentic leadership which is being one’s self enough to focus on tasks while still being a human.  When it comes to authentic leadership especially where remote employment is concerned.  Remembering in these COVID lockdowns as it reshapes our economy, we as leaders need to remember a little humanity and caring goes a long way.  And that humanity is the true sign of authentic leadership. 

Women Toning Down Academic Success in All Areas of Life

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By: Stephanie Diana Eubank (AKA Dr. Bear)

This is my first article since getting married to my wonderful husband David last August.  So, I am excited to write this article.

While celebrating our first Married Christmas together my husband and I were discussing the things we are grateful for in our relationship especially during this pandemic.  One thing that was brought up is the fact that my husband values that I am working on my doctorate.  I am thankful he loves me but; respects and supports my research.  When I was dating prior to meeting my now husband many of the men I met would comment to me about how my work towards earning a doctorate is a minus against me.  When I asked why I was told, “Dating a doctoral candidate is not the bragging right that it is for women”.  Which is interesting to me because, my husband always tells me how proud he is of my hard work for my educational goals and brags to everyone about how I am a doctoral candidate.

This got me thinking about how women throughout history or at least in my family’s history tone down their accomplishments for the sake of not overshadowing their husbands.  An example being my father’s mother gave up her pursuit to become an attorney to be a house wife.  My mother had to put her academic career on hold when she had me and my siblings to work part time as a one on one aid in special education.  She had to put off her goals of earning her four year degree till she was in her fifties. 

The list of woman I know who have put off their education or other work goals for family.  Which got me thinking about how often are women suppressing or toning down our achievements in the workplace?

There are a number of articles on the fact women are having to down play achievements to move forward.  Here is a list of some good articles to read on this topic.  You can find citations on these articles in

The lists of articles on this topic go on and on.  Showing this is a systemic issue of women having to tone down our achievements and suffering a bit of imposter syndrome.  Which, is where the research into remote employment comes in as a solution to many of the issues listed as reasons women are held back or are holding back.  Remote teams’ pre pandemic often are designed as what are called. “Dream teams”.  Which is where management designs the teams as the best of the best forgoing team dynamics concepts.  So, how people interact is less important than working with the best of the best.  Which leaves room for those who are high achieving to stand out rather than being named, “Over Qualified”.

I can speak from experience having companies turn me down for being too qualified.  During the recovery from the last recession I had a manager tell me the reason I was let go versus lower performing co-workers was that I was starting my path towards my doctorate and they knew about it.  As he had said to me, “I am laying you off because you are smart and will land on your feet the others don’t have the education you have to do the same”.  It was a hard lesson to learn to keep my academic goals to myself until I have staying power and let management know from there.  Now being experienced working from home while working on a doctorate is a more desirable trait.  For a man or woman.

As observed by my friends both men and women and my own experience during this pandemic I have had to be caring for my children while working and balancing other goals and life in general.   Productivity has been maintained, work has been stressful, but all the while surviving.  Remote employment has made more opportunities we just need to learn to adapt.  As we are isolating to protect each other from this pandemic we learn to show ourselves in the truest ways and go for what we want in this world. 

Work Cited

Ali, H. (2019, March 08). Four Universal Career Challenges Holding Women Back. Retrieved December 27, 2020, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/ellevate/2019/03/08/four-universal-career-challenges-holding-women-back/?sh=5a5110464396

Jaschik, S. (2018, March 21). Study finds female college graduates newly on the job market are punished for having good grades. Retrieved December 27, 2020, from https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2018/03/21/study-finds-female-college-graduates-newly-job-market-are-punished-having-good

King, M., & Bell, G. (2020, March 24). One invisible barrier holding back women at work: The conformity bind. Retrieved December 27, 2020, from https://ideas.ted.com/one-invisible-barrier-holding-back-women-at-work-the-conformity-bind/

Padavic, I., & Ely, R. J. (2020, February 19). What’s Really Holding Women Back? Retrieved December 27, 2020, from https://hbr.org/2020/03/whats-really-holding-women-back

Vila-Concejo, A. (2018, September 4). 7 steps to success and what’s holding women back: Study. Retrieved December 27, 2020, from https://www.sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/news/2018/09/04/7-steps-to-success-and-what-s-holding-women-back–study.html

Remote Teams and How Communication is Key to Preventing Burn Out.

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By: Stephanie Diana Wilson-Eubank

As a quick side note to this article this is the first article I get to write with my new married name of Eubank.  So, a small excitement as I attempt to balance life, work, and my educational pursuits into my DBA research.

Now onto the blog post.  With so many working remotely often for the first time there is a desperate feeling of a need to push for higher and higher performance productivity.  However, for many employees this is coming at the price of work life balance because remote workers are working more hours and there is a relative expectation or at least a feeling that one might be expected to work 24 hours a day. 

This is an interesting concept that is normally worked out to make a 24 hour remote team by having a global team.  Which team design allows for this sort of planning in the organizational leadership side of business and team development.  However, it is becoming a big down side for those working an eight hour day on the same time zone.  The reason it is a down side is the fact that this over working attitude and encroachment on live/ work balance can quickly spark burn out. 

Burn Out can be a kiss of death to any team even in a saturated labor pool created by a recession.  Unfortunately it is up to employees to set the boundaries based on their own comfort level and for management to respect it.  Sometimes wiggle room needs to be created as an effort to save the team rather than create a mass exodus of employees.  It also creates more than the extra spending in HR to find and recruit more employees but; it can also hurt a company reputation by hurting organizational good will.

However, many managers I have spoken with have been dealing with push back from either management or teams to go back to the office.  And in an effort to force remote to work the pressure is on to show high and higher productivity.  There is also the profit losses some managers have attributed the pressure to over perform and over deliver.  This pressure tends to trickle down to employees and the brunt of the work falls to them even if unfairly encroaching on personal time.  Setting boundaries between managers and employees will also help to develop realistic quotas and turn times along with showing a mutual respect to team members.  Management can also learn how to reallocate resources by implementing tactics like cross training to help close gaps and meet goals.  Remember employees are any manager or project manager’s most vital resource. 

On that note stay safe, and take care of each other.  If this article was helpful for you please like and share. 

Remote Hostile Work Environments.

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By: Stephanie Diana Gast- Wilson

While working on my dissertation in Business Administration on the topic of Remote Teams there are specific pit falls that happen in both research of pre COVID and during COVID.  Those pitfalls are:

  • Professional isolation,
  • Social Isolation,
  • Communication, and
  • Moral.

However, all four pitfalls are inter-related and if managed well can create an open communication.  But; sometimes organizational cultures or management becomes toxic and hostile work environments.  Which makes a lot of people rather than stay and fight the issues with toxic management to leave which hurts moral even more.  And this is the case in both face to face and remote environments. 

It is thought that remote teams can’t have a hostile work environment because there no environment physically to speak of.  However, COVID has forced many of us to work from home and proven that you can have a hostile work environment.  Although many of us are working from home and dealing with a new normal there is a tolerance level for the dysfunction that happens with working from home, teaching from home and the other craziness that happens with lockdown. 

Yet, this is no excuse to tolerate a toxic work environment.  Hostile work environments go beyond the stress that is are part of the COVID new normal. And each scenario should be examined individually and compared for perspective which is outside the topic of this post. 

 Although hostile work environments stem from ineffective communication and don’t just hinder effectiveness for those in the mix of the environment but; can kill moral for the whole team.  In remote teams it is easier for teams to spread displeasure more quickly and effectively.  Which can quickly create an exodus of employees.  When too many employees leave and are disgruntled this can hurt company good will and recruiting.  All the pitfalls in remote teams can be made or enhanced by bad communication.  And nothing exasperates communication than sarcastic remarks to team mates and passive aggressive tones.  Neither translate well in writing or remote environments.   Also, small breathing and tones can be misconstrued.  Such as sighs when picking up the phone.  Another thing for managers to remember is to always make employees feel important.  When they call or reach out make sure that pleasantries are polite for a reason.  But, overall mindfulness on the part of management is key to keep employees calm and happy while defusing hostile work environments.  It is always important to remember management makes and breaks teams

Welcome to My Blog

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Hi there! My name is Stephanie Diana Wilson- Gast and I am a doctoral student at Concordia University Chicago in their online program for Doctorate of Business Administration. My Masters degree was completed also online at Southern New Hampshire University in Operations Management with the emphasis in Project Management.  Prior to my dissertation completion I will be getting married and once completing my DBA program I will become Dr. Mrs. Stephanie Diana Eubank, however, my husband and children refer to ourselves as Bears so I am more affectionately “Mommy Bear” and “Doctor Bear”. 

While working full time as one of the country’s experts in Condo Mortgage Underwriting Compliance I have been working on my educational goals. Once I have completed my degree I will not only be the only person in my field with a doctorate degree but, the first woman in my family to have a doctor prefix at the beginning of my name. My hope is that my research will help bring some clarity to remote teams and the leadership of said teams. Especially in this time of redevelopment during COVID.

The focus broad topic of my dissertation is remote employment which has never been timelier with the recent lockdowns of quarantine during the COVID-19 crisis. 

This blog is meant to help me do three things:

  • Get some helpful info I have learned in my research to help others in business in these turbulent times. 
  • To organize practical research and academic research on remote teams to help organize my dissertation.
  • Also to help gain participants for my case study during my research. 

With two years left of my program I am seeking companies and individuals with remote teams that were remote prior to COVID-19 that are willing to be part of a case study research.  The research will consist of surveys via email and a 30 min skype meeting individually. 

If you’re a newly remote worker and would still like to be part of the research you are welcome as well. 

If interested please shoot me an email at crf_wilsonsd2@cuchicago.edu.  Thanks!

My loving and supportive family.