THE SHELF
ALL THE BIG THINGS
dr . Saj-nicole Joni masters the art of getting things done .
Dr . Saj-nicole Joni , muir ’ 73 , m . A . ’ 75 , Ph . D . ’ 77 .
BY SHERILYN REuS , ‘ 16
iF “ WRiTE WHAT yOu KnOW ” is the standard maxim for authors , Dr . Saj-nicole Joni , Muir ’ 73 , M . A . ’ 75 , Ph . D . ’ 77 , has a lot to write about . The best-selling author is an internationally acclaimed business strategist , CEO advisor and celebrated speaker , sought after by industry leaders and executive audiences to help them contend with their most high-stakes challenges . But Joni didn ’ t always imagine it to be this way .
Joni ’ s acumen in business strategy was the result of hard-won skills following the discovery of her true interests at UC San Diego . Her career as a mathematician and scientist took a turn when she realized her keen ability for creative problem-solving , a skill she credits to the university ’ s educational philosophy . “ It wasn ’ t just ‘ here ’ s your education ,’ ‘ do what I say ,’ nor ‘ here ’ s how it should be ,’” she says . “ There was this whole environment of amazing people who were encouraging us to imagine , dream , study many different subjects and then go out and pioneer a new world .”
After earning three degrees from UC San Diego , in 1977 Joni joined the applied mathematics faculty at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology ( MIT )— the first woman ever to do so . Joni ’ s appointment went against the era ’ s prevailing image of the woman as a happy homemaker . At the time , her department ’ s building even lacked a women ’ s bathroom .
“ My mere existence as a woman created dissonance and even conflict ,” Joni says . “ But as a young scientist walking the halls of MIT , I came to understand that to innovate and succeed , you need courage to go beyond difference and doubt to create something greater .”
Now a mentor and role model to many , Joni encourages aspiring leaders to make their dreams come true through connecting with other big dreamers . This theme of connection is the major thrust of her newest book , Get Big Things Done : The Power of Connectional Intelligence , which dives deep into connectional intelligence as the key to success in 21st-century business . Joni explains how regardless of a person ’ s background , virtually anybody can develop into a leader by honing the
“ Take a dream . Add connection . Dream bigger . Get big things done .”
quality of the connections they make in a highly interconnected society .
“ Take a dream . Add connection . Dream bigger . Get big things done ,” she writes in the book , condensing the path to success into those four key steps . And she says now is the perfect time to start .
“ It does go back to some of the things I ’ ve learned ,” she says . “ I really encourage people to take their dreams and really add connection . Think about what you dream about and look around ; look at all the innovations that are happening . I am so optimistic for what we can create for the future .”
54 TRITON | FALL 2015