The Compounding Impact of Teaching: Shreyas Doshi Reflects on Educating Over 5000 Leaders

In a recent LinkedIn post, Shreyas Doshi reflects on a significant milestone: educating over 5000 students across three live courses in the past 3.5 years. Doshi uses the post to address a common question about the perceived impact of teaching compared to other professional endeavors, arguing that the influence of education is often underestimated.

Doshi begins by stating:

New milestone: crossed 5000+ students
in the past 3.5 years
over 3 different live courses I’ve taught.

The post delves into the motivation behind Doshi’s dedication to teaching, directly confronting the notion that such work might lack the broad impact of other roles. Doshi acknowledges the validity of the question but suggests it stems from a lack of visibility into the ripple effects of education.

The Unseen Impact of Educating Leaders

Shreyas Doshi highlights the profound influence that educated leaders have on their respective fields. The core of Doshi’s argument is that the impact of teaching is not always immediately apparent but accrues over time through the actions of those who have been taught.

As Doshi elaborates:

I absolutely love teaching and I often get the question “but Shreyas, don’t you feel the itch to do something that has greater impact than teaching?”

Doshi counters this by emphasizing the daily application of learned principles by students. These leaders, according to Doshi, integrate the acquired knowledge into their product development, strategic planning, client proposals, leadership styles, and overall career trajectories.

Mastery Fosters Impact

A key takeaway from Doshi’s post is the philosophy that focusing on mastery and passion for the craft of teaching ultimately leads to greater impact, rather than pursuing impact as a primary goal. Shreyas Doshi explains this approach:

I don’t do this work primarily for the impact (something I’ve learned: when I do it for love and from a place of mastery in what I do, the impact takes care of itself). But I get notes from students every day about the staggeringly compounding impact on people’s companies, teams, and careers. Which means I get to smile every day 🙌

This perspective suggests that authentic engagement and a commitment to excellence in teaching naturally amplify the positive effects on students and their organizations. The consistent feedback from students, detailing the significant and compounding effects on their professional lives, serves as daily affirmation for Doshi.

Gratitude for the Learning Journey

Concluding the post, Shreyas Doshi expresses sincere gratitude to the students who have participated in this educational journey. This acknowledgment underscores the collaborative nature of the learning process and the value Doshi places on the trust and shared experiences with the student community.

Doshi states:

To every student who’s been part of this journey thus far: thank you for all your trust, affection, and for sharing your experience 🙏

The reflection by Shreyas Doshi on LinkedIn offers a powerful perspective on the often-underestimated, yet significant, impact of dedicated educators in shaping the future of business and leadership through the development of talented professionals.