In 2023, associate professor of management Richard Gardner moved from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas to the BYU Marriott School of Business with his wife and child, who was only one month old at the time. “Everything was in transition, and there were a lot of balls up in the air to juggle,” Gardner says. He started teaching at a new university, in a new city, as a new parent—these challenges brought Gardner a chance to connect with his students and research in new ways.
“I got married a little later in life, in my late 30s,” Gardner explains. “I joke that’s kind of midlife crisis time—usually people are getting a convertible and maybe a divorce. Meanwhile I’m doing the opposite: getting married, having babies.”
So, as he taught his first semester at BYU Marriott, he was experiencing many of the same things as his students—some of whom were also new parents. “I know what that’s like to have a new kid and not sleep,” Gardner says. He was also able to relate with single students: “I spent most of my adult life single, navigating my church and social life that way. I think these experiences give me perspective and help me understand a little bit of what the students are going through.”
While Gardner’s student connections took time to build, he quickly found footing with his colleagues through the relationships he built while working with BYU Marriott faculty members on a variety of studies, including a viral study on imposter phenomenon from 2019.
“I have really enjoyed my research on the impostor phenomenon—part of this has been ‘me-search,’ as I think of times when I have felt like an impostor,” Gardner explains. “It always surprises me when I hear and learn how many other people—very accomplished people—still struggle with these self-perceptions that they do not belong or merit any of the success they have had.”
Gardner continues striving to understand and overcome his own feelings of inadequacy as he adjusts to working at BYU Marriott. “My colleagues and students here are all nice, but they also have high expectations for their professors,” he says. Though Gardner feels the pressure of living up to such high standards, he knows the challenge will push him to grow.
One challenge he enjoys tackling is incorporating the gospel into his classes. For one lesson centered around strategies used by charismatic leaders, Gardner assigned his students to search the scriptures and find times Jesus Christ used the tactics they were discussing. “I had never thought of Christ as a charismatic leader because we see Christ as being meek—which seems like the opposite of charisma,” he shares. “And yet he engaged in a lot of these charismatic tactics."
Outside of teaching, Gardner often discovers ways his faith goes hand in hand with his work. His insights may seem surprising, considering the content of his research—which he admits tends to focus on the dark side of things: negative working relationships, abusive supervision, unethical behavior, and imposter phenomenon. However, Gardner looks at his research to find truth and light in its darkness. “These studies aren’t looking at things through a gospel lens, but the gospel maps onto it so well,” he explains. “It’s fun to see when research confirms and articulates things we’ve always known.”
Gardner is proud of the research he’s done and the ways he can use his knowledge to help others—including his students. “I have been able to apply my findings and provide people with tools to cope with impostor feelings,” he says. “It’s fun to see research in practice and to make a difference for people in their careers and in their lives.”
_____
Written by Melissa Een