Kian Gohar graduated from Weinberg in 1998, studying history and political science. A former executive director of the XPRIZE Foundation and Singularity University, he has coached the leadership teams of dozens of Fortune 500 companies.
In this Alumni Spotlight, Kian shares what inspired him to study history, his Northwestern experiences that made a lasting impact on his future, and his latest research. Recently, he also co-authored a book that explores the new post-pandemic world of work, and offers practical career insights that audiences can leverage to succeed in this new era.
Why did you decide to come to Northwestern?
Northwestern represented both yin and yang to me. I fell in love with the campus, which is one of the most beautiful zen-like places in America; yet it’s so close to Chicago, which I think is the most beautiful city in America. I could dive deep into the city’s glorious industrial era history and intern at incredible organizations and partake in the epitome of world-class art, culture and classical music in downtown Chicago; yet I could also hide away in cloistered academic life in Harris Hall and Deering Library studying the renaissance. It was the best of both worlds: academic and practical; artistic and professional.
What inspired you to pursue your area of study?
I knew I wanted to be a history major before I even arrived on campus, as I’ve loved reading history since childhood. I was so lucky that I found history professors who mentored me in how to think critically, how to write, and how to make persuasive arguments. I am still in touch with my history advisor from 25 years ago, Professor T. H. Breen. I had little interest in colonial American history, but I took all his classes because of what he promised: an opportunity to connect the past to my future. And he changed my life in so many ways I’m still grateful for. I also double majored in political science, with a focus on international relations, and did an undergraduate honors thesis. I told my parents I wanted to be a diplomat when I grew up, but I didn’t go down that route professionally.
Is there a class or experience that sticks out in your mind and why?
So many! I had the most amazing liberal arts education at Northwestern. But one that sticks out even today is an arts class I took to fulfill undergraduate requirements. I was lucky to get into a heavily subscribed art history class of 24 students called “Introduction to Understanding Art” by famed Chicago artist Ed Paschke. The class was jokingly referred to as “art for jocks” as many of the students were football players. We spent hours each week watching slides of western art in a darkened classroom, and the professor would help us look for clues in art that explained that era’s culture, meaning, and connective tissue with the past and present. It was like a visual awakening for me and has helped me understand the context for any new art I see, even today. I loved that the class was named “introduction to understanding art” rather than “introduction to art.” Art is never fully understood. It’s a journey to understanding. And that’s a great metaphor for life. I make neon art now for fun, and I think back fondly of all the historical context I learned through that incredible class and wonderful professor. What a gem.
Kian Gohar co-authored the new book (above), Competing in the New World of Work: How Radical Adaptability Separates the Best from the Rest, that explores the new post-pandemic world of work.
How would you describe your research and/or work to a non-academic audience?
I’ve been researching how the world of work is rapidly shifting in the last two years of the pandemic in collaboration with Harvard Business School (also my alma mater). I’ve been researching how companies changed their business models, how individuals adopted new digital skills, and how teams have changed ways of collaborating virtually. The short version of the research is that this new post-pandemic world of work is rapidly different than the past, and requires different skill-sets and expectations. We just published a book, Competing in the New World of Work: How Radical Adaptability Separates the Best from the Rest, to help wider audiences learn how to apply these practical insights in their careers, and succeed in this new era of work.
Any accomplishments would you like to share?
A few years after I graduated, Northwestern nominated me for a Luce Scholarship to live and work in Asia for a year in my field of venture capital. I was lucky to win the international fellowship, and I moved to Shanghai and experienced living in a China that no longer exists 20 years later. It was incredibly hard to step out of my comfort zone and into such a radically different environment, but I’m so grateful Northwestern’s Office of Fellowships pushed me to do so. It gave me the skills to be comfortable in uncertainty, which have served me well in a lifelong career of entrepreneurship. If you get the chance to go somewhere radically different and experience new ways of life, do it. You’ll never be the same again, and that’s what education is all about.
What’s a fun fact that you want to share with the Northwestern community?
I co-founded Northwestern’s first all-male a cappella group “Asterik” in 1996. We have our 25 year anniversary this year, and I’m so proud that a little band of brothers I started is still thriving a generation later. Those guys played such a huge role in my college experience as a young man, and I hope it will have the same inspiration for generations of men to come. We had a lot of fun, and even sang the national anthem live on TV for the White Sox at Comiskey Park stadium.