91porn

July 9, 2025

When Elana Zur stepped away from a high-profile career at Microsoft, she didn’t know she was taking the first step toward a PhD. What she did know was that she needed to reconnect—with herself, with her community, and with the kind of work that felt meaningful. That journey led her back to Kitchener-Waterloo, to the Lazaridis School of Business and Economics, and to a research path that’s helping reshape how we understand leadership.

Elana completed her Bachelor of Business Administration at 91porn. She was part of the co-op program, where she completed three work placements – one of which, at Microsoft Canada, would go on to shape the next decade of her career. 

“My first full-time job after graduation was with one of my co-op placements. I worked there for about a year and then returned to a different one of my placements, going back to Microsoft,” she says. “I eventually moved from the Canadian subsidiary to the global head office in Seattle.”

At Microsoft, Elana led product launches, collaborated across international teams, and navigated the full lifecycle of innovative technologies. After more than a decade of professional growth, a personal health scare forced her to take time to pause and reflect. It was during this time that she began to consider deeper questions about the nature of work, leadership, and well-being.

“I developed an interest in the impact of leaders on employees and organizations,” she says. “That curiosity ultimately inspired my transition from a successful career in business to academia.”

Her industry experience gave her a front-row seat to the complexities of organizational life and leadership. These experiences laid the foundation for her research.

“My personal experiences in the workplace—both as a leader and as part of a team—left me with a lot of questions,” she explains. “I wanted to understand how we can create environments where people feel supported, empowered, and able to thrive. In my own professional life, I lacked self-compassion when I needed it most. Now, I want to understand how we can foster it in others before they reach that point.”

What followed was a period of rediscovery. Elana became a yoga teacher, explored mosaic art, and, after more than a decade in the tech industry, returned to Canada and took on a leadership role as General Manager at Artshine, a nonprofit social enterprise that delivers arts programming to children in underserved communities.

“It was the perfect fit,” she says. “It brought together my business background and my passion for the arts and social impact. At the time, it all felt a bit random, but I could also see how these seemingly random parts of my life were coming together.”

In the process, Elana rekindled her love of learning and began to consider graduate study. She began taking undergraduate courses in statistics and psychology to fill in academic gaps, then enrolled in the Lazaridis MSc in Management program. From there, she transitioned into the PhD in Management, specializing in the area of Organizational Behaviour and Human Resource Management (OB/HRM) .

Bridging the gap between practice and theory

Elana’s research is informed by her lived experience in industry, and explores the intersection of leadership, vulnerability, and self-compassion—topics that are deeply relevant and academically underexplored.

“There’s a huge disconnect between how society talks about vulnerability and how it’s defined in current academic research,” Elana explains. “In the workplace, vulnerability is often celebrated as a strength—something that builds trust and authenticity. But in the psychology literature, it’s frequently framed as a weakness, a form of neuroticism or emotional instability.”

Her research is working to explore and perhaps resolve the differing perspectives. She’s developed a new scale to measure perceived leader vulnerability from employees’ perspective and is conducting  interviews with executives in an effort to understand how and why leaders choose to be vulnerable.

“What I’m finding is that context matters,” she says. “Vulnerability isn’t universally good or bad—it depends on the situation, the leader’s intent, and how it’s received. But when done authentically, it can be a powerful tool for connection and empowerment.”

Her earlier research on self-compassion in the workplace—another underrepresented area—was also inspired by her own experience with burnout. “Because I lacked self-compassion, I experienced burnout,” she says. “Now I want to understand how we can foster it before we reach that point.”

A scholar, a mother, a leader

Elana’s academic journey is remarkable not just for its relevance and intellectual rigour, but for the life she’s built around it. She’s a mother of two young children and has balanced her studies with parenting, teaching, and community involvement.

“Some weeks are more productive than others,” she laughs. “But because the program, while full-time, is not a built around a traditional 9-to-5 workday, it has allowed me to be present for my kids and still pursue meaningful research. 

She credits much of her success to the Lazaridis PhD program’s supportive culture and the  close mentorship of her supervisor, Dr. Lindie Liang.

“One of the most important parts of grad school is your supervisor,” says Elana. “Lindie and I are a great match. She gives me the room to experiment, fail, and figure things out on my own – but she’s always there when I need guidance. I feel very lucky to get to work together.”

Similarly, Dr. Liang speaks highly of Elana’s work and approach. “Her thought-leadership and ability to identify innovative approaches that contribute meaningfully both in theory and in practice set her research apart,” she says. “Elana engages with complex ideas and offers fresh, insightful perspectives that are getting her research noticed - as evidenced by the numerous presentation opportunities, awards and scholarships she has received. It’s a pleasure to work alongside her as she pursues her research interests.”

A program that fits

Elana chose the Lazaridis PhD in Management program in the field of OB/HRM over others because of its small size, collaborative culture, and the ability to build close relationships with faculty.

“The program is very encouraging and growth-oriented,” she says. “The students are all very close, and there’s a genuine sense of community. We want to see each other succeed and we're all very encouraging of one another."

She also appreciated the program’s structure, which allows students without a previous graduate degree in business to undertake  a one-year master’s before transitioning into the PhD. “It’s like a super-intensive trial,” she says. “If you make it through that and still like doing it, then you’re probably going to be okay in a PhD.”

“We pride ourselves on offering a program that is both rigorous and responsive to the students,” confirms Dr. Sarah Wilner, Academic Director of the Lazaridis School’s PhD and research-based MSc. programs. “Our program is student-centred. Small doctoral seminars provide opportunities for close interaction with faculty, who can then guide students to delve into topics and conduct research that not only aligns closely with their interests, but also makes real contributions to scholarship.”

“Elana was a student in my PhD methods seminar, and I know her to be engaged, motivated, hardworking, reflective and open to new ideas. At the same time, Dr. Liang is a prolific and highly-respected scholar who focuses on leadership and workplace well-being, so she is the perfect person to supervise Elana’s research. Together, they are doing leading-edge work that will provide important insights to what we know about effective leadership. As such, they are an excellent example of the kind of meaningful scholarship our program fosters.”

Looking ahead

Elana will teach her first undergraduate course in organizational behavior this fall—a full-circle moment after years of experience as an Instructional Assistant and working as a instructor during her undergraduate years. She hopes to continue in academia, combining research, teaching, and mentorship.

“I love the idea of generating new knowledge,” she says. “And I want to help shape workplaces that are more compassionate, more human.”

For those considering graduate study, Elana offers this advice: “There will be moments of self-doubt, and your productivity and progress will not be linear.  But, if you have patience and persistence, you will get through those chapters. It’s okay to try it and change your mind. I couldn’t imagine doing it if I didn’t want to be here. But if you want to be here—if you’re choosing it—it can be incredibly rewarding.”