I’m pretty excited today. Ethical Ocean, an online store for ethically sourced goods, has launched. EO is a business founded by a couple of friends from EWB. I remember sitting in a London flat a couple years ago, listening as they sketched out the first steps. It’s great to see it live.
People who read this blog regularly, or have shared a few beers, know that I appreciate people who do things about environmental or social challenges. Ethical Ocean is a great example of a few talented and committed people doing just that. Check it out. And even maybe pick something up, like that fancy clock above.
I never thought the idea generation part of my brain would be so exhausted. It’s been basically 24 hours of idea generation and collaborative problem solving around start up ideas and The First Drop. It’s completely invigorating.
It’s that point in a 3+ hour problem solving/brainstorming session where one piece of the puzzle drops, smiles flick contagiously around the room, and you can feel the level of excitement immediately jump. It’s that perspective you’ve never quite heard worded that way that sheds new productive light onto a weak spot in the plan. And it’s that energy that brings good people together with legitimate excitement about moving beyond academic exercises.
In less that 24 hours I may have gone from a purely academic exercise to seriously considering dropping some time and money into a legitimate start-up. At the very least, I am finding more people who naturally close pieces of puzzles, and seem keen to keep doing so during and post MBA.
And when people ask: what do you want to do after your MBA, I can answer: build ideas into legitimate hail mary opportunities, with a multidisciplinary group of people and some capital. I want to generate 30 ideas, vet into 6, run with 3 and really push 1-2 winners. And then do it again.
How will this happen? It may happen with an existing company, or it may happen in a start up situation. But at 6 pm on February 5th, that’s what I want to be doing.
So: which do you respond to better? Why? What are the motivational elements of each one?
Sure, most of us don’t make daily speeches in front of failing football teams. But if we have any ambition at all, we do strive to influence others. Understanding how we can do that can help us.
B
(The clips are from, of course, Any Given Sunday and Glengarry Glen Ross, which, incidentally, is a fantastically well-written film)
Every superglue directions reads something like “should fingers stick together apply a solvent such as acetone to contact areas then rinse with water.”
I used to think … idiots. Who would do that.
I no longer judge.
B
There’s influence in getting two points of contact. Let me explain. Back when I had the geographic stability and facilities to do it, I used to throw quite a few parties. A few were duds, but most went off nicely. Making a real party happen is all about anticipation and momentum. I always knew we [...]
The inventors of the microwave thought their device would be used for cooking whole meals from scratch. It never really was, but users found out that it reheated food pretty well, saving the appliance from the graveyard of failed inventions.
Yesterday, rendered immobile by back pain, I Skyped in to listen to a 3 hour lecture [...]
“This Anonymous person is a total whack-job.”
“Oscar say: We have no Can Con requirement to play Canadian movies at Canadian movie theatres, jackass!”
Now the the U.S. has completed its military occupation of Haiti, the CBC will go back to reporting feel-good propaganda stories while Haiti is cannibalized by foreign powers and corporations.
“Greedy french bastards! Stay [...]
‘That would make a good photo’
I thought this today, as I rode by a postered wall on my chilly ride to school. I immediately raised my eyes skyward and whispered thanks. To what? I’m not yet completely sure. Let’s save the spiritual bulk of this discussion to another day. The dominant emotion was of thanks.
Here’s [...]
My mom found this newspaper recently. The date? September 8th, 1943. Italy had just quit WW2. But what is fascinating is the extent to which the war dominated the discourse. Through the newspaper there is virtually nothing that isn’t related to it somehow. Articles, war bonds, movies, comics, cigarettes, classifieds (remember those?): everything tied in [...]
Love this, from CDI: The students learned their rights as members of society, and this could pave the way out of their social exclusion.
about 10 hours ago from TweetDeck
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