Entrepreneur Jeff Hoffman (Priceline) spoke about how unsatisfying his one and only corporate job was. "They didn't appreciate my sense of sarcasm!" A sentiment I'm sure many of us can relate to.
His thoughts on harvesting ideas...
1. learn one new thing each day
2. follow your curiosity
3. write down one sentence about what you learned
4. assemble the pieces of the puzzle
5. study things going on in the world around you
It sounds almost Zen...be open to where you are, be here, listen...
I had the wonderful opportunity to be a part of the Innovation Summit at Case Western Reserve University this week and it's fair to say that the hundreds of people there were challenged and stretched in many new directions. All good!
The legendary Dr.Curt Carlson spoke on impact and how crucial experiential learning is. (He is the guy behind HDTV and Siri.) He was a violinist first, and grew up with the discipline and work ethic of a classical musician. That educational skill set transferred into his accomplishments in physics, business, and that his role as an innovator, entrepreneur and educator. His whole package of strengths still goes back to the basics of how we learn as musicians, and if the entrepreneurs and start ups can follow this model (regardless of field) it is equally successful for them.