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Posts from the ‘Leadership’ Category

Mar 19

ib learner profile the junto institute

Children as Learners, Entrepreneurs as Leaders


One of the greatest models of anything I’ve seen in my life is that of the International Baccalaureate‘s (IB) “learner profile”.

For those who may not be education geeks, the IB is an organization that helps “develop the intellectual, personal, emotional and social skills to live, learn and work in a rapidly globalizing world.” It pursues this mission by partnering with schools around the world which deliver the IB’s challenging educational programs and curricula. Read more

Mar 14

just ask take a shot
2 Comments

Just Ask (or How to Get What You Want)


To this day, I get impressed by the courage of young people who reach out to me blindly for help. It understandably happens at DePaul where, like on virtually any campus, it’s perfectly acceptable (and encouraged) for students to seek assistance from faculty and staff.

But this also happens with other young people, whether they’re students at different universities in Chicagoland or emerging college-grad entrepreneurs in their 20s. They do what I rarely had the courage or humility to be able to do at the same age: just ask. Read more

Mar 7

Changing the Conversation in Chicago

Fresh Convos, Vol. II: People Changing the Conversation in Chicago


Second in a series of content that I find to be refreshing and thought-provoking from within Chicago’s startup community.

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FRESH CONVOS, Vol. II

Mistakes Do Not Matter, by Scott Mandel of Snapclass. A wonderfully concise and transparent discussion of the ever-important need for entrepreneurs to move on, and quickly. “Just 36 hours after launching I realized a major mistake; our pricing model.”

Should Chicago Build Another 1871? Nope, by Jeff Carter of Hyde Park Angels. An argument for building breadth in Chicago’s startup community rather than depth. “Entrepreneurship is amoebic, networked and rapidly changing.”

The Third Industrial Revolution, by Zach Kaplan of Inventables. An amazingly detailed account of how manufacturing is going digital, with plenty of visual examples. “We believe killer applications will be in toys and in on demand custom products like jewerly.”

What Did Steve Jobs and Ferdinand Magellan Have in Common?, by Patrick J. Murphy of DePaul University. Leadership lessons for today’s entrepreneurs drawn from a contrast with seafaring expeditions from hundreds of years ago. “Leadership transforms member performance when it sets free the basic values or intrinsic motivations already existing in members.”

Feb 22

take pictures
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Startups, Take More Pictures


Last week, I met with one of our CEO mentors in The Junto Institute. As a former social worker, he inherently understands the process of discovery-based mentoring and has done a lot of it in his career. Read more

Feb 5

self-awareness

A Peek into The Junto Institute: Class on Self-Awareness


Last Friday we held the first of 12 classes for Junto I, the initial cohort of The Junto Institute’s flagship program. The topic was self-awareness, one of four components of emotional intelligence (EI), the others being self-management, social awareness, and relationship management.

The class was led by Cary Chessick, co-founder of Positivity and founder/former CEO of Restaurant.com. What he shared during the half-day session was based mostly on personal experiences and published research, all presented in the context of being an entrepreneur and company leader.   Read more

Jan 28

The Junto Institute for Entrepreneurial Leadership
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The Junto Institute for Entrepreneurial Leadership


I’m pleased to announce the launch of The Junto Institute for Entrepreneurial Leadership, a new school that develops leadership capabilities, emotional intelligence (EI), and management skills of startup founders.

Read more

Jan 7

Entrepreneurs and startups must make difficult choices every day.
1 Comment

Entrepreneurs and Ethics


Ethics has become a core element of most business schools, either as courses, majors, or strategic thrusts. But in almost all these cases, the context tends to skew towards big business. What rarely ever gets discussed – never mind being the basis of a full course – is ethics in the context of entrepreneurship. Read more

Nov 5

startup community grow up
2 Comments

Let’s Up Our Game in the Startup Community


Last Friday, I presented at the annual conference of the Collegiate Entrepreneurs Organization, on how lean startup, customer development, and business model canvases are disrupting the entrepreneurial process, Read more

Aug 7

2 Comments

Entrepreneurs Need to Be with People Who “Get It”


In the closing scene of the movie, The Polar Express, Hero Boy’s sister finds one more Christmas present under the tree. If you don’t remember the scene, or didn’t see the movie, here it is. Read more

Jun 19

whats-missing-in-your-startup
1 Comment

What’s Missing In Your Startup?


Yesterday, I had two thoughts collide. OK, make it three.

Thought 1: I was thinking about what’s missing in my new venture. Like everyone, I can use more capital but my mind was going beyond that. Was it some type of expertise or credibility? A more attractive market segment? An additional product feature? Perhaps a different price point?

Thought 2: Read more

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