Copernican Revolution is Global!

The Copernican Revoution in Entrepreneurial Learning has definitely gone global! 

I started typing this on the plane home to Boise from Aarhus, Denmark -- while listening to a duet by Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga (who knew she can really sing? I just need to not, um, sing along...)

Aarhus University is kicking serious butt in entrepreneurship. But it's more than what the school is doing!

It's a very entrepreneurial student body -- the students put together the largest student-designed and run event in Scandinavia, a crazy boat race (www.kapsejladsen.dk and http://vimeo.com/48791138 for more) that:

#1. Draws over 20,000 people - 
#2. Despite the vast consumption of beer, etc... never the slightest incident AND
#3. The next AM... not one single bit of litter!

Is it any wonder that it's here where a great experiential entrepreneurship program got launched? 
(I know it's good because it's clear that they are making their administrators and colleagues a wee bit nervous. No guarantee but if your dean/president isn't waking up in the middle of the night wondering "what those people up to next?"... you are failing the entrepreneurial community! Laugh... but so far, it's a pretty good marker! Cf. goo.gl/R0b8b )

I was in Aarhus for a board meeting of the multi-nation PACE project [http://badm.au.dk/research/research-groups/icare/pace/ ] This time, I helped on the teaching side as they are gearing up for a killer summer school class in July [http://badm.au.dk/research/research-groups/icare/pace/blog/post/artikel/an-entrepreneurial-summer/ ].

PACE is charged with measuring the impact of deep experiential learning in entrepreneurship AND to create new experiential exercises. You can imagine I was having way too much fun! :)

I think we will find some truly striking impacts in a very short time. (But, heck, if TechStars and Startup Weekend can bend a few brains enough in a short time that they don't bend back... why not here?)

The PACE crew is impressive - they have great people running the classes (like Claus Thrane of Aarhus's Entrepreneur Factory), working on the pedagogy (like badass educational psychologist Lene Tanggaard [Read me!]) and running the program (Per Blenker and my amazing friend Helle Neergaard*). I am so honored to just help! 

In August, I'm putting on a panel symposium on meauring impact from experiential entrep ed that will showcase PACE along with the killer programs at places like Chalmers, Twente and Aalto and the entrepreneurial leadership program that EO has just developed. Can't wait to throw a few more hand grenades like goo.gl/R0b8b! 

And.. if you know any students, make sure that they check out the new USASBE Launch student competition.. Whoa! [http://www.usasbelaunch.com/]

This weekend's adventure is to beautiful Victoria, BC for the CCSBE conclave... A new paper on neuroentrepreneurship and another edition of teaching the Online Learning Excellence program. 

Hey at this rate... Maybe the good guys ARE gonna win! :) 


p.s. more links for deep experiential entrep learning: 
http://bit.ly/HelgeLobler, 
http://bit.ly/ETP2007, 
http://bit.ly/EntrepEdChapt 

* do i need to change my name to "Krueggaard"?? :)

ECC: Building a Entrepreneurial Ecosystem for Cleantech?

ECC: Building a Entrepreneurial Ecosystem for Cleantech?

Recently, I had the marvelous honor of helping with the first Energize conference by the Utah-based Energy Commercialization Center. My readers know my strong interest in how you build an effective, “defragged” entrepreneurial ecosystem and I was jazzed to see the great first steps that ECC is taking to do that for cleantech (broadly defined). Their charter is to build this for the entire intermountain region.

What are they doing right?

Engaging the right people (and not the wrong people). Other than a little of the usual nobody-loves-me, I’m-all-alone whining, this even included a nice cross-section of the “A Team” [see my “DEFRAG” post below] and deftly avoided the more negative voices. Idaho Commerce’s Jessie Speck can attest that with a positive vibe and the level of competence, we heard a level of candor that is rare and much, much appreciated! (Jessie made Idaho look good, btw.)

Focus on excellence. The competence level was terrific. People got to contribute where they add the most value, not necessarily what their job titles might suggest. I would be bowing deeply toward the various talented attendees but I can’t figure out how to bow in multiple directions (attendees came from CO, AZ, NM, MT, ID and NV and beyond).

Understand that it IS an ecosystem, interconnected, messy, noisy and dynamic. Ecosystems are more than a state of nature, they are also a trajectory. If you want to get from A to B, don’t you need a good idea where A is? And B? J In the various discussions, I can see from my notes some useful insights as to the current state of the ecosystem (and how we got here).  We also got a few insights about where we want to go. (Where the “A team” wants to go is usually very telling.)

So what makes an ecosystem special?

One point that became crystal clear is that effective ecosystems don’t do 1 or 2 things differently, they do several important things differently that are decidedly different from the “usual.” And these different things are unavoidably disruptive. (Paul Ahlstrom’s closing keynote cheerfully suggested that the lean startup crowd hijack federal tech transfer. As you might guess, I was a WEE bit happy!) At best, these “different” features run completely counter to the conventional wisdom.

In my notes, I wrote something I stole from Utah’s Rob Wuebker, the narrative is completely different. The story of how things get done and why and by whom… is very different in effective ecosystems. Go back and re-read Brad Feld’s “Startup Communities”. (Look at the markers of a healthy entrepreneurial ecosystem at http://bit.ly/EcoSys ... tell me these are “normal” for most communities, whether a city or an industry.

Robert Bell and his crew at ECC have a mandate to be disruptive. So far, they’ve been gentle (only one bureaucracy has yelled at them… so far) but things will be getting, um, “interesting.” J

Paul Ahlstrom

Co-author of lean book “Nail It Then Scale It”, VC/angel and another gentle disruptor, Paul closed the Energize event with some great insights, including a few on how Utah’s is mapping their ecosystem.

#1. It never ends. 

#2. You’ve got to talk to the entrepreneurs; he mentioned over 140 interviews with Utah entrepreneurs, triangulated with multiple other mapping efforts, including help from the Kauffman Foundation ( Idaho, we could do that too.. interested?) 

#3. Need a critical mass of entrepreneurial and innovative human capital. 

#4. A major [emphasis on MAJOR] research university is necessary.

#5 The "ingredients” aren’t enough; you need to defrag the ecosystem. 

#6. Identify the right players to defrag (what I’m calling the “A team” who reflect the 3 C’s: Competent, Connected, Collegial. I’m guessing that Paul would underline collegial.) ***

To Paul: Thanks! To the rest of you: Go add Paul’s book to your reading list.

And... again thanks!

In Jim Collins’ terms, sometimes you can’t get the wrong people off the bus, you have to build a new bus. Thanks to Robert, Mike and the rest for letting me (Jessie Speck too) on thise bus! We can’t wait to see this new bus move forward!

p.s. We also see how important it is to have events managed brilliantly - so major props to Social Enterprises of Portland - Stephanie Stettler & Jennifer Worcester [if they tell me more names, I'll edit this!]

***) Nobody is entitled to be involved with driving the ‘defrag’. Even the wrong people do get to be on the bus, just not at the outset. Isn’t it smarter to start with the highly competent, highly connected and highly collegial?

Be Careful What You Ask For? Or… “Lean AND Green”!

Be Careful What You Ask For? Or… “Lean AND Green”!

I’m packing for a trip to Utah for Energize 2013, a cool new energy entrepreneurship conference put on by the Department of Energy-supported Energy Commercialization Center at the U of Utah. It is going to be a rouser, if only for all the people who needed to meet in this space… and now they will. 

I Love Learning!

Given a choice of speaking on growing ecosystems or getting to teach, it was no contest. And to once again help entrepreneurs to learn the lean startup model? And to get to turn them on to the latest tools and resources. OK. I’m in.  Here are my slides (don’t worry, I’ll keep it experiential!) 

[Don’t worry- the organizers expect me to share insights on ecosystems – check my prior blog entry and this (http://bit.ly/EcoSys) for a preview. And Idaho's Jessie Speck will handle those duties quite nicely!]

Hmm... 2013 is shaping up to be a very “lean” year! ;) Though I’m hoping that lean doesn’t extend to my income any more than it already does. ;) 

January:  I got to hang out with Steve Blank himself. He gave me “that” look – when are YOU going to do Lean Launchpad in Idaho? You’re the only one who could… Gulp.

No More Amateur Night... Even for Lean!

Even more interesting was the discussion around all of lean’s success… what’s the downside? A fast-growing issue is that it is all too easy to claim expertise. Too many faculty just hand out a copy of Alex Osterwalder’s Business Model Canvas and wing it. They really don’t get the entrepreneurial side of it; they certainly don’t get the design thinking part of things. (Even at top schools, how many professors actually grok design thinking? Damned few. How many truly grok deep experiential learning? Even fewer.) If lean is to continue, we have to ensure that those teaching it have the right stuff.  (By the way, check out Quipu Apps for a powerful online tool to support business model work. I am happy to show it off, if you like, Founder Michael Issa has a gem.)

April? Develop.Idaho! (Locals… you are going, yes?) http://www.slideshare.net/norriskrueger/developidaho

In May, it looks like I’m finally getting back to Cairo for Startup Weekend Giza… holy mackerel! My Finnish friends and I did a lean/biz model bootcamp during Global Entrepreneurship Week and it was remarkable how quickly they took to it. Some alumni of that class are now doing SW Giza. (I’m hoping to talk a little ecosystem again there too.) https://www.facebook.com/SWGiza

Also in May is the CCSBE conference in Victoria, BC. I hope that I am again “forced” to fly in via Kenmore Air, the seaplane company where we’ll be talking ‘lean’ as part of the ICSB’s new initiative to help our colleagues do cutting-edge online training (www.oleconference.com)

At the end of May, the European Council for Small Business launches “3EC” a major research conference on entrepreneurship education where my Danish colleague Franziska Günzel & I have maybe the first research paper on purposeful experimentation (a/k/a lean). This is turning out to be an insane research area; it’s so much fun surfing the leading edge of the wave!

Franziska & I will present another version of this paper – initially titled “Don’t TASE Me, BRO*” –at the International Council for Small Business annual conference this summer. (If any of you want to see updated versions of this work, ping me & I will send it along.)

In August, though, we have maybe THE ultimate lean workshop. Imagine some of THE leading lights of lean biz model work showing how it applies to social ventures and sustainability. The best minds in social entrepreneurship meet top facilitators in lean. If this doesn’t move the needle, I don’t know what will! [Check out my friends in this: http://www.slideshare.net/norriskrueger/pdw-proposal-15297 ]

There’s more in 2013 for “lean” – NACCE, World Entrepreneurship Forum, etc. but this is enough to get me very, very excited.

p.s. I would also be very remiss if I did not point out that Isaac Newton was right. If I’m seeing farther, it’s because I stand on the shoulders of giants. And some of them are my colleagues and co-authors: Franziska & Jessie, Gabi Kaffka, Suresh Kumar, Ayman Tarabishy & Geoff Archer.. and wait till I tell you what Les Hayes iw roking on! PLEASE check the links for the others involved in these adventures: Every one is a rock star (some just don’t know it yet!)

And the Energize 2013 lean slides? http://www.slideshare.net/norriskrueger/energize-2013-slides 

Entrepreneurship Comes in Many Flavors

Entrepreneurship Comes in Many Flavors

Last weekend it struck me that great entrepreneurial thinking shows up in amazing places.  I was enjoying the newly re-opened hot springs up in Idaho City. Wyatt Sharpley has developed a wonderful place ("The Springs") to go relax under the stars. While there, I ran into Anne McDonald, one of the great talents at Boise's remarkable Red Light Variety Show. Not sure i can easily describe it: old-school burlesque [no nudity] meets 21st century comedy. Funny as hell. Anyway, I'd put the RLVS up against anybody, just as I'd put The Springs up against other hot springs in Idaho.

Cultural/arts entrepreneurship. Outdoors entrepreneurship. Aren't these two areas where Idaho should rock? Where any community could build distinctive competences?

Both are great stories of entrepreneurship done right. Yes, both are driven by artistic sensibilities that are what's salient on first impression. But too often, artists can't find ways to fully connect with the audience. "Here's what you should want." 

These two are exceptions. Two very different settings but in both... I felt almost like family. From Day One. To completely embrace your customers without compromising your artistic vision? We all can learn from entrepreneurs like these!

And, yes, there is considerable innovation and technology in both operations, whether handling insanely hot water or the insanely clever props for RLVS.

But if you must talk "tech" - there is still time to get tickets to develop.idaho (and Tech Cocktail). When develop.idaho debuted in 2011, people kept asking me why I had such a big grin. Why? Because this exactly the kind of event that shows up in a healthy ecosystem. 

The Idaho Software Alliance brought this together in a solidly bottom-up fashion. Matt Rissell and Martin Hambalek could have followed their own "artistic  sensibilities" in designing the program but (just as Wyatt & RLVS) they tapped into what the audience wanted. It's very easy to say "here's what you need. " You may even be correct. But to deliver that AND to deliver what the audience is hungry for (often without even being aware they crave it?) That is powerful. 

It is probably not surprising that Martin & Matt are fellow cult members, er, passionate aficionados of the lean startup model: Always test your assumptions about your customers!
[Next post will be on the power of lean]

[I must admit that I was amused by the Important Players who were not there in 2011. And, no, they weren't out of town. :) And at least one speaker lobbed a hand grenade that I appreciated. It's a sign that Idaho's economy grew up a bit.]

Someone yelled at me today that I need to get back to the classroom (they are correct, I miss it more every day) soooo.....
           Here's your homework!
1. go to www.thespringsid.com and check out Wyatt's decadent geothermal spa. (Guys, if you're in the doghouse...hint, hint)
2. go to http://www.redlightvarietyshow.com/rlvs-boise/RLVS.html and take a look... don't tell them but I know more than a few solid Republicans who love it. It's not smutty**, it's hilarious! [https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Red-Light-Variety-Show/117879393589]
and most of all
3. Sign up for develop.idaho (and the ensuing Tech Cocktail showcasing local brainiac entrepreneurs) April 17.
[http://software.idahotechcouncil.org/develop.idaho ]

You WILL thank me. 

(you can thank me either by buying me a drink at Tech Cocktail or... by reading some more of my blog posts right below this, like
     How to DEFRAG your Entrepreneurial Ecosystem
     The Copernican Revolution in Entrepreneurship
       etc.
I'm still hungry for feedback!)

** ok, it's a bit racy but if this middle-aged, middle-class small-town straight white guy can dig it... :)

How to Defrag Your Entrepreneurial Ecosystem!

DEFRAG: 
Developing Entrepreneurial Framework for Resilience And Growth

note: Have you read Brad Feld's Startup Communities**? (DEFRAG meets all 4 of his factors)

 “Get the right people on the bus in the right seats. Get the right people on and the wrong people off.”  – Jim Collins

“Make sure you really know where the bus is starting and where it’s going.” - Norris

There are so many people who have inspired and encouraged this work - Peter Vogel and some great new friends at the World Entrepreneurship Forum, ICSB/USASBE/NCIIA and Academy colleagues, friends in economic development and most assuredly from the entrepreneurial community worldwide... you know who you are. Thanks. The fact this works is a credit to you!

First… how to fix your ecosystem…. BADLY 

A healthy entrepreneurial ecosystem has multiple characteristics that are markers of how it’s growing or not. If you look at http://bit.ly/EcoSys you’ll see a lengthy list but Brad Feld’s book points out some key pathologies, so let’s start with the four key “Brad Feld Discoveries”

bfd1. Is the defragging of the ecosystem being led by people who actually understand entrepreneurs? Especially led by the entrepreneurial community itself? Or by... VIPs?

            (Or are there self-styled experts who don’t ‘get’ the entrepreneurial mindset? The most frequent version of this is bringing together the key institutions, the ‘power players’ –are the power players helping the entrepreneurial community implement their vision or are they dictating it, even inadvertently?)

bfd2. Are the efforts inclusive? Is there something for different types of entrepreneurs? We need entrepreneurial thinking to blossom all through the ecosystem. In different industries (high tech and low tech), in different locations (urban and rural) in different strategies (high-growth and low-growth), in different life cycle stages, even for small, medium and large firms?  Nonprofits/social ventures? Public sector? (Well, we can dream, eh?)

bfd3. Is there a rallying point where everyone can look to? This can take many forms but a good place to start is simply twofold:

            The Bully Pulpit: Is the entrepreneurial ‘gospel’ being preached all through the ecosystem?  

            Strategy not Tactics: There actually IS a cohesive strategy, a comprehensive framework to help guide bottom-up efforts? (Or is there an emphasis on thinking up cool tactics that are sexy and have worked elsewhere but need not fit what the ecosystem really needs?)

bfd4. Are you willing to embrace that this is a long-term proposition? No matter how brilliant we might be now, it will likely be decades before we are really rolling. Again, do you have a cohesive, comprehensive strategy for entrepreneurship development? (a/k/a “Comprehensive Entrepreneurship Development System” to ‘fly cover’ for and support bottom-up efforts.) Or is there no committed strategy that we can hold our leaders to?

A few other pathologies of note before we dive in…

Ecosystems are COMPLICATED! We need to be sure that we consider the dynamics – what are the trends? How is everything interconnected? Dynamically? Or are you just making lists of all the participants in the ecosystem? ^A   Remember: what really matters are the INtangible elements of the ecosystem, not tangible.

The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor data tells us that over time and across countries, there are two predictors of increased entrepreneurial activity. These are the basis of the FIRE model of entrepreneurial development used across the globe:

            Entrepreneurial Human Capital: How many have the mindset… really?

                        F: Foster the entrepreneurial mindset broadly & deeply

                        I: Inspire the next generation of ideas

            Entrepreneurial Social Capital: How interconnected is the ecosystem and how well does it support entrepreneurial learning?

                        R: Revitalize (Entrepreneurialize!) Communities and Organizations

                        E: Enhance and Encourage the Connectors

Entrepreneurial Processes: Similarly, do we have the right processes in place?^B Healthy ecosystems have great processes that tend to be completely unlike what 99% of communities do. If you are not frightening your mayor, you are failing. Sorry, but bureaucratic mechanisms do NOT generate entrepreneurial outcomes.

Entrepreneurial People: Start with the people who really get the expert entrepreneurial mindset. If they aren’t a great entrepreneur, they better be pretty special. The 3 C’s: Are they…

Competent at mission-critical ecosystem tasks

            [being really good isn’t enough, are they the best at these tasks?]

Connected – locally, yes, but have access to national/global resources/intel

[this is often a great marker of competence.. what do the nation’s best think?]

Collegial – have you ever screwed over someone, played silly turf games?

            [defragging the ecosystem means that roles will change significantly and job titles, mission statements, history and personal preferences mean nothing. At the outset, we need to keep the wrong people off the bus and these definitely qualify.

            NOTE: Everyone gets to be on the bus. Brad points out inclusivity is pretty much mandatory.]

Kwitcherbitchin: Economic developers have long known that you start with what you have and quit worrying about what you don’t have (if you really need something, it will be evident.)

Do You Know What You Really, Really Want? And by “you”, I mean the entrepreneurial community, not those who are telling you what they think you want.

No More Amateur Night: Experts not "experts." The world needs smart, passionate amateurs. But not driving the bus. An example…

Ideation or Implementation? In entrepreneurship, in technology commercialization, and here, there’s a dirty little secret: Good ideas are a dime a dozen. Even in rural Kazakhstan, you can find great ideas. What is scarce and what adds 90%+ of the value? Implementers. Even Silicon Valley sees a shortage of people who can execute.

            Corollary: Until you have a comprehensive strategy and until you have mapped the cosystem and held your listening sessions, brainstorming can be pointless, premature and (worse) distracting from the key tasks at hand.

            So….. what ARE the key tasks for defragging a local ecosystem? Not just Idaho, but anywhere?

Entrepreneurial Ecosystems' #1 Problem? (including Idaho??)

            Resources are simply not well-aligned to the key tasks at hand (duplication, gaps, and especially misdeployment, etc.)

            Issue 1: Alignment

Jim Collins: Progress requires "getting the right people on the bus... and in the right seats."  This is the “right seats” part of the equation.

            Getting the right people in the right seats... hard

            Getting the right people onboard in the first place.... harder

            Getting wrong people OFF the bus (for now)... hardest of all

                        [far easier to initially keep them off the bus]

But before we can really do this, we need to better understand where the ‘bus’ is going…

Entrepreneurial Ecosystems' #2 Problem? (including Idaho??)

            If we’re trying to get from ‘A’ to ‘B’, wouldn’t it help to understand ‘A’ and ‘B’?

We need to thoroughly understand where we are now (mapping and metrics)

We also need a deep, rich understanding of where the entrepreneurial community wants to go.

            Issue 2:  Roadmapping

We know proven practices to get from Point A to Point B

But we don't really know Point A...

...let alone Point B

So shouldn’t we immediately get busy and….

* We need to really map where we are (A) and

* We need to listen to the entrepreneurial community in person (B)

So what do we need to do now?

* Let's really map out our 'Point A' (current ecosystem)

* And really understand what the entrepreneurial community wants (Point B)

DEFRAG Initiative: Key Tasks

Key Task #1: Identify* / Convene "A Team"

            (competent, collaborative, connected locally, connected globally)

            Professional, inclusive;  p.s. local "A Team" already identified

Key Task #2a: A-Team to Align Resources to Key Tasks/Tactics

            (distinctive competences not core competences)

Key Task #2b: A-Team to Map Ecosystem (Point A, Point B)

            Assess current conditions – use Peter Vogel’s ecosystem instrument

            Assess current processes/trends – ecosystem markers (bit.ly/EcoSys)

            Large-sample surveys of entrepreneurial community (N>2,000?)

                        Existing entrepreneurs

                        Potential entrepreneurs

                        Use surveys to assess perceptions of ecosystem

            Build map using the above plus Isenberg’s 6-fold typology

           

Key Task #2c: Listening Sessions with Entrepreneurial Community

            State-wide, inclusive, bottom-up (“entrepreneurs only”)

            Appreciative inquiry tools plus asset-based ec dev tools

            Role model: NCRE Rural Entrepreneurship Listening Sessions [link?]

Now What?

I started out with all the things that we must and must not do… but I think they are mostly common sense once you embrace the complexity and dynamics and interconnectivity of entrepreneurial ecosystems (and all the people and organizations caught up in it, making it happen!) A few vested interests will be annoyed but… this IS disruptive technology.

Basically, we need an overarching strategic framework that doesn’t dictate but does facilitate bottom-up initiatives. One that provides both ‘cover’ and commitment to the initiatives. Molding entrepreneurial champions is a lot like molding entrepreneurs. The DEFRAG model includes such a framework, simple and comprehensive (the FIRE model).

“Point A” to “Point B”: Healthy ecosystems have a pretty good, shared sense of where they are and where they want to go. Most communities have either no map, multiple maps or a crappy map. (Let’s be different, ok?) Likewise, even fewer communities have actually listened to the entrepreneurial community. Vox Entrepreneurii? Let’s do that too.

Alignment (distinctive competence not core competence: In healthy local economies, the support activities are done by those who add the most value. It may not be what they’re best at and pretty likely not what they wanted to do, but it IS where they make the biggest difference for the ecosystem. We need the “A Team” for that but more important, we need this led by  organizations that are clearly neutral-turf, fair-broker (no enemies, plenty of friends). We’ve already started on this too.

Remember: We have the tools, proven globally. We have the "A team" identified. But it won't be easy.

Want in? (check the 3 C’s above)

Entrepreneurially yours,

Norris

End notes…

^A  to capture interconnectivity/dynamics

Key Elements of the Ecosystem to Identify

Connectors - who is getting people together...proactively?

Controllers - who are gatekeepers for key resources?

            also

Pulse-Takers - who is keeping track of how we're doing?

Mavens - who's out there that actually understands all this?

^B 5 focus areas for ecosystem processes: Policy Formulation; Networking & Collaboration; Entrepreneurial Human Capital; Communication; Governance / Leadership

^C Isenberg’s ecosystem map has 6 key participant categories (static but helpful)

** if not, why not? Cheap on Amazon/B&N! 

The Copernican Revolutions in Entrepreneurship

The Copernican Revolutions in Entrepreneurship

February celebrated Copernicus's 540th birthday and it got me to thinking. 

I have always wanted to write about the Copernican Revolution in entrepreneurship. Copernicus is famed for showing us that the universe as heliocentric not geocentric, but his vision grew from multiple new assumptions about the nature of things.

The result is more than "the earth goes around the sun"; it was a whole new way of looking at the world. I would argue that the last couple of years we have seen nothing less than a Copernican revolution in our understanding of entrepreneurship.

And like Copernicus, this is already upsetting the apple cart in ways both obvious and subtle. 

Disruption is always messy but consider this. Even the usual entrepreneurship education is disruptive, now imagine how the best entrepreneurship training would be off-the-chart disruptive. (Do you want to be the one to tell the vast majority that they are letting down their community and their students?)

Consider the disruption already sweeping over higher ed and how oblivous/defensive most institutions are. Online education is wreaking havoc and it's the rare school that knows how to respond. (How can they, when they can't... won't... see the disruption? Clay Christensen 101, eh?) 

Copernican Entrepreneurship
In entrepreneurship: we see revolutions on multiple fronts. Let's start with this

The Revolution in Entrepreneurial Education:
the New Copernican Assumptions

1) teaching <<<< learning
Earth-centric: Teaching (and teachers) is central
Sun-centric: Learning (and learners) is central***

2) Not knowledge, not skills... Mindset!
Entrepreneurship is about action AND the mindset that facilitates action.  (Knowledge and skills are tools but it's that deeper mindset that truly matters)

3) Think novice ---> expert
Therefore, growing a more expert mindset is critical (again, not knowing "stuff" but seeing the world differently)

4) Experiential NOT "hands-on"
Changing mindsets requires deeply experiential learning [note: Learning NOT Teaching]

4) The entrepreneurial ecosystem matters
The best way to know if you have a healthy "entrepreneurial ecosystem" [the new Copernican cosmology!] is: Are we encouraging people to see more/better opportunities to create value for others? Are we providing multiple pathways for people to learn to think like expert entrepreneurs?

What does the expert entrepreneurial mindset look like? Here's a hint: 
If the heart of entrepreneurship is acting on opportunities and
the head of entrepreneurship is seeing actionable opportunities, then
the soul of entrepreneurship is understanding that "opportunity" is about creating value... for others!

Bonus for reading this far: Fun analogy from my friend Helge Lobler on piano players
       "Think about how a traditional MBA program would educate piano players: they would give lectures, they would hand out syllabuses, the would have written exams and progressive programs would have group work on presentations on how to play a piano – wow. But can anyone really play a piano after enjoying (?) the program?"

He's being a bit unfair... but not by much. You have to go all in with true experiential learning. All. in. Think of how you become a chess master. Yes, you will play a lot (and study a lot) but how do you ensure that learners take away the right lessons from their experiences? You need the help of other chess masters, especially grandmasters. So if we are to going to grow :"chess masters" in entrepreneurship... how do we do that? Stay tuned!

My next posts will address:

1) "Entrepreneurial Ecosystems 101" - what we have learned recently that is game-changing. (If  you read Brad Feld's book Startup Communities, you'll know what is coming. if you haven't read it, do so. Now. :) And this is critical for growing the entrepreneurial mindset!

2) "Entrepreneurial Chess Masters" - I've written on this before but it's time to step up and get serious about entrepreneurial learning. NOW!

*** of course, kindergarten teachers have only known this for, what, 100 years? :)

sendgrid

Agenda 2013!

What’s in the works for 2013?

Plenty! Thanks for the encouragement locally and.. here’s what is top of the action agenda for Idaho!  [for those elsewhere... how can I help you do the same??]

Idaho Social Innovation Challenge

               As Russ Stoddard asks, “Why shouldn’t Boise be a major hub for social entrepreneurship?” (I’d add sustainable entrepreneurship and why not Idaho in general?)

               Late April/early May – do an event to Celebrate, Educate and Initiate around the great social ventures here in Idaho. Showcases of our success stories [you know who you are!] plus educational sessions on critical issues such as financing plus… initiating the Idaho Social Innovation Challenge.

Check out www.dellchallenge.org – we’d have both a feeder to Dell’s global challenge and an independent challenge just for the Northwest! You want in? Holler!

Likely Guest Star: Dell Challenge’s former COO.

Turning Ideas into Reality: Lean Launch Pad

               Most of you know my unabashed fandom for Steve Blank’s great Lean Launch Pad course for turning ideas into reality. It’s free online at Udacity but the Startup Weekend crew has turned it into a blended delivery courses that we can connect with – or do our own*. 

               But this is NOT for amateurs [it is absolutely amazing how many people think they can do business model work…sigh] so I’ve lined up some experienced mentors to make this rock. Including an invite to Steve Blank himself!

               Likely Guest Stars: Besides SB? Working on Alex Osterwalder & Stanford’s star creativity guru Tina Seelig. You want in? Holler.

Defragging the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem

               To identify a brilliant roadmap from A to B, we need to know, um, A and B.  Getting major interest from potential allies and funders to walk the walk & apply the state of the art to mapping the local entrepreneurial ecosystem in all its complex, dynamic “glory” (A). But the really fun part will be setting up listening sessions to hear what the entrepreneurial community, those in the trenches, envision for Idaho’s future (B). (So… what’s your “2020 Vision”? J)

               Likely Guest Stars: Nothing less than the folks who basically invented this stuff.

AND… on an officially UNrelated note…

oops.. can't tell you... yet

But.. Stay Tuned! (you WILL like!)

              And please stay tuned for more on all of this :) 

* Of course, we must be careful… how many people think they’re experts on business models these days? (Almost as many as think they’re expert at social media? LOL)

Should I Go?

Should I Go?

Remember my Global Entrepreneurship Week adventures in Cairo? How proud I was of the students? Well...

I got this message Tuesday...

"Hello Mr. Norris
Hope you are doing well : Startup Weekend will take place on April 4-6, 2013 in Giza.

I would be pleased if you would accept our sincere invitation for you to be a mentor in SWGiza event.

Thank you very much for your consideration. As a leader in the entrepreneurial community, your insights and experiences are invaluable to all entrepreneurs that will participate in our Startup Weekend event.

Looking forward to your reply as soon as possible to arrange the next procedures regarding travelling and hosting."


Dang. In the middle of all that madness over there, the collapsing currency, etc.... the entrepreneurs are stepping up. Again.


Anyone want to join me??

The Revolution in Entrepreneurial Learning... Isn't

It's at least THREE revolutions converging.
   [scroll to bottom for TL;DR version]

What is it that the best entrepreneurship training programs in the world consistently do - and emphasize? That all the rest do precious little of (even if they think they do)? Whether TechStars, Lean Launchpad, Y-Combinator, Lean Startup Machine or Startup Weekend... what is their "m.o." that others don't/can't/won't do? Read on! :)

ONE. 
We finally hit the tipping point and moved from teaching to learning. 
And that is NOT a trivial change.
If we understand how human actually learn important stuff...
We must move completely to a learning-centric process.

Consequence:
 We now know that learning "things"/"skills" is a tiny part. 
Change knowledge structures not just knowledge content. 
THIS is how mindsets move from novice toward expert.
Absolutely requires deeply transformative, deeply experiential learning.
Entrepreneurial learning is no different.

TWO. 
Nurturing a more entrepreneurial mindset usually requires a more entrepreneurial ecosystem (but the more we nurture the mindset... the more we help grow the ecosystem!)

Consequence: 
Practitioners get this and it should not be surprising that it is practitioners are leading the way (can you imagine Steve Blank's Lean Launchpad course being developed at even a leading university?)

THREE: 
Amazingly, online and blended learning tools need not make deep experiential learning harder... they can make them easier and actually permit us to do things that we could not before.
Again... Entrepreneurial learning is no different.

Consequence: It's time to put it all together and launch the Revolution! :)

I had the great pleasure of sharing this at the recent USASBE conference in San Francisco (www.usasbe.org), typically the largest US conclave of entrepreneurship professors plus growing numbers of practitioners plus an exploding number of people bridging the two worlds.

Got to talk about crowdfunding (plugged Eagle's own Symbee Stars!) and the revolution it has already brought and how it can promote experiential entrepreneurship learning, whether studying a great case like 2012's Instacu.be phenomenon (look them up - they are an incredible story) or creating their own crowdfunding platforms (why doesn't Boise or Idaho have their own??)

I was also asked to talk about the "evolution" of entrepreneurial education...
....instead they got REvolution ;)
--> It is all too revolutionary/disruptive just to move away from teaching info & skills to growing the mindset;
--> It is all too revolutionary/disruptive just to point out that it's surprisingly rare that hands-on work is truly experiential;
--> It is all too revolutionary/disruptive to move to thinking about helping learners go from novice mindsets toward expert mindsets;
--> And it is definitely all too revolutionary/disruptive to recognize that engaging the ecosystem is not enough..
--> -->  we need our students immersed in the entrepreneurial community, 
--> --> we need US to be immersed and...
--> -->  the entrepreneurial community co-immersed in the learning process.
[Note: All too many think they are doing enough and don't need to commit to the Revolution... to understand, click on "Dunning-Krueger" ;) ]


But if you get what I've just said... to paraphrase Victor Laszlo at the end of Casablanca: "Welcome to the fight. This time our side is going to win."

Last Sunday, the revolution took its first step -- there is a rising tide of interest and enthusiasm (and necessity) for online and blended learning models. Demand is up, demand to do it right is up even more. Every group I see wants to add this tool kit, but it has to raise the bar for helping learners. Google "Innovation Corps" to see how online/blended work is helping move innovations out of the National Science Foundation. You want entrepreneurial outcomes? You need entrepreneurial processes.

Now add in the Revolution in Entrepreneurial Learning that I've shared with you. 

If online/blended tools can actually HELP entrepreneurial learning, we MUST pursue this. 

My dear friends from ICSB, Ayman Tarabishy and Geoff Archer were with me in an airport lounge after the ICSB conference talking about this and Ayman simply said "Let's do this." Six months later was born the Online Learning Excellence initiative and on Sunday we beta tested it. Check the "manifesto" [here] for more. 

I got to hit leadoff with my Revolution slides [here] and from the response I got from my co-presenters and the rock star audience, I knew we were on the right track. 

(Nothing like preaching to the choir - there was more talent in the seats than we had!)

Can't wait to do this again - maybe in YOUR town? I'd love to talk about it. Heck, you know me... I'd love to talk entrepreneurship anytime anywhere. But I'd even more like to DO entrepreneurship anytime anywhere! :)

Are you in? Who's with me?




TL;DR version: Keys to the best entrepreneurial training programs?

1. Focus on mindset
2. Focus on truly experiential
3. Use immersion and mentoring
4. Co-immerse with entrepreneurial community

Let's do it!