On this mid-May Friday, students are graduating, commencement speeches are being recorded and a new set of the work-force leaves the protected halls of academia to be free to embrace the realities of life.
Like a rescued sea-lion being released back into the ocean…
Hopefully it doesn’t go like this:
But often there are lessons that school–academic knowledge–just can’t teach, much like a large portion of what it takes to become a successful entrepreneur.
I am constantly aware of the potential contradictions of going back and getting an MBA as an entrepreneur interested in Venture Capital (why not just go and make it happen?), but I promise there is well-founded reasons and am happy to talk about it.
The beauty of a 2-year program like the one at Columbia (and most full-time programs) is the summer internship experience that we are all now embarking upon (or trying to lock down). The internship is the beautiful merging of academia knowledge with real-world knowledge. (Plus, if you didn’t like it, you’re going back to school in 12 or so weeks and can try again next year in a different role/company….)
As we enter the internships, with 20+ years of schooling under our belt, we can grow cocky and think we know how life works. If you are uncomfortable with the royal “we”, I’m happy to change it to “I”….
“I can grow cocky and think I know how life works.”
Part of me thinks that’s a ubiquitous statement for all people…but I won’t force that on anyone.
As an entrepreneur, balancing humility with ambition is a perpetual process. Working on an idea, a pitch, a company and staunchly defending and supporting your idea in the Q&A only to be heard time and again about problems with this assumption or that assumption is hard to take constructively rather than defensively.
Taking feedback (or even further, proactively requesting it) and applying solutions/addressing their concerns for next time is hard to swallow. The knee-jerk reaction is to be defensive, accuse them of not knowing anything, or whatever else you want to throw in there to attempt to discredit their feedback and feel better about yourself and your idea.
Inspire, sell, motivate, and defend only to immediately turn around and embrace criticisms and acknowledge imperfections is tough.
Positive motivation (fueled through aspiration) is crucial for long-term success, and I cover why it is more sustainable than negative motivation (fueled through fear). But at times, a jolt of fear can be the right elixir. And that’s what I want to share with you today.
At the time I found this clip with Gratitude is Present, and still to this day, every part–both characters’ lines, reactions, thoughts, and emotions–hits home. From witty banter fueled with cockiness to deep monologues on being madly in love fueled by being vulnerable, it’s one of my favorites when I need a little gratitude and motivation that is rooted in humility.
And this time of year as students graduate–as us MBA first years go to (look for and) start our internships–nothing rings truer in this scene than:
You’re an orphan right? Do you think I know the first thing about…who you are because I read Oliver Twist?
There’s a difference between reading about a company, listening to a lecture/podcast on how to implement a pricing strategy, etc. etc. and actually going out and doing it.
On this Friday
May you harness the power of both types of knowledge
Academic knowledge to learn of the things you could change
Experiential knowledge to do those things you should change
And wisdom to know the difference.