Changing the world should not be all work and no play. The second week of the 2014 Institute has come to a close, and that calls for celebration.
Let me start with the entrepreneurs. Remember they have come from all over the world each with a mission to solve one of the world’s greatest problems. Fixing poor quality drinking water, providing access to education, making cheaper feed to sustain farmers’ livelihoods, creating skilled jobs in the most remote areas are just a few of them. This is my fourth summer of being involved and never have I seen a group of ventures so well prepared to get the most out of the institute. They are all amazingly “present” in the workshops and their focus on capturing the wisdom of mentors (the secret sauce of the institute) was razor-sharp. And they are helping each other, which is a real sign of the community that is being built. (You can find out about the eleven ventures here).
Next it should be noted that the first week of curriculum involved an all-star cast. I sat in on most of workshops and the quality of each session was outstanding. Kevin Starr , Chip Heath, Mike Rios, and Erin Beierwaltes were all captivating in their approaches. World-class curriculum is central to a successful institute. (Mental note: how do we bottle that knowledge so more entrepreneurs can have an “unreasonable advantage?” More to come on that later this summer!)
The second week was equally as engaging as the first. Award-winning speaker, author and media personality, Erin Weed, and the Evoso team prepped entrepreneurs for the pitch they will be giving at the Unreasonable Launchpad tonight by teaching the “Tell Your Story” framework below:
- Dig: The goal of “digging” is to determine the message you want to share with the world. It requiresidentifying stories and truths about your venture, as well as strategizing how to best convey these to an audience.
- Plant: Once you have clarity from “digging,” it’s time to Plant. This involves brainstorming, storyboarding, scripting and designing visuals to convey the right message; also, learning the art of memorization and delivery so the talk effectively moves people.
- Grow: After determining the strategy to convey the message during the “planting” step, it’s time to learn the business of speaking. Whether the purpose of your talk is to generate income or impact (or both), you must be able to “grow” and amplify your message.
And then there is the Unreasonable Team. Wow. The team spends months preparing for the Institute. While it is in session, the team spends nearly 24 hours a day for 7 days a week at the Unreasonable Mansion supporting the entrepreneurs. After an extremely busy first week our Chief Entrepreneur Officer, Banks Benitez, took the time to send a note to the entire team recognizing each person’s accomplishments to date. How special is that? This one act of kindness made each of us work harder and be even more dedicated during the remaining three weeks of the Institute, and beyond.
But most importantly, Banks highlighted how we should be celebrating these successes. This can be said in the terms of the seventh core value of the Unreasonable Institute, “remember to dance.”
I believe this is a critical lesson for any team at any time. Work hard. Get shit done. But always remember to dance.