School Kills Entrepreneurs?

Schools where people attend to acquire MBA's etc kill entrepreneurs!

Really? Is it possible to paint all educational situations with the same brush?

I am not one to argue that education is not always the best route and can sometimes be the absolute wrong route. Neither am I willing to say that you can't succeed without an education. Obviously the fact that so many of the Worlds greatest entrepreneurs and leaders did not get what we would consider a complete education. On the contrary. Many did not even finish high school.

Magatte was passionate and I would consider her a good motivational speaker of sorts. A great sales person. But she requires educated staff to fill in the gaps with her business. Not all entrepreneurs are her equal as communicators or sales people. Sometimes the skills they have are more in the finance management end and yet they are creative entrepreneurs that require the champion sales person like Magatte to go and sell the idea. Sometimes leaders take a back seat and lead by motivating champions rather than being the champion themselves. So called leaderless organizations are like this. Read The Spider and the Starfish. You will get a glimpse of what I am talking about. Omidyar has a hybrid of this and I have a feeling that Magatte would not do well in this environment.

Magatte is a top down leader/entrepreneur. It's a bit old school for me but she is to be highly regarded for her accomplishments. In the end she was very inspiring if not just a bit outside my comfort zone. Sandie beside me leaned over and said oh no I think I am wasting my time in school. I think this is the wrong message.

Twitter was a buzz as we ended the session and headed to the next Keynote. Now The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind........

Convergence Africa

Convergence Africa!!

As the taxi drops me off at the Kenyan International Conference Center I begin to sweat with the a bit of nervous anxiety. Why am I really here? Am I the right person to be here? What do I have to offer the conversation? What can I take away from this?

In a way I feel like I am home. I spent many years here as a kid. The sense memories begin flooding in and I have to stop and take a picture. I am standing in the center courtyard area and I pause to look at the statue's and flags.

Registration was quick and standing in linen you could feel the energy. People from all over the world were buzzing with the anticipation. This conference is the inaugural and it feels like the group it has attracted are so like minded.
The first person I speak to in the entrance line works for US AID but she immediately assures me that she is here as an aspiring entrepreneur and not as an NGO representative.
What was the catalyst? When did the conversation turn? Was it people like Dambisa Moyo that began this paradigm shift. It doesn't matter. The reality it is that it feels like the time is right.

The representation in the room is a combination of bankers, NGO reps, Entrepreneurs, Media, and then there are those like me that are not sure where we fit. LOL Regardless of the background, the conversation is the same. Trade Not Aid could be used as a slogan but this seems too simplistic. Really what is happening is successful entrepreneurs in Africa are driving the idea that African's need to trade with African's. Investment needs to happen both internally within the continent and internationally. Capitalism is the way to meet the challenges in Africa. Politics need to be infused with private sector perspective. One guest said he wished that entrepreneurs would switch places with the politicians. Everyone laughed but it was laughter of agreement. I head to the first master class to meet Magatte Wade and am blown away by her explosive personality. Then for a moment..

Suzie McNeil and Gavin Rossdale

So I spent the last 4 days traveling to work with Suzie Mcneil and crew on her tour and had such a good time.
I was disappointed that I did not sign on for the whole tour but I am also glad to be home.

Touring is not as glorious and fun as many would think. Ask any touring artist what it is like and you will find that the the work is tiring and repetitive and you spend a ton of time waiting around, sitting in uncomfortable chairs in vans, buses, planes......
I think the best part of touring is the high of getting on a stage to perform and this is what keeps most performers running on empty. After a while though even this can seem too much and Breaks are needed and other motivations are what many find themselves as Artists attracted to.

Artists that achieve some success have been given a gift and a platform that can be used wisely or thrown away.
Being a social activist as an artist is sometimes controversial and therefore you better believe in what you are speaking out for if you are willing to risk the fallout. Just take a look at the negative info online about Bono, Madonna, Angelina and others. Whats wrong with people? These individuals are trying to give back and all these nay Sayer's can do is spend too much time pointing out the negative. If they spent half as much time following these celebrities example the world would be a far nicer place to live.
But I guess when you are craving attention, negativity gets more news attention. Why do we like complainers so much?

Personally I think it is rather foolish and less than mature to knock someone for speaking out. If an artist gains success does this disqualify them from caring or having compassion like real human beings. If we can use the entertainment business and Artists to sell everything else in the world than we should be able to allow the industry and Artists to speak out for Social Change.

Regardless, I think that what Suzie McNeil and so many other artists are doing right now should be applauded.

Suzie is a natural and just got back from Zambia. No she did not adopt an child and bring her home but she did sponsor a Girl named Dorris through World Vision.

Her appeal during her concerts are so sincere and straight forward that you do not feel like she is preaching. But what she has to say is just the plain and simple truth. We do have so much in the western world and so many elsewhere have so little. The injustice in that is not to be debated but accepted.
Tonight she joked in Saskatoon during her performance that she was "going for the Canadian Angelina Jolie thing - only better looking "- and then suggested light heatedly that if you sponsor a child you might end up with Brad Pitt. LOL

It seemed to work because people were moved and motivated to act.

I say fantastic! Good on you Suzie, Angelina, Jann Arden, Bono, Colin James, 54-40, BNL, Faber Drive, Sarah Mclachlan, just to name a few of the artists trying to make a difference in the world.

Suzie McNeil partners with World Vision

After an inspiring and eye opening trip to Zambia with World Vision Canada I expect that Suzie will be passionate about telling her story. It is amazing how a trip like this can change us and motivate us to do more to make a difference.

Suzie began her partnership with World Vision Canada well over a year ago and I had the chance to see her perform at the Media Club in Vancouver. This was long before World Vision asked her to go on a trip to see the work in Zambia.

It was frustrating though because the venue was in Bar mode and people were in "lets party, who's the chick on stage mode" but Suzie just kept on like every good rocker should.
Not only did she keep working the crowd like the fabulous entertainer she is but she managed to quiet everyone down a minute to speak from the heart and mention that she supported World Vision and people could sponsor children right there at her concert. For those of us who know how hard it is to speak to drunk crowds you will understand why I have great respect for the efforts she made then.

Finally she is given a chance to perform for an attentive audience in Canada while touring with Gavin Rossdale and she will be speaking out for World Vision. Thank you Suzie