SIU Carbondale Archives - University Innovation Fellows

Written by DJ Jeffries, University Innovation Fellow from Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

This post first appeared in Odyssey on Mar 23, 2016.

When you say, “spring break,” most college students probably think martinis and tiny weeny bikinis, but my spring break was nothing like that. I had the great fortune of spending a day at Google in Mountain View, CA as a University Innovation Fellow (UIF). My break included spending time with some of the brightest and driven individuals in the country. There, we had a fantastic, inspiring and enlightening time led by University Innovation staff and fellows, in partnership with Google employees. There were so many great ideas presented and I wish I could share them all, but here are six things that applied directly to my experience as a college student.

1. Think, Act, Do Intentionally

Walking into Google, I had no idea what to expect, except for that I’d be blown away. Needless to say, I was not disappointed. At Google, we were asked to step outside of our comfort zones and do a variety of tasks that required us to work with people that many of us had never met before. We were asked to brainstorm great, and sometimes life-changing, ideas in just a matter of minutes. We did not have time to do things without purpose. As a result, anything we thought or did needed to be intentional. In terms of life, think about things you do regularly and question them. Ask yourself do these things matter and/or what purpose do they serve?

2. “Yes, and” Not “Yes, but”

Another thing I found is that Google is very much focused on offering solutions, not just criticism. We were challenged to try the same experiment one of two ways. The first was to shoot down the ideas of the idea generator with reasons why something wouldn’t work. This was the “yes, but” mindset. The second was the “yes, and” mindset, which encouraged us to cooperate and build ideas up as opposed to tearing them down. This mindset encouraged us to say things like, “we can do this AND make it better by….” The practical take away in this is that it’s harder to build something up than tear it down, but only one of these ways leaves anyone truly satisfied.

3. Follow Your Curiosity

Google has done something not many large companies have. They have mastered the start-up culture. To me, the start-up culture is one that encourages employees to take risks and be innovative, not just for profit, but for survival. Innovation is so intertwined with the culture at Google that it was practically oozing off of the sticky notes on the whiteboard tables. The key I found in this tip is that it’s ok to be curious. Without curiosity, there are no questions. Without questions, there are no answers. It’s ok to find inspiration in science fiction novels and to dream about things some people can’t quite imagine yet.

4. Take Your Well-being Seriously

From what I saw during my limited time at Google, as a company, they take wellbeing extremely seriously. As part of our day, we had a member of the mindfulness team come lead us in a mindfulness exercise. If Google is willing to invest money in the wellbeing (physical, mental and emotional) of their employees, you can assume that it’s pretty important. Quality work starts with you. To be a better you, you need to make a better you. Be conscious, be purposeful, and above all, take your wellbeing seriously.

5. Be Flexible

One of the most provoking exercises for me was also one of the most simple. It was something we all know: Rock, Paper, Scissors. But there was a twist. Three-hundred students in a room played and they set out to find a single champion. They knew there’d be losers, and that was part of the twist. If you lost, you become the biggest fan of the person who won. It ended up becoming the most intense games of Rock, Paper, Scissors that I’ve ever experienced. But what was really cool was that even though the majority of us lost, we were eager to cheer for those who beat us. We wanted them to win. The life lesson there is to be flexible. Realize that your idea might not always be the winning idea but if you cheer for the person who does win, you win. And if you’re lucky, you win big!

6. Don’t Be Afraid to Fail Quickly (and Often)

The last thing I got from Google is to not let a fear of failure control you. Be motivated by the idea that you might fail, and as a result, you’ll receive a unique opportunity to learn from it. Don’t be discouraged or fearfully cautious. Be driven by dreams and not fears. Go out and do the right thing!

DJ Jeffries (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Bio)

Scholar, Innovator and Entrepreneur. Harmony above all.

by Brandon Nolte
University Innovation Fellow at SIU Carbondale
Originally posted on his Linkedin

I’ve been wanting to write this article since I presented at the University Economic Development Associations Annual Summit with 4 other University Innovation Fellows. This trip was one of the most eye-opening experiences since I decided to join the Fellows program and became dedicated to entrepreneurship and innovation. Recently I attended the Collegiate Entrepreneur Organization National Conference where I gained some amazing connections and learned from inspiring speakers. From both the students and the speakers, I gained new insight into this discussion of Collegiate Entrepreneurship.

Why Entrepreneurship?

Every time I meet new entrepreneurs, I always ask them, why entrepreneurship? Do you know why I ask them? Because almost every time, they will tell you story about how they were introduced into entrepreneurship and how they are inspired to work harder. It inspires me every time I hear a new story about why they want to create change, be innovative, and be forward-thinking.

What does entrepreneurship mean thou? Everyone has their own definition. My definition does not define entrepreneurship as someone who owns a business, but someone who creates a solution to a problem in a different way than their competitors. Entrepreneurship is a mindset and isn’t defined by a single individual but by how well a team chooses to diversify its skill sets.

Sharing and Collaboration is Entrepreneurship

When you think about what entrepreneurship is in my definition, it speaks in two different areas focused on skills. You have the sharing of skills and you have the collaboration of skills. Both of these complement each other in several areas but what is important is that they are different and once they come together, that is when great things happen!

Sharing

When you are launching your next startup or looking at developing that idea from the dorm, you should be looking at how someone can share their expertise with you. If you are an engineer and can build a product, most of the time I bet you have not a clue on who is going to buy it. If you are a businessman and you understand how to sell a product, find your target audience, and generate revenue, most of the time your ability to develop a product is going to be below par.

What is important is to note that each individual brings a different expertise to the team, and each person will boost the odds of having a successful entrepreneurial team.

Collaboration

Sharing is only successful if those resources can collaborate on a productive level. There are a lot of factors for if a team will work well. I framed in the beginning the skill sets of an engineer and a businessman. These individual must have the same vision for the company, they might have different skill sets but both individuals are required for the companies success. They must be driven and they must know how to be leaders when leadership is required and know how to be followers when needed.

How does this tie into Collegiate Entrepreneurship?

Collegiate entrepreneurship is on the rise all across the United States. Never before have universities been more pressured to giving attention to this discipline than ever before.

Entrepreneurship creates solutions to problems in a unique perspective through creative design, their mindset and their teams diversity.

We students have started a movement and there are a lot of parts to this forward-thinking movement. Students who have an entrepreneurial mindset are actively and publicly challenging their schools’ current teaching methodologies in teaching. As education shifts, so does students’ preferences on how they want to gain experience and learn entrepreneurship. If you ask student entrepreneurs, they will tell you that they would much rather work on their business than attend class, and here is why.

The experience a student obtains through experiential learning and learning through failures can be much more influential than any classroom setting. When universities teach entrepreneurship, it should be taught around principles that show sharing of resources and collaboration of disciplines. By building a teaching curriculum around the foundation of start-ups, you create a center for students to live and act entrepreneurial every time they step in the door.

As any university begins to establish or evaluate its entrepreneurship program, remember to create an environment that is designed for students and if possible by the students themselves. When students come together to create a shared collaborative space, they will feel home.

To all you student entrepreneurs, remember you matter! You are designing your future, don’t be held back, what makes your an entrepreneur is your ability to overcome any obstacle and learn from your failures.

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