It’s graduation season here at Stanford and students are getting ready to collect their diplomas and take their education out into the real world. A couple years ago, we sat down with Tina Seelig, a professor in our Management Science and Engineering department who’s done a lot of research on how we can teach skills including imagination, creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship — all things that can come in handy when you’re setting out to make a positive contribution to the world. We’re re-running this episode today, so whether you’re a new grad trying to figure out your next steps, or someone simply looking for a solution to a big challenge, we hope you’ll tune in again and be inspired.
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Chapters:
(00:00:00) Introduction
Russ Altman introduces Tina Seelig, professor of management science and engineering at Stanford University.
(00:02:04) Is Entrepreneurship Teachable?
Whether entrepreneurial traits can be learned or are innate.
(00:04:22) Parsing the Creative Process
Differences between imagination, creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship.
(00:05:52) Universality of Entrepreneurial Skills
How entrepreneurial skills apply to industries beyond tech.
(00:07:33) Teaching with Framestorming
A method to redefine problems before jumping to solutions.
(00:10:29) Framestorming vs Brainstorming
The concept of “framestorming” and why it’s critical for innovation.
(00:12:05) Inventing the Future Course
Tina’s course where students debate the ethics of emerging technologies.
(00:13:35) Creativity and Ethical Considerations
The importance of separating ideas from judgment while innovating.
(00:16:20) Anticipating the Downside
How students often identify ethical risks in technologies even experts miss.
(00:18:49) Creativity and Leadership
Why leaders need creative problem-solving and entrepreneurial thinking.
(00:19:42) Teaching Leadership
Cultivating leadership through values-driven education and training.
(00:21:01) Combatting Leadership Stereotypes
Creating diversity cohorts to show leadership comes in many forms.
(00:22:58) How to Engineer Your Own Luck
Outlining the differences between fortune, chance, and luck.
(00:25:50) The Micro-Decisions of Luck
How consistent effort and initiative lead to perceived “luck.”
(00:27:34) Conclusion
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