Design a career and make a difference
I love snowboarding.
Dave’s last visit to Whistler - which line to take?
A decision that I sometimes grapple with on the chairlift up is how to make the best use of the skills that I have for the maximum benefit of society, while gaining personal fulfillment and providing a great life for my family. Seems like a tall order, but it boils down to design and courage. Many of us are fortunate to be able to build a vocation that is limited only by our imagination, but in reality we often restrict ourselves to the options presented by others.
Yet the entrepreneur is different. They respond to an uncovered or underserviced need by designing a product or solution that profitably addresses this need. There are non-profit models to be sure, however, as alluded to in a past post, only those that generate returns in excess of what they need have the best chance for survival in the long run.
The Harvard Business Review recently published a case written by HBS’ Senior Associate Dean, Howard H. Stevenson entitled: How to Change the World. In the context of thinking about your own career and contribution, I encourage you to take the time to read this new case (provided free of charge).
While not all of us are fortunate enough to have the buffet of amazing career options available to the case’s protagonist, there are lessons to take away that can be applied to one’s own situation.
What can we learn from an entrepreneurial mind like Jake Burton Carpenter, the oft-cited “inventor” of snowboarding? He could have chosen to improve the design of skis, skate or surfboards, but instead chose to follow his passion and refine a new model: the snowboard. The rest is history.
What is important to you as you build your own career? Will you have the courage to make the choices that will lead you to where you want to go or will you be limited by inhibition and other people’s expectations? Will you choose a well-groomed run or venture off-piste?
David is a practicing management consultant and recent MBA grad from the Rotman School of Management. David’s passion for developing the thinking and leadership potential of others is manifested in both his vocation and his pro-bono efforts.