Club WOW Symposium for Entrepreneurs
One of the most satisfying aspects of my role leading the Hill Center is my exposure to the wealth of resources that are available for people pursuing their dreams in business. That obviously includes the incredible resources of the Hill Library – and truly, I am not just saying that because I’m in the employ of the Library. When I began considering starting the Hill Center, so many people I spoke with talked about how the Hill helped them get started or get to the next level. Hearing success stories that we’ve been a part of is inspiring, every day. Well, almost every day. Many days, for sure.
Forgive me; I digress. For regular readers and friends, this comes at no surprise. I was writing about opportunities for entrepreneurs.
I was recently invited to participate in a most interesting event, the Club WOW Symposium for Entrepreneurs, to be held November 2, 2007. I have the honor of introducing the keynote speaker, Bill George. That’s exciting in its own right because of his well-earned stature as a visionary business leader. It is even more exciting in the broader context of the event, which will bring together entrepreneurs and leaders for a day of practical learning and, I suspect, a good deal of inspiration.
I recently met with Club WOW’s founder, Jeanne Larson. I learned a good deal about the groups she leads and the services her organization provides, designed to help both seasoned and rookie entrepreneurs grow their businesses. I was struck by the alignment of her approach with much of what I’ve been talking about: the critical role of leadership that emerges from within, and the importance of relationships in building a successful business. It was a great example of a valuable source of guidance and practical support available to entrepreneurs.
Jeanne also said she that she was always surprised by the number of entrepreneurs who do not regard themselves as leaders. On one level, that makes sense: someone wants to strike out on their own, do their own thing. They’re often focused on just growing the business. To borrow a phrase from an unlikely source, “I ain’t got time to lead.”
On the other hand, leadership seems so much a part of the entrepreneurial endeavor: the entrepreneur literally takes a dream, turns it into plans, and then projects those plans into reality. Bulding an enterprise is literally organizing resources – organizing reality – in accordance with that vision, informed and evolving based on experience. Sounds like leadership to me! I’m glad there are plenty of kindred spirits out there to help visionary leaders make their dreams a reality. I’ll keep sharing my perspective on them as I become familiar with them.
As tasks and roles go, that has much to recommend it.
Response to my own Hill Leadership Working Group continues to be strong. We’ll have a good turnout at our organizational meeting October 24, where the attendees will play a central role in shaping the group and its meetings. Following that first meeting, we’ll publicize the times and topics of future meetings and events.
The Launch Event
The Hill Center launch event was held yesterday, October 4. I am delighted (and profoundly relieved) to report that it was an unqualified success. The room was full - packed - and while there were some delays in getting food to everyone, I was grateful to all the guests for their impressive patience and good humor. I also feel very bad that a few latecomers simply had no place to sit, and so they left without hearing an excellent speech by our keynote, Ken Melrose.
The feedback has been nothing short of incredible! I'm so grateful for every email and phone call. So grateful, in fact, that I will end here and return to the business of responding.
More later,
Chad
