On Dancing with the Stars, Hiring and Never-Ever Giving Up

On an overcast and rainy Sunday morning, after reading about Stanford’s amazing win on ESPN.com, some interesting things from the paper over a couple of cups of coffee:
But my first smile of the day came from seeing JR Martinez on the cover of People magazine. While most of you know JR from Dancing with the Stars, he is also a graduate of the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities program…a program that I am proudly associated with...pick up that magazine and try not to smile when you read about this amazing young man. Here is a link to a story on the People magazine piece from JR’s home town Dalton Daily Citizen. Congratulations JR!

From the NY Times…while it’s much easier said than done, In a Big Company, Make Everyone an Entrepreneur. The article, a recurring weekly feature by Adam Bryant, is an interview with Lynn Blodgett. president and chief executive of ACS, an I.T. services subsidiary of Xerox.

From the article:

A. One of the ways that we do it is we drive the P.& L. as deep into the organization as we can. We have a P.& L. at a customer level, that’s mandatory. We have to be able to see how we’re doing with that customer. A lot of companies can’t do that. In our business we drive the P.& L. down to the people who are actually doing the work. So if we can make a P.& L. for a $10 million business, we’ll give that guy the P.& L. and he’ll have profit accountability, revenue accountability and customer satisfaction accountability. And as they grow, they make more money. That results in a higher performance, in my opinion.
So you give people control, hold them accountable, give them control of their resources, and then monitor what they do. And if you do that, you’re going to tap into, in our business, the highest level of drive — entrepreneurial drive. I want ACS to look like a whole bunch of sole proprietorships. Because that way, people are thinking to themselves, “If this was my money, if I was doing this, would I really spend it? Do I have to buy that computer right now or can I get by with my one that’s two years old?”
Q. What else is important to your leadership style?
A. Another is that nobody is above being moved, being touched, being influenced by a small gesture. I’ve experienced it myself. Somebody might call me or send me an e-mail to say, “Hey, I got that bonus and I just want you to know that really means a lot to me.” We have 85,000 employees, and I don’t get 85,000 e-mails. So when I get one it means a lot.
So it’s the little things. Like writing a note that says, “You did a great job,” or: “I’m sorry I got after you. You’re a super performer, and I lost my patience with you, and that’s my error, and forgive me for doing that.” We also set up phone calls when we win a deal, and we’ll get the team together and say: “Hey, tell me about that. What was the hardest thing? How did it come together?”

From the same article on hiring:

How do you hire? What questions do you ask?
A. The very first question is always “Tell me about yourself.” And not the résumé — I don’t want the résumé. Just tell me about yourself. What do you like? What do you enjoy doing? Because I think you can tell a lot from very open-ended questions.
Then I will say, “If you had the perfect job, what would you do?” And then I always ask: “Why do you want to come here? What is it about us?” Then, finally, “What do you think you could do to help us?” In the positions that I’m looking for, when you ask people what they can to do help, you often get some great answers and insights.
Q. What are the qualities you’re looking for?
A. People who are honest. That’s the No. 1 thing. I don’t have a test for that. I think that’s one where you have to go with your gut for a lot of it. And this is my prejudice because I didn’t go to college, but their intellect, their ability to think, is more important to me than any degrees they might have. And are they loyal? Will they take risks? Do they have integrity? Frankly, the technical aspects of it are way, way down on the list.

And in the Opinion section, What Tax Dollars Can’t Buy, Did you Hear the One About the Bankers and Our Unpaid, Extra Shadow Work give somewhat different perspectives on the current economic discussion.

A Hero's Story

Hero is a word today that gets tossed around a lot, but to read about true hero’s…take a look at a piece in the Atlantic, Wounded in Iraq: A Marine's Story. It’s my honor to know the author of the story, Justin Constantine. I met him several years ago through the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities program at Syracuse University. Justin is an outstanding young man, and when I think of the men and women serving our country…I often times think of Justin and the incredible price he and his wife paid so we can live here in the USA. Read it, wipe the tears away from your face as you think about young Justin and Dahlia and say a prayer for them and the other 44,000 wounded warriors from Iraq and Afghanistan…and then think of what Justin says near the end of the article and reflect on how you can help in your home town.

From the article:

As September 11, 2011, approaches, take a few minutes to think of wounded warriors and our families. We are in your community, sprinkled throughout small towns and big cities. Do not let our sacrifices go unknown or forgotten. Think about helping that soldier's caregiver with everyday chores, because he or she now has two full-time jobs instead of one. And don't forget that Marine who has to put on a prosthetic leg first thing every morning. Remind yourself that far too many service members have not made it back from Iraq and Afghanistan.

EBV on CNN

Here is a link to a wonderful story today on our Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities program that has appeared on CNN and HLN(Headline News): http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2010/08/12/n_veterans_ebv.cnnmoney/

Business Schools Reach Out to Military Veterans

As we get ready to kick-off the Syracuse University Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities program this Saturday, it was great to see Geoff Gloeckler’s article in Business Week, B-Schools Reach Out to Veterans. I particularly liked the paragraph that wrapped up the article because it was absolutely right on target:

The business schools say they benefit from the programs as much as the veterans. “It’s a privilege to work with disabled American veterans for the third year,” says Judy Olian, dean of UCLA Anderson, according to a press release from the Anderson School. “UCLA Anderson’s expertise in entrepreneurship is a way for us to provide resources to veterans who have sacrificed so much on behalf of the nation and who want to realize their own business dreams and desires to support their families and communities.

As Dean Olian said…it is our privilege to work with these fantastic vets in this outstanding program.

Entrepreneurship as a Road Forward for the Disabled

Wonderful story in today’s Wall Street Journal about the role that entrepreneurship can play for disabled individuals. The story, written by Sarah Needleman is entitled For Disabled, a Job Hunt Alternative and it highlights our Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities program. Thorugh our Falcone Center for Entrepreneurship, we also work with disabled entrepreneurs through our StartUp New York program and we seen amazing results. As our faculty like to say, entrepreneurship truly is a road forward for those who are disabled.

From the article:

Founded by the Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University, the boot camp starts with a 40-day distance-learning course, followed by 10 days of on-campus classes. Participants are also paired with mentors and have access to free resources such as legal and accounting services from corporate partners and the schools' alumni.

After graduating from the program in 2008, former Marine Brian Iglesias co-launched New York film-production company Veterans Inc. with a fellow veteran. Mr. Iglesias's neck and shoulder were injured during combat, causing permanent nerve damage to his right arm and requiring a metal plate in his neck. He says he previously spent five months searching unsuccessfully for a job in the entertainment industry—even failing to land unpaid internships. "I was begging people to work for free," he says.

The 33-year-old Mr. Iglesias, who has a bachelor's degree in film production from Temple University, suspects that some employers were uncomfortable hiring him because of his war experience. "Out of all the people who are candidates, they think, a year ago this guy was being shot at," he says.

With the poor economy further restricting employment options for the disabled, some organizations are seeing increased interest in programs designed to assist this group in starting businesses.

Reading from a Foggy Day in Nova Scotia

While stuck in the Halifax airport thanks to fog, I’ve been catching up on my reading, and a some stories caught my eye while drinking coffee and eating cheesecake.

First, in the current issue of Entrepreneur magazine, take a look at The Next Mission: Autonomy by Jennifer Lawler. Great story about Syracuse University’s Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities(EBV) program which includes information about John Raftery and Brian Inglesias…two wonderful grads of the program. Mike Haynie, the father of the program and national director of EBV describes the intersection of entrepreneurship and the military in his comment in the article: "At its core, entrepreneurship is about the ability to create and grow a sustainable venture in a resource-constrained environment. This is a skill learned well by all military folks, and they recognize that skill as a competitive advantage in a startup environment."

Another interesting article is in the current issue of Forbes, Salvation at the Call Center. This article talks about an entrepreneurial success story that also includes a bit of social good work as well. I also liked the article, Files Without Borders, describing the journey of the tech company Dropbox. Given that I am working here in an airport, using Dropbox, had I known about it, it might have been a good idea for me to be a customer.

And finally, for those of us still brave enough to invest in the stock market, read David Randall’s article, Your Own Worst Enemy, based on the research of UC Berkley professor Terrance Odean. If you read it, you might never invest in anything other than index funds again. But, knowing how entrepreneurs are, you know you are smarter than the market so you’ll probably invest anyway.

Be Sure to Say Thanks!

Occasionally, if you're really lucky you get the chance to meet a true hero. Through the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities program, it’s been my good fortune to meet lots of them. As we get closer to Memorial Day, I find myself thinking more about the tremendous service each and every one of our country’s vet’s have given to the USA. Justin Constantine, the president and owner of the company Iraq and Back, is one of those hero's and wrote today in his blog….Thank ‘Em for Their Service.

And while we don’t say it often enough…to all the vet’s out there no matter when you served…thank you for your service! We are a better and safer country thanks to you!

The Dream Machine

Our Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities (EBV) program had some exciting news to share yesterday and we were able to announce it in the heart of New York city in Times Square. PepsiCo International announced a wonderful new national partnership that will provide us with help for our very special veteran’s initiative. Our EBV Program was selected over dozens of other groups, and will get not only significant funding, but tremendous national publicity as well. In an effort to increase recycling, Pepsi has decided to offer an added incentive to return bottles and cans: they are setting up thousands of “dream machines,” and for every recyclable deposited in one of these, PepsiCo will make a financial contribution to the EBV program to ‘help a veteran live the American Dream of becoming an entrepreneur.’ It’s an awesome way for Americans to protect the environment and give back to the disabled servicemen and women who served them so selflessly and so honorably. This is an exclusive and three year relationship, where the EBV program is the sole financial beneficiary of PepsiCo’s recycling campaign.

The EBV program, founded by our own Dr. Mike Haynie is based on one simple idea: helping disabled veterans with dreams of entrepreneurship to start their own businesses. Since its inception in 2007, we have graduated over 225 veterans! This is such an amazing program…truly life-changing for the participants. One of my hardest (and saddest) tasks though has been to turn away eager applicants because our program has been full. With this new partnership with Pepsi we’ll be able to open the program to even more deserving vets. For more information on this neat program, take a look at the Pepsi Dream Machine Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/dreammachine#!/dreammachine?v=wall

The Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Engaging the World

Mike Haynie, entrepreneurship professor and the father of our Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities program will be receiving today the Syracuse University Chancellor’s Citation for Excellence in Engaging the World. This award is presented annually by the Nancy Cantor the Chancellor of Syracuse University to the faculty member who, through their research, teaching, and service has had a profound impact on society beyond the walls of the University, and who has demonstrated thoughtful, determined, and sustained efforts to enrich the lives of students, faculty, staff, and community. Join me in congratulating Mike on this wonderful award…but more importantly, join me in thanking him for using his entrepreneurial knowledge to launch and grow a wonderful program which assists veterans who have given so much to our country. Congratulations…and thanks Mike!

Helping Our Disabled Military Community

At the Whitman School of Management, we’re launching a new program which will help the caregivers of wounded military veterans or surviving spouses of folks who gave their life in the service of our country... and who want to start their own business. Here’s the official word on the program:

The Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans’ Families (EBV-F) is an education and training program offered by the Falcone Center for Entrepreneurship at the Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University. The program leverages the flexibility inherent in small business ownership to provide a vocational and economic ‘path-forward’ for military family members who are now caregivers to a wounded warrior - or for the surviving spouse of a military member who gave his or her life in service to our country. The EBV-F program integrates training in small business management, with caregiver and family issues, positioning the family member to launch and grow a small business in a way that is complementary or enhancing to other family responsibilities.

Modeled after the existing Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities (EBV) initiative, the EBV Families program will be offered without any cost to accepted applicants. The Whitman School of Management will launch the first EBV-F program in November of 2010. Applications will be accepted beginning in April of 2010.

More to follow, but if you know of someone who might be interested in this outstanding and FREE program, send them my way and I’ll get them the information they need. This is a FANTASTC program.

Love and War

Here at Syracuse University, it’s been my pleasure to work with the outstanding Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities program. As I’ve had the chance to talk to and work with veterans from the various branches of the military, I’ve become more and more appreciative of the level of dedication and commitment that they’ve shown to our country. In today’s Wall Street Journal, take a look at another example of young men and women who provide service to our country, even if it means, as the article puts it, juggling “marriage and mission.” The article is entitled: Love and War by Michael M. Phillips.