Wednesday, April 10, 2013

All Hail the Pirate King

Yes, I know that the Entrepreneurship workshop was kool and our product was great and we did a fantastic job of not only improvising a bad idea and turning it into a good one, but also of creating a name, a punch line and a prototype of the product.
And, we learned that creativity is not just about thinking something new, but also about taking something bad and turning it into good.
And, I also know that getting caught by Marie while sneaking into some other workshop and "borrowing" the tape which we needed was probably something I will never forget; but I have got to admit - the highlight of the day was "Senor Pirate King".

John A. Clendenin - the guy walks into room to talk about being Positive and stuff. And then gradually he takes us to the land of fairy tales.
I remember that in my primary school years, whenever we had a free period, our Majgaonkar teacher, probably around our grand-mother's age then, use to walk into the class and tell us amazing stories - stories of knights and princess, stories of magic, stories of conquests. This big guy, probably in his seventies, did exactly the same.

He told us many amazing stories - only difference was that they were all his stories.

He did not just join the US armed forces, but became a ranked officer in the Marine Corps; He not only played sports, but participated internationally in wrestling and other events; He not only studied psychology, but was a sports psychologist with an Olympic medal winning team; He not only worked for Xerox, but brought a radical change in its profit numbers; He not only taught at Harvard, but is credited with the best selling Business Case of current day; He is not only helping people, but has implemented schemes to reduce hunger, has participated in strategy planning and execution of fair elections in conflict zones of the world; He not only tells stories, but also writes his own Haiku; He is not only a advocate of Sustainability, but has his own farm which grows more than needs of all those involved in the cultivation; the list just goes on and on ..

By being in the same room as this guy felt like a privilege. And he told us about all of this, in such a casual way, we never felt distant from him - He was our own kin, our elder telling us stories and with each passing minute, he was spreading more and more of his magic - Magic of his hugs, magic of his plans for the future, magic of expectations he has from us, magic of possibilities that lie before us ..

Somewhere during the session, he mentioned that we should write down names of those who have inspired us and also those who have influenced us. I was so tempted to say, YOU sir have just made it to both these lists by spending this time with us.
 
And yes, He likes to have a quick huddle rather than a formal meeting, to be called as Pirate King rather than Professor :-)

Speaking of Pirate King, he did give us some Pirate Code to live by during our time at IE. "Without a ship, you are not a Pirate - So, ship first, you second".

Its amazing how just last week, I did not want to be a Pirate - one who is squandering and arguing with his peers; and then now, I want to be a Pirate - one who is full with all the positive energy that the oceans have to offer, sailing freely and confidently, towards the horizon of infinite possibilities. And this is all the "Pirate King" influence.

All Hail the "Pirate King" !!

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