Fostering The Innovator's Mindset w/ Rachael Meleney & Jon Bohlmann

Are we teaching innovation correctly?

The entrepreneurial ecosystem has changed a lot since I joined Cree in 1993.  We now have university programs dedicated to innovation and entrepreneurship... and local business incubators and accelerators to help startups succeed.

When they started Cree, you were pretty much on your own to figure it out, and if you couldn’t, you failed.  A bit Darwinian, but effective nonetheless.  

I think these new programs have a lot to offer, but I wonder if we might have missed something.  With all the focus on helping entrepreneurs succeed, are we limiting their exposure to failure that is critical to developing resiliency and the will to overcome whatever obstacles might get their way?  Are we actually limiting their ability to develop an innovative mindset? And limiting their eventual success?

On this episode, we explore this concept with Jon Bohlmann, professor of Marketing and Innovation at NC State, and Rachael Meleney, the program director for RiOT. Both Jon and Rachael are key players in shaping the next generation of entrepreneurs in the Triangle. 

We discuss if we are doing enough to teach an innovator’s mindset, what the next iteration of an incubator or product innovation class might look like, and the growth of the Research Triangle over the past decade.

JK Rowling  said “It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all - in which case, you fail by default.

Please check out the episode in the above link. If you have an opinion on these topics, please feel free to email us through the contact page. The best ideas often stem from the intersection of different points of view. The episode is also available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever else you listen to podcasts. Enjoy!