Babson College’s Schlesinger: Action Trumps Everything…Or Does It?

“The best predictor of future actions is past behavior,” is an admonition we’ve all heard many times; perhaps most often from Dr. Phil.

And while this sentiment works well for predicting human behavior, when it comes to entrepreneurs, what resonates is the emphasis on one word – “actions.”

Why?  Because the engine that drives success is ‘taking action.’

Successful people are those who take action.

And for the naysayers who say you MUST have the right plan, product, investors, timing, market, and/or goals BEFORE you take action – NOT SO!

ACTION TRUMPS EVERYTHING!

Successful entrepreneurs are those whose passion drives them to ‘jump in’ and get going.

Take Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook; if you’ve seen the movie “The Social Network,” you saw that the young entrepreneur immediately sprang into action when the flicker of an idea emerged, along with some fortuitous circumstances.

Sure, entrepreneurs have to evolve their business, tweak their product, and adapt their plans, but the point is – they take action physically, emotionally, and mentally.

Entrepreneurs engage – if you want to play the game, you have to take the plunge!

And now you can get up close and personal with those who’ve been there by reading their stories in a new book authored by an intriguing trifecta:

• Len Schlesinger – President of Babson College, the top-ranked business school for entrepreneurship
• Charles Kiefer – President of Innovation Associates who for 30 years has used his concept of high-performing teams to help technology organizations increase their innovation successes
• Long-time contributor to The New York Times, Paul B. Brown – former writer and editor for Business Week, Financial World, Forbes and Inc.

The authors have identified CreAction — a reasoning that blends creating and action — to propel the entrepreneurial thinker forward.

As the essential core of ETA, CreAction has been shown to be highly effective in navigating the unpredictable situations we face every day in our personal and professional worlds.

“Action Trumps Everything — Creating What You Want In An Uncertain World” lays out an action plan with examples to deepen understanding of key concepts.   Each chapter also includes takeaway tips to quickly turn readers into confident CreActionists.

The book focuses on this innovative strategy for achieving your goals, and uses the personal stories of successful entrepreneurs who demonstrate the CreAction formula.

The bottom line?  ACT, LEARN, REPEAT – the key ingredients for building a successful business in today’s environment!

Chapter Topics

• Everyone can do this.
• CreAction and Predictive Reasoning–which to use when and where?
• Desire….what do you want to create?
• Entrepreneurial Action, CreAction and its 4 building blocks.
• 16 reasons why Action Trumps Thinking.
• Affordable Loss–pay only what you can afford to lose.
• CreAction Community–bring other people along who share your vision.
• Everything including a problem is an asset (if handled correctly).
• Beyond venturing — using CreAction everywhere else.
• How to use CreAction in today’s organizations–a guide for managers.
• Using CreAction with family and friends.
• How ETA can make a better world.
• Authors answer the difficult questions.

But the best news is that you can download this book absolutely FREE!

That’s right – this tome full of advice, strategy, and results is available to you simply by downloading at www.ActionTrumpsEverything.com.

The series will continue with new stories from entrepreneurs being made available, so be sure to include your story by:

• Joining the conversation on the blog and sharing your life stories
• Letting us know what struck a chord with you, what works and what doesn’t work for you, and how you have applied or are applying some of these ideas in your life. Take advantage of the free download, learn from the best, and see your dreams come to fruition!

So check it out and let the authors know what you think, for they’ve thrown out a challenge – they feel they’re right—but do you?

Better yet – set out to prove or disprove their sentiments and findings.  For if you doubt their call to action, they’re ready to hear from you! Tell them, tweet them, YouTube them, facebook them, write them – pick your modality and give them the real deal! 

ACTION TRUMPS EVERYTHING...Or Does It??  YOU DECIDE…

– ‘Action Trumps Everything’

The Book | Action Trumps Everything.

Related Articles

• ‘Action Trumps Everything’ Entrepreneur’s Handbook Written by Babson’s Schlesinger, IA’s Kiefer, and Journalist Brown (prnewswire.com)
• Entrepreneur Video StoryBooth Launched by Babson College & Business Innovation Factory (prnewswire.com)
• Babson Executive Education Develops Online Entrepreneurial Action Program (prnewswire.com)
• Babson MBA Program Boldly Expands to San Francisco, Where Entrepreneurship Goes “90 Miles Per Hour” (xconomy.com)
• Babson College’s Schlesinger: Action Trumps Everything…Or Does It? : John Prescott Blog (in.com)

A Poker Group with Panache…Fine Dining,Superb Wine,Eloquent Company

Image by cubemate via Flickr

With my wife out of town , it was serendipity for me to be one of the chosen few to recently be invited to a ten course gourmet meal, with specially selected  paired wine for each course.

Not long ago Ed , a friend, neighbor and our poker group’s resident wine steward, proved to be a consummate host and skilled sommelier for a Chinese Banquet that he hosted for his poker buddies and other assorted luminaries at The Royal East restaurant in Cambridge.

Salt & peppered LIVE shrimp flash fried to perfection, kicked off the culinary orgy.

Ed, taking the lead and making certain his guests felt comfortable, demonstrated the proper consumption technique of popping the entire shrimp complete with head and shell into your mouth for a crispy delicious treat. It was a first for me!

The pairing of a 2005 Muscat D’Alsace proved a good match for the shrimp.

Do you have certain kinds of food that you just don’t eat? I used to avoid oysters with a passion, and learned at this banquet to keep an open mind.

The steamed Pacific Oysters on the Half Shell with black bean sauce proved to be SUBLIME!

Presented table side for our viewing pleasure was a colossal LIVE Alaska King Crab. While the guests sipped a 1989 Riesling Grand Cru, the chef was busy at work transforming the writhing crab into a beautiful two course presentation of succulent steamed legs and tender lumps sauteed in garlic butter.

Additional courses included: fresh chinese bamboo shoots and black mushrooms, vegetarian goose, pea tendrils in crabmeat sauce, rack of lamb, and beef chow foon with yellow chives.

The final course of black sesame-filled dumplings in  rice wine soup was accompanied by ‘liquid gold’. The Quarts De Chaume, 1995 Domaine Des Baumard was pure bliss!

So my suggestion to you is this: if you’re looking for AUTHENTIC CANTONESE & SZECHUAN CUISINE  prepared with finesse, stop by the Royal East near Central Sq. in Cambridge…it’s an experience for the most passionate of foodies!

Oh..and Ed..props to you for an incredible dining experience! Our poker group is indeed fortunate to have such an incredible sommelier and food enthusiast!

Royal East Restaurant in Cambridge

Yelp Review Royal East

JOHN PRESCOTT

–BostonKayakGuy

Top Real Estate Agent for more than 14 years, serving the real estate needs of Wellesley, South Natick, Weston, Needham, Wayland, Newton, Framingham and other MetWest communities. www.johnprescott.net

JOHN PRESCOTT

Vice President

Century 21 Commonwealth

508-523-9252

BostonKayakGuy…The MetWest Scene

Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, and Waltham’s Barbara Liskov

In the world of computers and technology, Steve Jobs and Bill Gates are revered names…

Computer geeks…

They’re a unique breed and they’re responsible for the world as we know it today…

But here’s another name to add to that illustrious list – Barbara Liskov – creator of influential innovations!

I know… WHO???

Barbara Liskov…Waltham woman extraordinaire…MIT professor…

…first woman to receive a PhD in computer science...

…newly crowned recipient of the Turing Award...often referred to as the “Nobel Prize in Computing!”

The $250,000 Turing Award is given  annually by the Association for Computing Machinery and, ” is named for British mathematician Alan M. Turing, who helped the Allies crack the Nazi Enigma cipher during World War Two.”

Liskov, cited for her “foundational innovations to designing and building the pervasive computer system designs that power daily life,” heads the Programming Methodology Group in the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory at MIT.

Her pioneering work in software  has been the basis of every  programming language since 1975.

“Computer science stands squarely at the center of MIT’s identity, and Institute Professor Barbara Liskov’s unparalleled contributions to the field represent an MIT ideal: groundbreaking research with profound benefits for humankind. We take enormous pride that she has received the Turing Award,” said MIT President Susan Hockfield. “Barbara Liskov pioneered some of the most important advances in fundamental computer science,” said Provost L. Rafael Reif. “Her exceptional achievements have leapt from the halls of academia to transform daily life around the world. Every time you exchange e-mail with a friend, check your bank statement online or run a Google search, you are riding the momentum of her research.” –  MIT News

“I didn’t have a plan for where I was going;  instead I reacted to obstacles and opportunities.  I believe that some of this was due to being a woman. When I was young, it was uncommon for women to think about having a career.  The effect on me was that I just focused on doing work that was interesting but expected to stop working when I had a family. I got into research in software systems and I realized that I was really committed to my work and would not give it up. Later when my husband and I had a family, I continued to work full time.”  – Barbara Liskov on EngineerGirl.com

Inspiration I believe that I had a great deal of support from both my parents.  This support took the form of encouragement for excelling academically, including excelling in math and science.  I was never told that “certain things shouldn’t be done by women.” I  think this “ok” enabled me to follow my interest in math and science rather than settling on a more conventional direction.

When asked in a 2005 interview with Dejan S. Milojicic, Dr. Liskov commented on her advice to young researchers, “… avoid incremental work. You should be aware of what others have done and take advantage of it. But rather than thinking of small ways to improve it, try to think of how to solve the problem differently, or how to apply the technique to a different area, or how to abstract from what has been done to come up with something that’s broadly applicable.”

The prize money associated with the Turing Award is from Google and Intel.

"Google is delighted to help recognize Professor Liskov for her
research contributions in the areas of data abstraction, modular
architectures, and distributed computing fundamentals," said Alfred
Spector, Vice President of Research and Special Initiatives at Google
Inc. "We are proud to be a sponsor of the ACM Turing Award to
recognize and encourage the research that is essential not only to
computer science, but to all the fields that depend on its continued
advancement."   

Barbara Liskov Wins Turing Award/MIT News 

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Red Line: Next Stop MIT Dome

WBZ TV reports that it’s that time of year again at MIT…

The Red Line “car” on the MIT’s Great Dome Monday.

– WBZ

MIT Hackers Put Red Line on Dome/WBZ

Hack: Red Line Stops at MIT Dome/Boston.com

JOHN PRESCOTT

–BostonKayakGuy

Top Real Estate Agent for more than 14 years, serving the real estate needs of Wellesley, South Natick, Weston, Needham, Wayland, Newton, Framingham and other MetWest communities. www.johnprescott.net

JOHN PRESCOTT

Vice President

Century 21 Commonwealth

508-523-9252

BostonKayakGuy…The MetWest Scene

What About A Beaver Bar For Babson?

Image via Wikipedia

Babson and MIT share a mascot – the industrious beaver!

But students at MIT could put a different spin on the school mascot by offering a “Beaver Bar” as an outgrowth of the college’s Laboratory for Chocolate Science…

Entrepreneur Alert: Could chocolate as part of Babson’s curriculum be far behind?…

Chocolate tastes great. No argument there. Warm, cold, liquid, solid. It’s all good. But the Laboratory for Chocolate Science at MIT, not to be outdone by any other truffle, infuses them with tea. In this recipe, Anna Waldman-Brown, with the assistance of Rutuparna Das, walks us through the paces of how to think outside the ganache and make a truffle like no other.

– how2heroes.com  eat, cook, and be merry

• View the instructions
• View the video

JOHN PRESCOTT

–BostonKayakGuy

Top Real Estate Agent for more than 14 years, serving the real estate needs of Wellesley, South Natick, Weston, Needham, Wayland, Newton, Framingham and other MetWest communities. www.johnprescott.net

JOHN PRESCOTT

Vice President

Century 21 Commonwealth

508-523-9252

BostonKayakGuy…The MetWest Scene

Weird Boston Events

Calling All Parents! Helicopter Colleges Put Students To Bed!

First we heard about helicopter parents, and now we learn that we have helicopter colleges!

It’s been reported that many of the Commonwealth’s prestigious colleges and universities have noticed that their students are sleep-deprived.

Colleges Putting Their Students To Bed

(Jupiter Images)

Sent from BlueOrganizer

Not to worry!  These bastions of learning are on the case!

Wellesley College is throwing pajama parties complete with popcorn to tuck in the kiddies, I mean students.

MIT has integrated a relaxation program (read: sleeping class) into the curriculum.

College Students Need Sleep

*courtesy Getty Images

Bentley College hosts “The Biggest Snoozer” and distributes such freebies as white noise

machines and memory foam pillows to snoozers logging the most sleep hours.

An early entry into the helicopter college field was Stanford, which in 1997 published “Sleepless at Stanford.”

Helicopter Colleges & Universities

And now, the best and brightest at Harvard have stepped forward to acknowledge their pajama habits, or lack thereof.  The Crimson staff opines that perhaps Harvard needs to pay more attention to their helicopter college duties.  For Harvard’s take (a MUST READ) : Just Sleep On It!

Audio/courtesy Helicopter Colleges:

JOHN PRESCOTT

–BostonKayakGuy

Top Real Estate Agent for more than 14 years, serving the real estate needs of  Wellesley, South Natick, Weston, Needham, Wayland, Newton, Framingham and other MetWest communities.  www.johnprescott.net

JOHN PRESCOTT

Vice President

Century 21 Commonwealth

508-523-9252

BostonKayakGuy…The MetWest Scene