RWL Newsletter #126 - innovation edition, brought to you by The Summer Hat
Greetings from the University of New Hampshire! It’s not technically summer, but we finally have some warm and sunny weather after a long, dreary, wet, and cold spring, so I busted out The Summer Hat. I think men should wear hats. Not baseball caps. Real hats, like The Summer Hat. The world would be a better place. I bought The Summer Hat in Paris when my wife and I went there to celebrate our 25th anniversary a couple of years ago (I bought it at the Gap, but don’t tell anyone - that makes it sound less French. But it was a Gap in Paris, so it still counts as “Paris”.)
I’m heading to New Orleans next week for the annual meeting of the Association of University Programs in Health Administration (AUPHA). New Orleans is always fun, and this conference is always enlightening for me as I listen to all the innovative things colleagues in other programs are doing to help students learn and grow. The Summer Hat may come along. I think it will fit in well in New Orleans. Just sayin’.
This week’s theme is innovation - check out the links!
Read
What: NYT, An E.V. That Wraps Around a Wheelchair
https://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/21/automobiles/an-ev-that-wraps-around-a-wheelchair.html
Why: I love innovation. Check out this electric vehicle that gives people who are wheelchair dependent the ability to drive themselves places. While it’s not a full-fledged car (max speed is 25 MPH), it would allow a far greater degree of freedom for local commuting. If I were wheelchair dependent, this would be a life-changer.
I’ve learned a lot about design from my colleagues downstairs (I’m speaking literally - they are on the first floor, I am on the 3rd) in therapeutic recreation. They are always thinking about ways to create more opportunity for people with disabilities. If Community Cars can bring the Kenguru to market, I think it would reduce barriers created by transportation issues dramatically. Good luck to them!
Watch
What: TED, Chris Anderson, How web video powers global innovation
Why: Chris Anderson is the “Head of TED”. In this talk, he talks about “crowd accelerated innovation”. The idea is that web video is creating the opportunity to do for face to face communication what Gutenberg’s press did for the written word. Face to face communication is loaded with information in a way that written word cannot be. Anderson argues sharing allows and encourages more innovation. He also hits on a theme that many economists I like repeat, which is more people lead to more innovation. The important thing is more people need to be able to communicate to generate more innovation. Online video is a powerful tool for spontaneous sharing of information. This is a really great talk - the last two minutes are especially worth watching to get the point.
Listen
What: HBR Ideacast, Advice for Entrepreneurs from a Leading Venture Capitalist
https://hbr.org/ideacast/2019/06/advice-for-entrepreneurs-from-a-leading-venture-capitalist.html
Why: My knowledge of venture capital does not go a whole lot past watching episodes of Shark Tank. That’s a slight exaggeration, but not that much of one. Nevertheless, it is an interesting and important area of finance. This podcast interview is with a well known VC from a well known VC firm, and he talks about things that VCs are actually looking for when they meet entrepreneurs. I think it’s relatively easy to imagine pitching an investment; I think it’s harder to imagine being on the other side. That’s why it’s interesting to hear from someone who has sat on the other side.
Thanks for reading and see you next week! If you come across any interesting stories, won't you send them my way? I'd love to hear what you think of these suggestions, and I'd love to get suggestions from you. Feel free to drop me a line by e-mail, or you can tweet to me at @mbonica .
Also, if you find these links interesting, won’t you tell a friend? They can subscribe here: https://tinyletter.com/markbonica
Have a great weekend and do amazing things!
Mark
Mark J. Bonica, Ph.D., MBA, MS
Assistant Professor
Department of Health Management and Policy
University of New Hampshire
(603) 862-0598
mark.bonica@unh.edu
Health Leader Forge Podcast: http://healthleaderforge.org
"I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestionable ability of man to elevate his life by a conscious endeavor." - Henry David Thoreau