Play the Game of Life
Ryan Petersen's Blog

As regular readers of this blog know, I enjoy traveling more than just about anything. But more than just the urge to visit new places, I am infected with notion that sitting still in one place--any place--is boring. So I've long been struck by the fact that so many of my friends and members of my extended family are completely content staying in the same place year after year.

Upon further reflection, however, it's clear that I am the exception to what is entirely normal behavior conditioned by millions of years of human evolution. The "towny" instinct to stay at home is the natural result of an evolutionary process in which those who wandered were exposed to more danger than those who stayed at home. Until the last few centuries, our ancestors never wandered two or three miles from their place of birth. It's myself and other travelers who have caught the idea virus; it's us who have been infected by the travel meme which runs counter to all the genetic conditioning that served us so well.

Yet today's world is shaped far more by ideas--themselves the result of non-genetic evolutionary processes--than by genetics. Those with the ability to adapt more quickly to the changing world will be those who achieve the most success in this ever-changing fitness landscape. Its these intellectual explorers--not necessarily their geographic counterparts--who will unlock the gates of success in this new world.

Labels: evolution, evolutionary biology, psychology, Strange Questions

Why not just give cash?

Labels: business, Strange Questions

Today in Leadership class we learned about an interesting study about the expected versus actual effects of monetary incentives on blood donations. The research was carried out by Dale Miller, who compared the percentage of people agreeing to donate blood voluntarily with the percentage when offered $15. He then asked an independent group what they thought would be the results from the two offers. People asked to guess said they thought 30% would donate voluntarily versus 70% when offered $15. In fact, it was exactly even at 65% each.

This was used by Professor Frank Flynn to highlight the notion that many managers believe people are primarily motivated by money, when in fact there are other motivating factors such as contribution, feeling good about yourself, accomplishing something worthwhile, developing skills and learning new things.

Labels: Columbia Business School, psychology, Strange Questions

Is there a point on earth that if you travel 200 miles South, then 200 miles East, then 200 miles North, you return to the exact same point?

Hint: read the title again


(Source: Goldenberg, Jacob - Lecture 1, Systematic Creativity in Business, Columbia Business School Summer 2007)

Labels: Columbia Business School, Creativity

I've been selected to be the TA for a new course at Columbia Business School on Entrepreneurship in Africa. It's being taught by Professors Murray Low and Paul Tierney.

Students in the class (myself included) will form small teams to consult for a real African business in one of five Afrcian countries: Tanzania, Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana and South Africa. During our winter break, we'll be traveling to work with our client firm.

Here's the course description:

Entrepreneurship in Africa (EA) examines how entrepreneurs and those who invest in them design, negotiate and execute ventures that make use of resources and opportunities in the challenging environments of sub-Saharan Africa. The sub-Saharan Africa context will be compared and contrasted with that of India, China, Russia and Brazil.

The course has three specific learning objectives which we frame as questions: First, what does it take to be a successful entrepreneur in Africa? We will place significant emphasis on the challenges of raising financing. Second, what does it take to run a successful venture capital or private equity fund in Africa? We will view these funds themselves as entrepreneurial ventures. Finally, what are the strategic and financial determinants of a successful entrepreneur and how can they be described in the context of a case study? As part of this final objective, students will learn how to engage and provide value to the entrepreneurs being studied.

Through case studies and guest lecturers, students will learn about successful and unsuccessful entrepreneurs and financiers. Up to 30 students will conduct field research with local African companies identified by our African business school partners in Tanzania, Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria and South Africa. Students travel to Africa for a two week field study during the winter break. Each team will produce a case study for teaching purposes. The case studies and accompanying teaching materials will be available to other business schools in Africa and the west. Students will also write a confidential memo to the entrepreneur providing observations and advice based upon their research.

Labels: Africa, business, Columbia Business School, entrepreneurship

Notes from a session with Elliot Chase at Columbia Business School.

1.) Tell me about yourself
2.) Why are you looking for a job? / Why did you go to B-School? (Implying: Why did you leave your old job?)
3.) a) Why should we hire you?
b) What are your weaknesses?
4.) Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
5.) How much do you expect to make?

How to answer them

1.) Tell me about yourself

Deliver your 2-minute pitch
– Positioning statement (label / what are you?)
– 2 or 3 important skill areas (adapt to interview) describe on of the skill areas in detail
– Unique selling proposition (USP) (What is unusual about you? What separates you from the competition?)
– Settings you have worked in (Describe company or position that will help market you)
– Sum it up (Repeat most important points)

2.) Why are you looking for a job? / Why did you go to B-School? (Implying: Why did you leave your old job?)

– NEVER trash a former employer
– NEVER say you did not get along with your boss
– ALWAYS come up with a positive explanation (e.g. Went to B-School because I wanted to complete my skill set (be specific about which skills))

3 a) Why should we hire you?
Tell war stories (have at least 5 prepared for every interview) CAR-Structure
a. Context (What was the situation?)
b. Action (What skills could you apply?)
c. Result (What was your achievement?)

3 b) What are your weaknesses?

– NEVER give them an actual weakness
– Talk about weaknesses that you had 3-5 years ago and then explain in detail how you overcame them and what skills you used to overcome them

4. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

– The question really is: How well have you planned through your career?
– Tell a consistent story about how your skills and your prior experience all point to the single direction of the future job you like to have

5. How much do you expect to make?

– Defer the issue as long as possible. The longer you can defer it the more you are going to make.
– Answer: “Money is very important to me but right now fit is the critical issue.”
– Or ask back: “Could you tell me what your range is?”


Other questions that can be pretty mean if you’re unprepared

– What issues did you and your last boss disagree on? (Answer: “We generally agreed on most issues but there was one issue where we disagreed and this is how I handled it very skillfully.”)
– Tell me about your first love.(Talk about a subject you feel passionate about and that makes you look good. E.g. “My first love was soccer. I started playing at the age of eight and trained very hard to become a good soccer player and team captain.”)

General advice

– Be specific about your skills and successes (tell stories, give examples)
– Do not name other companies you are interviewing with
– Do not tell interviewer what stage of the interviewing process you are in at other companies (“Well, I’m in the early stage at some companies and in a later stage at others…”)

Labels: business, Columbia Business School, Interview, job search, questions, Strange Questions