Kimberly currently serves at Duke University as Senior Advisor to the President and Provost for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. She has been a part-time faculty member at Duke for four years and has also assisted with UNC's Entrepreneurship program, which I am heavily involved with. Prior to reconnecting with the North Carolina higher-education system (Jenkins went to Duke for undergraduate and graduate school) she was President of the Internet Policy Institute and founder of Highway 1. |
(1) Pay attention to the bottom line
(2) “I'm convinced that about half of what separates the successful entrepreneurs from the non-successful ones is pure perseverance.”
Kimberly said that one of the most important lessons that Jobs taught her was that great innovation happens when you have diversity on your team. She said that he constantly stressed having different backgrounds and experiences so that the team can see needs differently and come up with different solutions. As an entrepreneurial-minded student who is interested in entering the tech field, I think that this is a vital lesson to keep in mind. Although we often cling to those who are like-minded, I hope that I can force myself to absorb the diversity in my future workplace. This is a lesson that I will surely keep in mind while at Google this summer.
(3) Hit the ground listening
Up next: Last week I had the pleasure to attend Fast Company's Innovation Uncensored Conference, where I met many influential innovators. I took a load of notes and look forward to continuing my Innovation Leaders series over the next week!