It’s graduation season here at Stanford and students are getting ready to collect their diplomas and take their education out into the real world. A couple years ago, we sat down with Tina Seelig, a professor in our Management Science and Engineering department who’s done a lot of research on how we can teach skills including imagination, creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship — all things that can come in handy when you’re setting out to make a positive contribution to the world. We’re re-running this episode today, so whether you’re a new grad trying to figure out your next steps, or someone simply looking for a solution to a big challenge, we hope you’ll tune in again and be inspired.

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Episode Reference Links:

Stanford Profile: Tina Seelig

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Episode Transcripts >>> The Future of Everything Website
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Chapters:

(00:00:00) Introduction

Russ Altman introduces Tina Seelig, professor of management science and engineering at Stanford University.

(00:02:04) Is Entrepreneurship Teachable?

Whether entrepreneurial traits can be learned or are innate.

(00:04:22) Parsing the Creative Process

Differences between imagination, creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship.

(00:05:52) Universality of Entrepreneurial Skills

How entrepreneurial skills apply to industries beyond tech.

(00:07:33) Teaching with Framestorming

A method to redefine problems before jumping to solutions.

(00:10:29) Framestorming vs Brainstorming

The concept of “framestorming” and why it’s critical for innovation.

(00:12:05) Inventing the Future Course

Tina’s course where students debate the ethics of emerging technologies.

(00:13:35) Creativity and Ethical Considerations

The importance of separating ideas from judgment while innovating.

(00:16:20) Anticipating the Downside

How students often identify ethical risks in technologies even experts miss.

(00:18:49) Creativity and Leadership

Why leaders need creative problem-solving and entrepreneurial thinking.

(00:19:42) Teaching Leadership

Cultivating leadership through values-driven education and training.

(00:21:01) Combatting Leadership Stereotypes

Creating diversity cohorts to show leadership comes in many forms.

(00:22:58) How to Engineer Your Own Luck

Outlining the differences between fortune, chance, and luck.

(00:25:50) The Micro-Decisions of Luck

How consistent effort and initiative lead to perceived “luck.”

(00:27:34) Conclusion

Connect With Us:

Episode Transcripts >>> The Future of Everything Website

Connect with Russ >>> Threads / Bluesky / Mastodon

Connect with School of Engineering >>>Twitter/X / Instagram / LinkedIn / Facebook

Best of: Training the next generation of entrepreneurs

The Future of Everything