Cultivating a Global Village
Today I participated in Lehigh University’s Global Village program run by the Iacocca Institute. It brings together well over 100 students, many of whom are in their twenties, for a 6 week learning experience every summer from every corner of the globe – Russia, China, Israel, France, Brazil – pick a country and it is more likely to be represented than not.
I was met and interviewed by participants from Nigeria and Georgia, who then developed a thoughtful introduction for me. I spoke for just 10 minutes on the topic of building good partnerships, whether for a startup, a non-profit, or even an initiative within a company. I talked a bit about the why, what, and how. Then myself and 4 other executives each went to different rooms and the students were able to get two 90 minute sessions with each of us, with approximately 20 students in a session. We talked in greater depth about the topic but also anything else on their mind.
This was a fun day as they had thoughtful and engaging questions. I hope to return next year.