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Originally posted in our February 2025 Top of Mind Newsletter. Entrepreneurial and managerial skills may be distinct, but successful leaders know when and how to apply both. This IdeaCast episode explores how leaders who cultivate critical thinking can achieve dynamic stability—balancing innovation with operational execution. Guest Helen Lee Bouygues highlights how critical thinking helps avoid business failures by ensuring that decision-making processes align with reality rather than unchecked assumptions. Entrepreneurs who develop both innovative and managerial…

Originally posted in our February 2025 Top of Mind Newsletter. Innovation thrives when we focus both on the problem we’re solving and on those experiencing the unmet need. This Stanford Online article presents some initial steps for fostering creativity while innovating, which align with key principles of ELI’s Entrepreneurial Opportunity Discovery Process. Like ELI’s approach, it emphasizes the importance of identifying and deeply understanding problems before investing resources while also promoting testing ideas as you go.…

Originally posted in our December 2024 Top of Mind Newsletter. To wrap up the year, I want to point you to Scott Barry Kaufman’s recent Beautiful Minds Newsletter post, “From Trauma-Informed to Adversity Informed.” This piece delves into the concept of shifting our perspective from merely being aware of trauma to actively understanding and leveraging adversity as a powerful catalyst for growth and resilience. By adopting an “adversity-informed” approach, individuals and communities can transform challenges into…

Originally posted in our December 2024 Top of Mind Newsletter. ELI-certified facilitator Ginger Huebner spoke at the 2022 TEDx Asheville on her entrepreneurial idea of fostering connection and empathy through a novel concept: visual art. In this thought-provoking talk, Huebner explores the idea of using visual art as a medium for meaningful expression, helping those who participate unpack emotions that they may have trouble articulating verbally. Ginger now uses this technique in her own work, serving…

Originally posted in our November 2024 Top of Mind Newsletter. In a recent Derby Informer article, ELI contributor Anne Dewvall emphasizes the importance of fostering an entrepreneurial mindset in youth through local events. Rather than solely focusing on business plans, these events should prioritize cultivating attitudes of curiosity, resilience, and innovation. In traditional plan and pitch competitions, the focus is often on the idea rather than the process of discovering a need and testing potential solutions.…