things learned at SXSW

Austin is the coolest place to be for two weeks in March - SXSWedu; SXSWinteractive; SXSWfilm; and of course the grand daddy of them all SXSWmusic.  I spent time this year at SXSWedu and SXSWinteractive where I was actually a panelist along with Richard Rhodes, the President of Austin Community College and Pauline Dow, teh Chief Academic Officer of Austin Independent School District.  The panel was moderated by Nathan green, CEO of Campus2Career. 

 But this blog is not about what I did...it's about what I learned. So here goes:

• I'm smarter than I think I am and there are so many people so much smarter than me.
• Most organizations are behind the curve and it wouldn't take much to move ahead of the pack quickly.
• The government (and most organizations) have people making decision who have no business making decisions because they have never been in the business about which they are making decisions (this was learned after listening to Texas legislators talk about how they are reforming education).
• Higher education is going to look a lot different in the next 5-10 years...not sure what it will look like, but I know the ride is going to be fun.
• I'm pondering the question, "Is it the role of the University to prepare their students for today's jobs - or to prepare them to be leaders in society in the next 20-40 years? (this from President Bill Powers of University of Texas-Austin)
• People today are more interested in experience than ownership, i.e. I will never own a Corvette, but I can have the experience through a weekend rental...and what does that say about what I do on a day-to-day basis?
• Focus, Focus, Focus, Focus...oh, wait - I already knew that!
• Networking is a lifestyle not a process (courtesy of Porter Gale who wrote Your Network is Your Net Worth)
• The funniest man talking about business today is Scott Stratten -watch his videos here.
• Three important assets to have are Programs, Partners, and People
• one of my jobs is to help others (especially students) know that they are smart enough and strong enough to figure it out for themselves.

I could go on and on...much of what I learned I tweeted out through my Twitter account  (my Klout score went WAY up for a week).  But I think that my real learning will occur without me knowing it.  Hanging out and listening to really smart people who are on the cutting edge for 7 days has to have an effect on me...I may just be beginning to understand what I learned and how I changed during my "south by" experience.  It was great - it was fun - I learned a lot - and I'm a different/better person for it.