(unedited)

It is no secret that I am a huge fan of the Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders podcast series presented by an assortment of organizations affiliated with Stanford University.  A saying goes, “If you are the smartest person in the room, then you’re probably in the wrong room.” Well I have no reservations saying, I will never have the title when taking in these talks about business, leadership, and entrepreneurship.

I had the opportunity to listen to a couple on my drive from Indianapolis to Goshen, IN to check in on a client. I had a couple of staff with me on our way to lunch that heard the episode pop on through the car stereo where I left off upon arrival.  This was an episode I was actually listening to for a second time (yes, that good…no, not that confusing to absorb).

This edition of the series highlighted Steve Blank. He has an extremely successful career that could be the subject of graduate level courses.  Serial entrepreneur, professor, coach, and I’m sure more that I’m missing.  He authenticated the methodologies that start up companies and new entrepreneurs use every day.  He was the guy that was smart enough to stop the guessing theory of the “lean start-up” and create an actual framework that has produced some of the most impactful companies since World War II.

The podcast I speak of is Entrepreneurship Strengthens a Nation. This is required listening as you travel over the next couple weeks for the holidays ( I did my first travel last week, and got busy to get this post up…sorry early Christmas celebrators).  It provides an oral history of Silicon Valley starting with government funded contracts for manufacturing radio jammers during World War II.  Then the podcast navigates through the most important people, companies, and events that created the capitalism renaissance that is taking place even currently in the San Francisco Bay Area. Finally, Mr. Blank begins to break down what is the most current uses of the lean start-up framework and how history is beginning to repeat itself with entrepreneurs working to better our nation in defense and diplomacy.

I described this podcast series to the two staff in the car with me that were intrigued by hearing 10 seconds of an out-of-context speech the same way I always do.  “Every episode is great, some are just greater than others.  There’s something to take from every episode, and then there’s others that change the way I think about something.” This episode featuring Steve Blank definitely meets the latter in both respects.