A Summit, A Podcast, and Another Day In Quarantine…

Today’s newsletter is going to be a little different, as I am nearing the end of my 10-day quarantine (I tested positive for COVID last week), and have not totally recovered just yet. But there are a few things that I wanted to share.

“Dreams and Details” Summit?

On May 5th and 6th, Idonea is producing the inaugural ‘Dreams and Details’ summit. Over the course of two days, we will be speaking with visionary leaders across multiple industries, all of whom are reimagining their institutions in an effort to build a more democratic and sustainable future. Please see here for more information, and here to register.?

The event is free and virtual, and the lineup is incredible. Each of our panels is themed around different forces shaping the business landscape, from cleantech to automation to the stakeholder capitalism movement, featuring executives from Siemens and Amazon, thought leaders from Yale and NYU, and innovators from the U.N. and World Economic Forum.???

We’re proud to be producing this event in partnership with Rise, created by Barclays.?

“Commonality vs Agreement”

Sitting in prolonged isolation this week has given me way too much time to follow the Elon-Twitter drama, and while I’m not yet sure where the chips will fall, I can safely say that the conversation around the possible acquisition is, like all of the worst Internet conversations, zero-sum. Free speech absolutism vs. thoughtful moderation; one man’s private business vs. a publicly traded company. It’s a lot of either/or talk, and in that way, it reminds me of a lot of the worst of web3 Twitter: “This is the future of the Internet!”; “No, it’s a Ponzi scheme”, etc.?

The best decisions I’ve ever made have come from embracing nuance. The worst have all been from thinking in zero-sum terms. Life is lived–and careers are formed–in the gray areas.?

I recently spoke with Rob Napoli, host of “The Bear Necessities Podcast”, about the importance of embracing nuance and, yes, leaning into the gray areas when building a career in innovation. When you’re launching something new, whether it’s a startup business or you’re building within an existing firm, your job is to inspire your team with a shared dream–and in order to do this, you need to focus on what you and your colleagues have in common, not on what divides you. The world doesn’t work like an Internet squabble. Without first finding commonality, there is no ultimate agreement.?

Rob and I addressed this idea early on in our conversation. We also talked about why a nonlinear professional journey is so valuable, entrepreneurship vs. intrapreneurship, the necessity of failure, and much more over the course of a 2-part discussion that was, frankly, one of the most fun podcasts I’d ever participated in. Have a listen here. ?

‘2030 Leadership’ Interview Series

Next week, we kick off our interview series with a leader who is reimagining how thousands of residents of her city can experience financial freedom via the help of a basic income guarantee. If we are to address the interconnected challenges looming at decade’s end, we will need to design a model for economic prosperity that accounts for a post-COVID, digitized and rapidly automated society. And that’s exactly what they’re doing in Hudson, New York…

Enjoying what you're reading? Well, you’re in luck! On May 5th and 6th, Idonea is hosting our first-ever ‘Dreams and Details’ summit. You can attend this virtual event from anywhere in the world. Just sign up via the link below. Registration is free, but the spots are limited. Register here:?https://lnkd.in/e5WPb8_3?