Empreendedorismo e Estratégia Educacional

KM BRASIL 2011 (Otober 5ty, 6th 7th, 2011

2011-11-07T02:13:00.000-08:00

Working at KM Brazil 2011 was a learning experience! We were hired to work as interpreters for the three international keynotespeakers: Jay Cross, Nick Milton and Bob Boiko. Knowledge Management is a subject of interest, and this was a motivational factor that contributed to our enthusiasm when searching for their videos on the Internet. We had received some of their presentations beforehand, but if there was something we can say that was crucial for the job’s success, it was the interaction they all made possible.

Jay Cross is the Johnny Appleseed of informal learning. He wrote the book on it. He was the first person to use the term eLearning on the web. Since designing the first business degree program offered by the University of Phoenix (www.jaycross.com), he has challenged conventional wisdom about how adults learn. He talked about informal learning, how it happens in our lives and inside organizations. We met Jay shortly before his talk, but we had already found videos where he spoke about informal learning.

Compared to formal training offered by organizations, which follows rigid programs, informal learning is a new way of creating innovation and it happens through good management (managers). Companies should also be more aware of the influence of WEB 2.0 and how will continue to grow as the great converser of human beings. There is an acceleration of knowledge sharing and knowledge availability, which is more conducive to informality (web jam, feeds, wikis, blogs, tweets, social bookmarking…). It seems there is an evolution here. These activities are flexible, based on a self-service platform (text from the presentation) and there are plenty of them. It seems people will have to assume more responsibility for their own learning. After all, in Jay’s own words, “People can train you but they cannot learn you”.

Nick Milton is a director and co-founder of Knoco Ltd - a Knowledge Management consultancy comprised of seasoned knowledge management practitioners, mentors, and coaches. Knoco Ltd has been delivering successful and sustained Knowledge Management implementation to clients since 1999. Nick Milton focused on showing us how to create an organizational culture to support knowledge management. It is important to understand that sharing knowledge and asking questions can be met with resistance due to many factors. Employers/Employees wonder whether implementing knowledge management will represent a burden to their day jobs. The counter argument to this view is quite simple. It is important to seek, share and re-use knowledge for the good of the organization, but the best tools in the world will not work if people really don’t want to use them. There is an urge to change knowledge emphasis inside the organizations and it can only be done by taking into account the individuals that work in them and are part of them. The old culture considers knowledge a personal property or advantage. People can perceive new knowledge as a threat to their own knowledge and admitting ‘I don’t know’ can be thought of as a sign of weakness.

Shifting to the culture of “we know”, perceiving knowledge as collective or community property and advantage, will make the same individuals feel that sharing knowledge helps them, that new knowledge improves personal knowledge and that admitting “I don’t know” is the first step to learning. Nick Milton also showed a video (leadership from a dancing guy – available on YouTube), which was a successful way of showing how to create a movement and how following great ideas is important for implementing or creating something new. The role of the leader treating his followers as equals and being easy to follow – even instructional - is very important. But without followers no movement is created, and leadership has been over-glorified. All people in the organization are important for the creation of a culture that supports knowledge management. Nobody should be left apart.

Boiko is the founder and president of Metatorial Services Inc., and is a faculty member of the University of Washington Information School. Bob has sat on many advisory boards and is the recipient of many awards including the 2005 EContent 100 Award for leadership in the content management industry. He is author of two editions of "The Content Management Bible" and "Laughing at the CIO: A parable and Prescription for IT Leadership". Bob is internationally known for his lectures and workshops.

Bob Boiko presented the theme ‘Social Media and Information Strategy’. He linked the concepts very intelligently. Presenting the importance of information and how it can and should be developed strategically, he was able to show that social media and its applications should be included in a company’s strategy. If we deliver the right information to the right people in the right way, it will help us meet our goals! In order for any information strategy to succeed it is important to know the company’s user. Some people are speaking (creating information), others are ‘listening’ (consuming information), some are responding, and others are repeating. Whenever choosing your social media channels (facebook, twitter, Wikipedia, Linkedin, blogs, etc), align your company strategy to your user’s behavior: inform listeners, facilitate responders, promote speakers and supply repeaters. The importance of information strategy is the same as any strategy. We need to find out how to use our key resources to meet our goals. To use social media in a strategic way we need to know our target public user behavior. Although the three key-note speakers spoke about different topics, they all complemented one another - a great contribution for the Brazilian Society of Knowledge Management. We all left very motivated to create, share and learn!

Second Amcham Administrative Assistant Lecture in Englsih

2011-10-21T11:59:00.000-07:00

Administrative Assistants have a very exciting professional life nowadays. They delegate, prepare presentations, manage projects, plan events and conferences, train and supervise staff and are the gatekeepers for access to the Executive Boards of companies.

On October 20th we had our second Administrative Assistant meeting at Amcham (Curitiba) in English. We started talking about all the activities they perform and the importance of information and knowledge in their personal and professional lives. Much of what we know has been learned informally through experience, but knowledge management plays a very important role inside organizations. If we think about training and delegating, it would add a lot to the quality of our professional and home lives (can you imagine kids that actually helped with the housework?). What is news is that there is a lot more available in the market, WEB 2.0 came and is here to stay, and we are being led to improve our skills and become more responsible for our own learning.

We also talked about leadership and saw a video that Nick Milton shared at KM Brasil 2011 (you can find it at You tube - Leadership from a dancing guy). It shows how a movement is created in 3 minutes, the role of the leader and the role of the first followers; the importance of embracing followers as equals and the courage of both the leader and the follower. Actually, leadership has been over-glorified. In the end, there would be no leader without followers. The power of change is always in the hands of the ones who stand out in the crowd and dance, together.

Then, we had a look at the companies. Interested in increasing turnover and retaining knowledge, they push a lot of tools and theories on to their staff in an attempt to improve their management. The problem is that the best tools will not work if people are not willing to use them. A shift in organizational culture is what would make the difference. The shift from “my” knowledge to “our” knowledge, from “keeping” to “sharing”, from “being afraid of showing weaknesses” to “asking questions”. Asking and sharing is the first step towards learning. And this was what really made all the morning’s work rewarding: all agreed that despite not being an easy task, this was a path worth following.

The New kind of Administrative Assistant

2011-08-29T12:49:00.000-07:00

Our first English Lecture for the Executive Secretary Committee at Amcham was a success. We intend to repeat it and present topics for discussion and interaction so as to promote networking, desirable skills and fluency in English.

Nowadays, the so called "secretárias executivas" in Brazil can decide for an upgrade in their status in the companies, as they assist managers and CEOs entering in the global market. They can play the role of a business facilitator, being able to communicate in different languages and understanding cultural differences. There is, in fact, a demand for this pro-active employee who is able to translate their bosses and companies. Intraentrepreneurial skills, in fact. Entrepreneurs who act inside organizations. Caroline and Flavia at On The Road and Cenira at CNH are very good examples of this kind of professional. They are up-to-date and always searching for new opportunities of interaction.

A bit about Entrepreneurship....

Studies made on Entrepreneurship show that people can be taught how to develop the desired profile of an Entrepreneur, which means having an assertive an assertive and self-motivated attitude towards their goals and objectives. One characteristic of an Entrepreneur is internal locus of control. entrepreneurs believe they are not simply pawns of the environment where they are inserted, but rather, that the outcome of events and situations are susceptible to intervention. In other words, that they have the skills and capacity to intervene effectively in certain situations or influence events.

A window to discussion and participation:

I would like to ask the participants to post about their experience and what they would like to discuss in our next meeting! You can also post a bit about yourselves, like photos and interests!

9 JUNHO 2011

IN ENGLISH - Contrua seu futuro

O primeiro encontro em inglês será uma oportunidade de melhorar sua fluência e aprender mais a respeito das vantagens competitivas da carreira na área deSecretariado Executivo. A nova secretária executiva é aquela preparada para encarar responsabilidades extras e que não se importa em correr alguns riscos. Sendo assim discutiremos sobre esse setor de negócios e às oportunidades que existem nesse campo tão exigente.

LIANE GRASSI
On the Road
Mestre em Administração Estratégica pela PUC Paraná. Foi professora do curso deSecretariado Executivo e Relações Internacioniss na Universidade Tuiuti. É fundadora e administra a On The Road Curso de Idiomas desde 1993.

PRESIDENTE
Dâmaris Feld

An innovation is the successful commercialisation of an invention

2011-08-29T05:56:00.000-07:00

On August 26th, I worked as an interpreter (English-Portuguese) for C2I at Cietep. It was about LCI (Low Cost Innovation). Frank Wagner and Flavius Sturm from Fraunhofer Institute for Engineering, in Stuttgart, Germany presented many case studies and some methodologies. The Value Curve, the Morphological Box, Story Tree, Core, Target Cost, Lotus Blossom and Kano proved to be very useful tools when deciding for innovative products to be introduced in an ever changing market. As it was a workshop, the participants could use the tools to create solutions and alternatives: different brand of wine, an alternative dinner and an electrical bicycle.

The Story Tree called my attention for its metaphoric quality, and therefore, educational properties. Comparing a business solution to a tree, you can imagine the soil, the branches, the weather it will be exposed to and the fruit it can bear. Fascinating concept! Not only organizations could benefit from that, but schools, teaching children how to think business.

And some tips....

When is the right time to think of LCI?

• you see that certain customers are unhappy with the current (high price) market offerings (“Our customers are going for cheaper alternatives…”)

• you feel that there are potential future customers, who cannot afford the current products.
(“This could be interesting for… if only…”)

• the current products offered on the market are quite homogenous and/or come in extremes.
(“There is only… or…, nothing in between.”

Be innovative ... and make do!!!!

You can find more information about the Institute at www.rdm.iao.fraunhofer.de

...and if you have any experience on innovation to share, please do!

Working in an event like #CICI2011 is pure adrenalin.

2011-05-27T11:27:00.001-07:00

Working in an event like CICI is pure adrenalin. We knew it would be a challenge to organize the translation

of a large number of events*. There were 12 of us interpreting (translating to andfrom English and Spanish) and three additional staff members

, who struggled to organize the logistics that wo

uld allow us to deliver the best possible work over four gruelling, twelve-hour days.

Interpreting Theodore Gordon, Fritjof Capra and Nicholas Christakis was both an honour and a challenge, and there were high expectations of our work. We also interpreted talks and lectures about digital networks, social media, ETC twitterers meetings, urbanism, coolworking, architecture and design, green cities, and sustainable solutions. Unfortunately, it is impossible to write about everything but this is an attempt to p

resent our view of some of the best moments of thinking the Web of Life.

The conference opened with Jaime Lerner emphasizing that interpersonal communication should be simple and that the same principle applies to u

rban solutions. He suggested that it is possible to bri

ng about concrete improvements in a city over a three-year period. We had watched his TED presentations and he was very consistent in his line of thought and with his imaginative examples: thinking of the city as a turtle, considering

the electric dock-dock car, and the role of the automobile and public transportation. He took the audience for a ride through

a near future of great possibilities. For those who would like to know what the dock-dock is and to know more about his ideas, have a look at this page:www.ted.com/talks/jaime_lerner_sings_of_the_city.html

The first major lecture, held by Theodore Gordon, was a great surpris

e! The audience was introduced to an extremely optimistic eighty-year old, interacti

ng with his audience enthusiastically through a live videoconfere

nce. Theodore spoke about the latest advances in

technology and biotechnology with promise to improve our quality of life. He demonstrated how small the Earth can be, pointing out that happiness is

what you make of your life, and that technology’s role is to facilitate this.

On the third day, twitterers crowded rooms and it was a great surprise that their association (ETC) was urging its members to have physical meetings once in a while, and stressing the importance of doing this. Fernanda Musardo conducted their meeting as if it was a non-stop orchestra, recreating twitt

er communication with pen and paper. In his presentation, Gil Giardeli showed the audience the power of p

oetry, and Luli Radfather gave an impeccable presentation on “ Where are social networks taking us?”. So

mething to be remembered from Luli's presentation: “we are living in crazy times. Imagine riding a motorcycle and trying to observe all the details. It is impossible! We have to focus on the path”- ON THE ROAD ahead…

Everybody says good things about our dear city of Curitiba, but we ca

nnot pretend that Curitiba has no flaws. Rodrigo Rocha Loures pointed out that despite Curitiba being considered a model city, its carbon emissions are too high – we would need two planets to absorb the carbon emissions that would be generated if all cities were like ours. We can be proud, but we

must be realistic - we have a long ROAD to travel and education will play a fundamental role in bringing about change.

Capra attracted a great number of fans, dedicated followers and admirers. His holistic view of networks is the expression of truth: we will never guarantee our existence or improve our quality of life if we disregard human

relationships and the interactions that take place in nature's processes. One of the main intuitions of his systemic thinking was the percept

ion that networks are unified patterns of life. We do not need to invent sustainable communities from scratch. Instead we can mirror ecosystems, e. g. sustainable communities of vegetables, animals and plants, which are all already here, in our “household". And how can we do it? Awareness should begin in childhood, through ecoliteracy,

through understanding the principles of the organization of ecological communities and using those principles for the creation of sustainable human communities. www.ecoliteracy.org

Christakis made the last presentation and it was a great finale for the conference. We had seen his TED presentation as well, and knew about his research on the hidden influence of social networks, which is fascinating. He reminded us that human behaviour cannot be taken for granted, changeable at the same speed as new technologies. Some dimensions of our behaviour are inbuilt. Some people are outgoing, others are introverted, but we still have a few best friends, independently of our 1000 “friends” on facebook. What we do have is a huge virtual network, which offers non-stop access to information - but this does not make us so different to our ancestors when we

talk about real networks. Eventually, network power is potentialized in the idea of the seedling – what we plant is what grows…and it is the ties between people that make the whole greater than the sum of the parts. So, what if we plant goodness?

More about his book and research athttp://www.ted.com/talks/nicholas_christakis_the_hidden_influence_of_social_networks.html

When I look back at the event I see a great complex network of people being entertained and stimulated to think differently, and an event where knowledge management was running information cars on a rollercoaster of entrepreneurship education.

Translating the event was a challenge worth tackling!

Liane Grassi

*On The Road was responsible for most of the interpreting during the conference, with some other companies also involved.

Educational Entrepreneurship and Technology

2011-02-28T06:48:00.000-08:00

Today, due to the new competitive landscape, Educational Institutions are forced to loosen their ties to solid educational tradition and join the new fads: technology, new gadgets, social media....

But is that (that) bad?... or (that) good? What lies under this (un)comfortable feeling? Are teachers the way we know going to disappear? Are students going to rule and exert authority over methodology and teaching subjects? Where is the resistance grounded?

It is a good opportunity to think over concepts we have been boasting all around. Let's start with entrepreneurship, for example. All the talk about creative destruction (Shumpeter), risk tolerance, perseverance, innovation can be put in practice when buying technology (a smart board, for example), bringing internet and social network to the classroom, walking the long path of distance learning. We knew it was coming... are we ready to go? It is about time we recognize we have to learn while doing, everything is changing and so will we.

A new world is already here and it unfolds at every step we take towards its demands, every single question we bring to the table: what strategies can we search to motivate teachers to leave their comfort zone? And social network? what do we actually know about it? who uses facebook, tweeter, blogger, foursquare....? Are all students into it? Can we reach them with social media?

Checking one more concept: what is social network? social network is an internet tool that allows the reader to engage with the writer or with an online community and in public .....okay...

So it takes us back to the market. First of all, our internal market: Who are our teachers? Who are our students? What are their needs? What communication sources have they been using? What risks are we (decision makers) prone to take? ....hum... it is not all unknown. Innovation is not trowing all we know in the bin and start from the scratch. We KNOW, we've learned that education is an ongoing practice, we are educators. Knowledge is the fuel of decision making. We cannot close our eyes to the past and cannot dare to do it to the future. The path ahead is the one of innovation, passion and education. We decided to keep going and we are enjoying it!

Links:

http://www.ontheroadidiomas.blogspot.com/

Have a look: great presentation using technology, 200 years in 4 minutes: http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_thelookout/watch-200-years-of-history-in-5-minutes

Tropa de Elite 2 - The Elite Squad 2

2010-10-18T13:43:00.000-07:00

Ontem assisti Tropa de Elite 2, crítica acirrada ao Sistema, verdade escancarada na frente de todos! O povo aplaude quando termina o filme e fiquei pensando: aplaude o quê? A liberdade de expressão? A possibilidade de existirem pessoas com capacidade de lutar por seus ideais a qualquer custo? ..Ou o alivio que proporciona o político e o policial corrupto irem virtualmente parar atrás das grades ? "Ainda vai demorar muito para as coisas mudarem", anuncia o protagonista pressentindo a resistência à mudança de um povo acomodado nas poltronas do cinema e do poder, acumulado pelo "Sistema" .

Tenho falado muito sobre como trabalhar nossos sonhos... mas às vezes precisamos encarar alguns pesadelos também.

O filme, e ótimo! A atuação de Wagner Moura, excellente !

I saw The Elite Squad 2, hard criticism on the "System", the truth on everybody's faces! People clap and sheer in the end of the movie and I wonder: What are they cheering for? Free expression? The existence of people who are able to fight for their ideals at any price?...Or the relief we feel when corrupt politicians and policemen are virtually arrested? "Things will not change soon", announces the main actor who forecasts the resistance to change of a population comfortably seated in the movie theatre and in power, pilled up by the "System".

I have been talking a lot about how to work and develop our dreams... it seems we need to face some of our nightmares, though.

The movie is great! Wagner Moura's performance is excellent!

Biodata in English Perfil em Inglês

2010-10-06T07:54:00.000-07:00

Liane Grassi holds a Bachelor’s of Arts and a Post-Graduate degree in Business Management from Unicenp. She holds a Master’s degree of Strategic Business Administration from PUC Paraná. In the UK, she studied at Ardmore School in Maidenhead, did classroom observation of her peers and attended the teacher training course at International House and London School of English in Business English. She was a Teacher of English as a Foreign Language for the International Relations course at Universidade Tuiuti. As a consultant, she assists company to assess their current situation, entrepreneurial potential and helps them redesign their organizational strategies. She focuses on entrepreneurial and learning culture, whereby companies are called to redesign their processes and to take an innovative approach to their features, thus becoming learning organizations. She is also the founder and director of On The Road Curso de Idiomas since 1993. She gives workshops and lectures on Motivation and Educational Entrepreneurship as an associate-lecturer of Oxford University Press, and teaches Business in English courses sponsored by AMCHAM (Brazil-United States Chamber of Commerce).

Why do young companies die? Por que empresas jovens morrem?

2010-09-15T13:42:00.000-07:00

Businesses mortality is one of the favorite subjects of Management magazines, consultancy companies, students and professors. I have come across the same explanations in most articles and discussions on this subject: lack of planning, business knowledge, difficulties in leading with growth and family crisis (when it is a family business) among others. However, risk tolerance and the “illusion” of an easy way of getting wealthy as an entrepreneur are hardly ever mentioned .

I like to allude to dreams as glamorous dragons when referring to entrepreneurship, and do believe our dreams are never plain and do deserve this sort of comparison. But achieving them is hard work; no free lunches; no guarantees of a steady income in the end of the month. I talked to several people who alleged giving up their adventures after six months or a year because the venture was not worth the profit, that they could not make a living out of it. Well, let's analyze it: there is the investment- the venture capital, the market recognition work, the competitors... yes, all should be part of the business plan. But what is the real reason for such instant frustration?

The entrepreneur is, in fact, mythical, famous for being a genius or a lucky person, sort of a Midas who whatever touches turns into gold. Yes, he has vision, takes risks and seizes opportunities, but not everything works just fine. His passion and will of making his dream come true makes him keep going, and even after many failures, he finds himself two jobs, raises some capital to reinvest in his dream and motivates people to join him.

I believe the market lacks entrepreneurship courses rooted in the every day reality of the entrepreneur, where case studies shown will be the ones of the bakery and drugstore at the corner, or about friends and acquaintances that create or are creating success. How did Jefferson's consultancy company was born? How about Felipe and Karen's Mistralis? And Romanha? Vapza?

I know a lot of people and their companies and decided to become a story teller. I will need your help, though. Tell me your stories and I promise I will post and translate them. Let's go international!

"Harlem"

Langston Hughes

What happens to a dream deferred?

Does it dry up

like a raisin in the sun?

Or fester like a sore -

And then run?

Does it sink like rotten meat?

Or crust and sugar over? -

like a syrupy sweet?

Maybe it just sags

like a heavy load.

Or does is explode?

A mortalidade das empresas é um dos assuntos favoritos de revistas de administração, consultorias especializadas, alunos e professores. Tenho encontrado as mesmas explicações na maioria dos artigos e debates a respeito: falta de planejamento, conhecimento do negócio, inexperiência em lidar com o crescimento, crises familiares (no caso de empresas familiares) entre outros. Mas a tolerância ao risco e a ilusão de enriquecer facilmente como empresário são poucas vezes comentadas.

Gosto de me referir aos sonhos como dragões glamorosos quando falo de empreendedorismo, e realmente acredito que nossos sonhos nunca são banais e merecem toda essa pompa. Agora, é trabalho duro, sem muita folga, sem a certeza de faturamento igual todo final de mês. Muitas pessoas com quem converso que desistiram de suas aventuras alegam não ter dado certo pois em seis meses ou um ano ainda não estavam tirando um lucro que valesse a pena. Vejamos: há o investimento inicial, o trabalho de reconhecimento do mercado, os concorrentes... sim, isso tudo poderia fazer parte de um planejamento inicial, mas o que causa tamanha frustração?

O empreendedor é de fato um ser mitificado, que recebe a fama de gênio e sortudo, aquele Midas que em tudo que toca vira ouro. Sim, ele tem visão, corre riscos, aproveita as oportunidades no momento certo, mas nem sempre tudo dá certo. Aquela paixão, o sonho e a vontade de conseguir realizar o sonho é o que o faz prosseguir, e após várias quedas tentar novamente, arrumar dois empregos, levantar um capital extra para reinvestir no sonho, motivar outros e seguir com ele. Acredito que faltam cursos de empreendedorismo mais pautados na realidade do empreendedor, com estudos de casos que contem a história toda: como foi que a loja, a panificadora, a farmácia do bairro surgiram? E a consultoria do Jefferson? O Mistralis do Felipe e da Karen? Resolvi virar uma contadora de histórias, mas pra isso vou precisar da ajuda de vocês. Contem as suas ou as histórias de outros conhecidos. Prometo postá-las aqui e até traduzi-las, já que esse é um blog internacional!...; )

"Harlem"

Langston Hughes

O que acontece quando se adia um sonho?

Ele seca...

como uma passa ao sol?

Ou inflama, como um machucado -

E então purga?

Ele fede como carne podre?

Ou cria uma crosta açucarada -

como um doce açucarado?

Talvez apenas pese

Como uma carga pesada.

Ou explode?

Skills and Competencies

2010-08-01T17:41:00.000-07:00

In an English class, we were discussing the difference in meaning of Skills and Competencies. After some research, we realized that the best explanation would contrast the ability concept (skills) with knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) which would sum up behaviors able to translate the so desired "competencies".
Every day employees face decisions to be taken and have to count on their intuition (knowledge enhanced by their experience), skills and attitude (persistence, risk tolerance, internal locus of control, ...) that will be evaluated by employes and audits . Is it correct to say that the competencies desired by most companies are entrepreneurial ones? And what is in fact being done by educational institutions to meet this demand?

"nenhum vencedor acredita no acaso." Friedrich Nietzsche

" As pessoas me perguntam se posso dizer-lhes como fazer para que seus sonhos se tornem realidade. Minha resposta e: façam-no por meio do seu trabalho." Walt Disney

Dreaming, Rehearsing and Acting

2010-07-27T15:59:00.000-07:00

We used to think that success comes from dreaming first, then establishing the strategic plan. Well, these steps depend on one another. Only dreaming doesn't bring accomplishment and planning requires passion as fundamental for its realization . A third step is necessary to shape an equilateral triangle, though, and that is action. I chose the triangle cause the three steps play equal importance and in this new landscape can not be considered a logical sequence anymore. It is a time when we are demanded to learn how to perform while dreaming....
Like an actor in the film of his life, a successful entrepreneur is the one who dreams, rehearses and acts, apparently all at the same time.

The path

2010-07-19T18:36:00.000-07:00

An entrepreneur faces different life perceptions at the various stages of the path. At half way, anxiety turns into a mild restless and this is because we realize there is not endless time left. Life is short and it can be sweet for certain. It depends on us and our choices. You can be either at the top of your own company or in the pursue of your best profession accomplishment you will wish for more, and get conscious of your inner strength as well as what serves you and what doesn't. Again, the searcher at the very beginning of the path.
Inbox X

2010-04-26T15:05:00.000-07:00

Of Dreams and Dragons.....

Everybody has dreams and ideas. Some are ideas that become dreams,
some are illusions, challenges which are feasible or not. It does not
matter how they are born but what we can do of them. I call mine
dragons, as powerful and threatening, glamorous and charming dragons
can be. Who hasn't fallen for "The last one" in Sean Connery's voice?
Whatever the case, fighting against them is always a mistake. Fire and
smoke... strength and power... they can crush you without warning.
Surrender is not that good either. You can spend a whole life waiting
to see them fly in all their glory and die without any glimpse of it.
The smell of the smoke, the uncomfortable presence of the unknown. The
best solution is to tame the beast. Have you ever imagined yourself
being able to fly the highest skies and being able to see the wonders
of the conquered land?

Two weeks ago, John Carpenter, a friend, recommended me a book called "The Dream Manager", by Matthew Kelly. It is about "thinking" your employees, about commitment and relevance. But it is, most of all, about people and their dreams. It's been ages working and talking to and about people, their uniqueness, source of teachers' and bosses' inspiration and desperation, so different they are! People hold different universes inside: undeniable truth! And if an opportunity to make dreams possible is made available, commitment can be forged. I know skepticism and comfort zone walk together, but having an educator's heart, I keep saying: people are fascinating and able of changing - yes, they are! We cannot make other people's jobs, and motivation is one-self's responsibility, but we can offer opportunities and consulting.
Some sentences from the book:
"The employees know things about our business that we don't know."

"Isn't one of the primary responsibilities of all relationships to help each other fulfill our dreams?"

"Help your employees in the direction of their dreams and you will create the most dynamic environment in Corporate America!"
"Don't be afraid to take a big step if it is indicated. You can't cross a chasm in two small jumps."

Well, let's manage dreams!!!

Non-stop English Immersion - Embrapa Florestas

2009-11-24T16:39:00.000-08:00

It was a great educational experience to format Embrapa Florestas Immersion that took place in Guaratuba, PR. During 10 days, on the weeks of 16th to 30th October and 9th to 13th November a group of 16 people had their English brushed up and got prepared to make presentations in English about their projects, projects that are already ongoing or that will be presented national and internationally. They had lectures and workshops on Climate Change and Global Warming, Forest Market, Sustainability, Entrepreneurship, Leadership, Team work and Presentation Techniques.

It was hard work but the outcome was amazing. You can appreciate some of their presentations and check the quality of the work. I take the opportunite to congratulate all the students and facilitators on their great achievement. You will be able to check details at On The Road's webpage soon: www.ontheroadidiomas.com.br

Empreendedorismo, e daí?

2009-11-24T16:36:00.000-08:00

Gostei muito de participar como uma das palestrantes no evento da Fesp com a palestra "Empreendedorismo, e daí?" Os principais assuntos abordados foram a Desmitificação do Empreendedor e Social Media, a velocidade das informações, o que de fato importa. Tenho conversado com amigos, colegas e alunos a esse respeito e percebo que as questões continuam as mesmas:

Pode-se ensinar Empreendedorismo?
Media Social, qual seu uso real para as empresas?

Nada como histórias reais para elucidar teorias. Sintam-se a vontade para contar suas histórias. Aproveitem para dar uma olhada nos links:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIFYPQjYhv8

http://www.fesppr.br/2008/index.php?ir=ver_noticia&id=1187

I enjoyed the invitation to participate as a Lecturer at FESP event. My talk was " Entrepreneurship, so what?" and the main issues were De-mythifying the Entrepreneur and Social Media : what really matters as information speeds, how should we deal with all that. Talking to al lot of colleagues, friends and students I have realized the main concerns are the same:

Can Entrepreneurship be taught?
What is Social Media's role for business?

Nothing like true stories to bring life to theory. Feel free to tell your stories.

Some inspiring link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIFYPQjYhv8

and FESP's http://www.fesppr.br/2008/index.php?ir=ver_noticia&id=1187

Social Media Convention Oxford- 18th September 2009

2009-09-30T07:55:00.000-07:00

Being able to attend this Convention was a great opportunity. As you can see in the picture, people would twitter or "twitta" (mention to the British accent) during the time the panelists were discussing the evolution, impact and potential of Social Media.

I selected some panelists and participants quotes I'd like to share and discuss with people who are also interested in the subject and possible links to Entrepreneurship Education which it certainly holds.

"If you remove the need to obtain permission people will do exciting things"

Bill Thompson (BBC Billboard)

"If you find yourself in competition to the internet, find your way out"

Richard Sanbrook ( member of BBC's Executive Direction Board and BBC's Journalism Board

"The battle is for attention, anyway!"

Nigel Shadbolt (Artificial Intelligence Professor - University of Southampton)

"It's reconfiguring how we do things, how we communicate to people!"

William Dutton (Director of the Oxford Internet Studies)

and his comment on the popular saying and engineers' view:

"If it ain't broken, don't fix it" versus "If it ain't broken it ain't enough features"

"From all points of society people can be heard."

"If you post at the internet you will be heard - false!"

Matthew Hindman ( professor of political science at Arizona State University)

It seems we are still playing around like Bill Thompson said. The world is in the process of getting smaller through interconnections and infinitively bigger through information access. I have the impression we are recreating our lives, businesses, relations in this other space, in this other media. If values, behaviour, political and social commitments will change due to this new environment or if the new environment is the consequence of its change is open for discussion. What came first?

Social Media, so what?

more information, blogs, webpages:

http://www.markattwood.com/internetmarketing/oxford-social-media-conference/

http://kara.allthingsd.com/20090918/kara-visits-the-oxford-social-media-convention-i-say-twitt-er-you-say-twitt-ah/

http://www.craigbellamy.net/2009/09/21/quick-response-oxford-social-media-convention-2009/

Looking to the future, speakers from industry, media and academia looked forwards to identify the trends and developments which will most likely shape our experience of these technologies in the next ten years.

Plenary Sessions:
- From weblogs to Twitter: how did we get to where we are today and what are the main impacts to date?
- Social media, so what? Assessing the impact of blogging and social media
- Blogging at 20: The future of blogs and social media
Parallel Sessions
- Breaking news: the changing relationship between blogs and mainstream media
- Making science public: data-sharing, dissemination and the public engagement with science
- The growth of the corporate blog
- Parties, campaigns and representation: the political impact of blogs and social media

This Convention was organised in collaboration with the Oxford Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Said Business School."

Website: http://www.oii.ox.ac.uk/events/details.cfm?id=272

51.7441270447 -1.3272786140

http://www.ippr.org/events/?id=3273

Logistics in English

2009-08-24T13:24:00.000-07:00

I would like to thank all my UNERJ Logistics in English students for the opportunity for such a rich info exchange and to tell you that you could show great interpersonal skills, so necessary for progressing not only professionally, but in life. It was great to be with you. I would also recommend the webpage below to keep practicing and learning Logistics in English. I know, I know...I posted it in English....of course! and I know you can read it!

http://www.ubisense.net/content/22.html

Business in English

2009-05-24T17:17:00.000-07:00

Foi realizado em 5 e 6 de maio na Amcham - Curitiba o primeiro módulo de Business in English. Projeto desenvolvido pela On The Road especialmente para executivos e empresários. O feedback foi excelente e o segundo módulo sai agora em Junho. Esses cursos básicos são oferecidos para instituições e empresas que tenham a necessidade de utilizar o Idioma como ferramenta de uso diário, adaptada ao nível em que se encontram seus colaboradores. São apresentadas soluções para o uso do telefone, e-mails, apresentações, viagens a negócios entre outros temas. O contato para maiores informações pode ser feito através do número (41) 32648615 e da web: http://www.ontheroadidiomas.com.br/

Empreendedorismo e Estratégia Educacional: INTRAEMPREENDEDORISMO

2009-03-18T08:17:00.000-07:00

Empreendedorismo e Estratégia Educacional: INTRAEMPREENDEDORISMO

Gostaria de indicar como leitura adicional:

http://blog.guykawasaki.com/2006/01/the_art_of_intr.html

http://blogs.msdn.com/kintan/archive/2006/01/09/510738.aspx

Empreendedorismo e Estratégia Educacional: INTRAEMPREENDEDORISMO

2009-03-18T08:13:00.000-07:00

Empreendedorismo e Estratégia Educacional: INTRAEMPREENDEDORISMO

INTRAEMPREENDEDORISMO

2008-12-01T09:35:00.000-08:00

"Muitas vezes, o conceito de empreender dentro da empresa esbarra na cultura corporativa. Quem consegue derrubar este muro, cria um novo modelo de negócios e uma empresa ágil. (Marcos Hashimoto)"

Em workshop ministrado para os trainees da Bematech, discutimos os dez mandamentos do intraempreendedor segundo Gifford Pinchot e traçamos um paralelo entre o perfil do empreendedor e do intraempreendedor. Muitas idéias, curiosidades e observações foram levantadas e mais uma vez confirmou-se a importância de se considerar a cultura da organização e os indivíduos (únicos) que a compõe. A liberdade, o reconhecimento, o fazer parte, o vestir a camisa são situações desejáveis, porém dependentes da motivação. Sendo a motivação fator de decisão interna, há de se investir em conhecimento e comunicação do cliente interno da organização para se atingir o tão esperado meio inovador interno.

Educação e Sustentabilidade

2008-09-14T08:03:00.000-07:00

A educação, através das Instituições de ensino exerce papel fundamental no comportamento humano. A responsabilidade de um único professor e sua capacidade de influenciar no futuro da humanidade é imensa. Ele não é apenas capaz de inspirar idéias, mas é capaz de direcionar o pensamento crítico na observação e criação de possibilidades, atuando como facilitador na percepção do ser humano de sua realidade, inserido no seu contexto de habitante do planeta azulzinho... De posse de informação, cientes de sua capacidade criativa/destrutiva, os alunos podem ser convidados a apresentar soluções para os diferentes cenários possíveis de que fazem parte.
Considerando as palavras de Thomas Berry em seu livro "The Great Work" - "Of the institutions that should be guiding us into a viable future, the university has a special place because it teaches all those professions that control the human endeavor." e acrescenta que nossas Instituições educacionais devem ter como propósito guiar seus alunos para um relacionamento íntimo com a Terra, porque esse mesmo planeta nos trouxe à existência, nos sustenta e nos encanta com suas maravilhas. É nesse contexto que devemos considerar nossas oritentações econômicas, políticas e intelectuais que nos permitirão preencher nosso desígneo histórico: estabelecer um caminho viável no futuro. É a isso que chamo educação responsável: temos a informação - devemos criar acesso através da educação. As decisões são individuais - os valores, desenvolvidos desde a mais tenra idade. Para que algo possa ser feito na universidade, o conhecimento de nós mesmos como cidadãos, nosso entorno e as conexões causa-efeito do nosso relacionamento com o meio-ambiente devem ser conhecidas e trabalhadas desde sempre. Cidadãos empreendedores de respeito é o que nosso planeta necessita para permanecer sustentável.

Aproveito para indicar um video a respeito da História das Coisas (The Story of Stuff) que ilustra o nível de preocupação que deveríamos ter tanto com a educação como com a sustentabilidade.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3412294239230716755&hl=en

Dêem também uma olhada em "The 11th Hour", um documentàrio produzido e narrado por Leonardo DiCaprio e distribuído pela Warner Brothers

http://www.massivechange.com/

2008-09-06T18:03:00.001-07:00

www.biblioteca.pucpr.br/tede//tde_busca/processaArquivo.php?codArquivo=463 -

Can Entrepreneurship be learnt?

2008-09-06T17:51:00.000-07:00

Studies made on Entrepreneurship show that people can be taught how to develop the desired profile for an Entrepreneur, which means having an assertive and a self-motivated attitude towards their goals and objectives. One of main characteristics of an Entrepreneur is internal locus of control. Entrepreneurs believe they are not simply pawns of the environment where they are inserted, but rather, that the outcome of events and situations are susceptible to intervention. In other words, that they have the skills and capacity to intervene effectively in certain situations or to influence certain events.
When students decide to take a foreign language course, they are certainly aiming at developing or improving their communication skills. They need to meet their needs to develop their abilities in negotiating, presentations, business trips, sales, classes or any REAL situation they are in or are going to get involved with in their personal or professional life. An accurate analysis of the situation, together with a programme designed for their REAL needs, can help them to get prepared, feel motivated and self-confident. Education should take into account the individual and his or her learning process as a facilitator during the student's self-development path where the start up is a vision or dream, and the outcome is achieving it.