“Ideas are powerful but you have to believe that they can become something more.”

This past week, I had the opportunity to attend a few of the sessions at Chicago Ideas Week. CIW is a meeting of the minds from some of the world’s greatest leaders and thought provokers to ignite passion from the participants. Each year over 30,000 people attend talks to discuss various topics ranging from education and politics to food and entrepreneurship. Attending graduate school in the business hub of a city as Chicago presents opportunities as this to expand interests in areas that may not be directly addressed in class. As if you were there to catch all the golden nuggets of advice, I have a few takeaways from my experience here.

A view of the CIW 2016 stage.

Being in the Entrepreneurship and New Business Creation class has shown me that I can take my idea to the next level and start to implement it. I have always been an ideas person, but not one of much action on all of my fanciful ideas. Chicago Ideas Week came up at the right time, igniting a passion in me to take action on my vision to change the world. The graduate level course of Entrepreneurship, taught by program alumnus, Jason Stephens, has proven to be beneficial for budding entrepreneurs, giving them an opportunity to expand their established businesses or flush out new ideas. I have personally found the course to be helpful in focusing in on my services and target market. Additionally, it introduced me to Future Founders.

Future Founders, another Chicago-based organization, provided me with free tickets to CIW. Future Founders is an organization dedicated to providing youth with the opportunities to explore entrepreneurship and the resources to be successful. As one of the many perks of being on their email list, I was able to obtain tickets for CIW. Check out Future Founders for entrepreneurship resources if you are a student.

Chicago Ideas Week was hosted at the Cadillac Palace Theater, bringing 34 events to the community with 15 of them being talks. Under the theme of, “Which ideas will activate you?” I attended three talks titled: Unlocking Genius, Business in Motion, and Leadership. Each talk brought it’s own set of valuable advice and encouraged me to act on my dreams.

Chicago Ideas Week at Cadillac Palace Theater. October 17-23, 2016.

Unlocking Genius exposed the fact that we are all geniuses in our own way. The ways by which we choose to be creative allow us to “see the targets that no one else can.” The host, Graham Moore, discussed the different types of geniuses as explained in his book, The Last Days of Night. Of ideas, there is the craftsman (the expert and perfectionist), the salesman (the most notable for his reputation more so than the idea) and the idea man (the one satisfied with creating the idea in itself). As the panelist contributed to the conversation, they fell into these categories, sharing with us the key to their creative success. Annette Gordon-Reed discussed Thomas Jefferson and his passion to build a better nation. Olympian Allyson Felix informed us of her constant self-challenging and appreciation for the competitive world. Award-winning Brian Grazer clued us into the importance of curiosity to get ahead, while the Pulitzer prize-winner, David Turnley discussed his passion to display humanity through the camera lens. The whole conference was a whirlwind of talent and great opinions, all inspiring others to reach their potential.

Live drawn session recap by InkFactory.

Business in Motion shifted the focus to full corporate entities, rather than the successes of individuals. Although the conversation centered much around charismatic leaders, they all had a servant leader’s heart with a dedication to intrapreneurship and innovation. The reoccurring theme I noticed from this talk surrounded around enhanced customer experience. In a world where industries are saturated with many businesses and different business models, it is important to keep the customer at the core. Most speakers referenced customizing the customer’s experience and looking to other industries to solve your own problems.

Lastly, I attended a talk about leadership that quickly turned into a conversation around government and the increased importance for the masses to be involved in their government to make it work for them. There was a diverse group of perspectives from Nigeria to Chicago, championing their passions. In the end, they all exemplified one of the most recognized traits of leadership: selflessness. Each and every discussion addressed the need being met through their work, rather than the successes of the people. This session had to be the most impactful for me, reminding me why I am interested in working in the non-profit sector. The same goes for the arts as well. Our work in the arts and entertainment industry is very emotional, mission-driven and focused. Selflessness allows leaders to reach their goal and influence many people.

Enjoying my last session at CIW with department faculty, Beth Ryan, and classmates.

Overall, the Chicago Ideas Week really encouraged me to activate the world around me. This conference is definitely a movement that has to be experienced first-hand. I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for motivation to chase their dreams and explore new ideas. CIW is a true gem for the city of Chicago and one of the few perks we have as Columbia College Chicago students to take advantage of.

For a full listing of the speakers, visit this page. There are also videos of past talks (this year’s TBA) and membership details to Chicago Ideas on their site.