Leadership Lessons from Fortune 40 Under 40

Reference: 5 things to learn from this year's 40 under 40 | Fortune.  These are your lessons, discuss.

IBM Transforms for the Future

(a) Never protect the past; (b) never define yourself as a product (and never define yourself by your competition, either); and (c) reinvent relentlessly are IBM CEO Ginni Rometty's guiding principles for transforming a company.  They apply for individuals and countries as well.  She has been under some fire for the lackluster performance of a storied US company, but she sounds determined, cheerful and confident through it all.  I commend her, because after Google, I believe IBM is a major leader for our technology future.  Their smarter planet campaign was terrific, as they played up Big Data and analytics in for a stretch.  But their vision on artificial intelligence and sentient robots makes me feel like IBM can actually pull off what her technology and entrepreneurial predecessors could not. 

Google Leads on Technology Innovation

Gmail has been my personal e-mail platform for years, and Google has become the verb for search.  I am active on Google+ and YouTube, and my Samsung Galaxy Note operates on Android.  Google Maps helps me navigate my surroundings, while Blogger helps me navigate the interiors of my ideas, projects and aspirations.  Google News is the default page for my browser, which used to be Chrome, by the way, except it was fighting with Windows 8, apparently, so I switched to Firefox.  It must be clear by now that I am a Google Guy.  This short clip on Larry Page tells in a nutshell why I think Google leads the way for technology innovation.  Page & Co. have long solved The Innovator's Dilemma by (a) having a highly successful business model, centered on search; (b) creating a structure and schedule where staff can roam and pursue ideas; and (c) deploying the closely guarded Google X where more diverse, radical innovations are being hatched.

Be Judicious and Strategic with Cash

Whether on furniture or taxes, be judicious and be strategic about how to spend your entrepreneurial cash.

"Aha" Moments are not Always Moments

There's more than one way to get to the top of Mt. Fuji, they say: Same with becoming an entrepreneur.

Entrepreneurs cut the grain from those who see themselves in jobs and career, but their aha moments may not always be moments.

Entrepreneurs Inspired, Entrepreneurs Inspiring

It is our responsibility to disrupt, to laugh in the face of conformity, to create our own reality.

So this little bit from Entrepreneur is simply a take off on those iconic Think Different commercials from Apple.  But it is still quite inspirational.  Entrepreneurs can be a peculiar, obnoxious lot, but they shoulder a lot and they move the needle.