Innovation Matters: Starting the Conversation in Arkansas
What do you get when you mix a country boy, with a rocket scientist, with an ordained minister, with an entrepreneur, with a community organizer? Maybe you get a hot mess? Maybe you get me? My wife might say there is no difference between me and a hot mess. Hot mess or not, I have the honor and privilege of being all those things, and I would not have been able to do it without the foundation laid here in Arkansas.
Born and raised in Pine Bluff, I spent my fair share of time in Hughes and Stephens/Magnolia. Growing up in the rural South, I spent a lot of time riding dirt bikes, fighting grasshoppers and enjoying grandma’s cooking. It was a modest upbringing and the common threads were family, faith, hard work, and fun. These were threads that my parents wove deep into every fiber of my being.
Statistics stated that I was not supposed to go to Morehouse, but even if I did go to Morehouse, there was no way I was supposed to go work under an astronaut at NASA, attend graduate school at MIT, earn five degrees including a PhD, become a dean at MIT, marry a physician who is a military veteran, manage multimillion dollar projects, start companies, become an ordained minister (okay, maybe that was in the cards), and now run an organization that is transforming innovation and entrepreneurship in Arkansas. It should not have happened. No way.
Somehow it did happen, and as result, I was asked to share my thoughts and experiences, in a monthly series on innovation, entrepreneurship, and what they both mean to Arkansas. So here we are with the first part of a series entitled “Innovation Matters” that will bring to light a number of challenges and opportunities shaping the innovation and entrepreneurial landscape in Arkansas and beyond.
Though this initial piece in the series is laid out differently, in subsequent pieces I will describe relevant problems or challenges as I see them (the situation), make the case as to why it is important to understand or do something about those problems or challenges (the “so what”), lay out a set of potential options for addressing those problems/challenges (the solution), and finally, issue specific calls to action for us (as individuals and groups).
This series is mostly made up of my opinion, so parts of it may rub some people the wrong way and much of it will not be the gospel truth. What this means is that I could very well be wrong in some of what I share. I will do my best to let you know when I am talking facts and when I am only giving my opinion or my guess about something. Doing so will help you know when you need to fact check and when you need to scream at me (or high-five my amazing thinking).
Topics that will be covered in this series include (in no particular order):
- It Ain’t Rocket Science
- A breakdown of innovation and entrepreneurship
- Team Sport or One Man Show?
- A discussion of whether or not you can “go it alone” when seeking to innovate or become an entrepreneur
- Innovation and Entrepreneurship Hiding in Plain Sight
- A peek at how we miss what we are not looking for when it shows up in an unexpected package
- Going Fishing for Innovation and Entrepreneurship
- A critique of the old adage about “teaching a man to fish” and how it relates to innovation and entrepreneurship
- The Intersectionality of Innovation
- An examination of how transformative innovation knows no boundaries and what specifically that means for us
- How Innovation Hubs Can Contribute to Community Transformation
- A dive into how we catalyze innovation in small and medium sized towns throughout the state
- When Innovation and Education Collide
- An exploration of aspects of education that help and/or hinder innovation
- Show Me The Money
- A review of what it takes to fund transformative innovation and what returns we get for that investment
- People’s History of Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Arkansas
- A sharing of the the role that Arkansas has played nationally and internationally in innovation and entrepreneurship
My hope is that this will be the beginning of a real dialogue on what it would take for Arkansas to more fully tap into its enormous potential. My expectation is that I will learn more from you than you will learn from me. When you agree, let me know. When you disagree, let me know and let me know why. If I really get under your skin, we should go to lunch and talk it out. I promise I will be wrong, but I commit to staying engaged and continuing to learn. Let’s have fun and make something special in the process.
If you want to find out more about me and the crazy life I lead, check me out.
Twitter: @cmjones99 | Instagram: @cmjones99 | LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/christopher-m-jones-phd-373bb0
Dr. Chris Jones is the executive director and lead maker of the Arkansas Regional Innovation Hub.
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