Keep Your Antennae Up

When Jesper Kløve, CEO of NNE, a pharma engineering firm in Denmark, discovered his company’s why, it came as a bit of a surprise. He was at a friend’s son’s bar mitzvah, seemingly randomly sitting beside a recent college grad at dinner. Determined to craft a purpose statement that resonated with his team of nearly 1,000 professionals, he decided to interview her about her recent job search process. What he learned reframed how he defines success at NNE.

When Dania Duke, Area General Manager of Davison Hotels in San Diego, stumbled upon an insight that would become a north star for the broader Gaslamp Quarter business district, it came unexpectedly. She was attending a San Diego chamber of commerce meeting when she happened to overhear about how some members of the community did not feel safe in the downtown area due to historic exclusion and poor treatment. That simple, sad statement started the ball rolling on getting over a dozen businesses marshaling resources to create a welcoming environment for the marginalized group.

What struck me about both of these stories is how Jesper and Dania both kept their antennae up, even when they were “off duty.” It’s so easy to compartmentalize our lives, but if we’re willing to keep our ears open, sometimes inspiration shows up in the most unlikely places.

Click here to subscribe to Paint & Pipette, the weekly digest of these daily posts.