The Zócalo
The Zócalo is what locals call the main square in Mexico City, although its real name is Plaza de la Constitución (Constitution Square). It wasn’t named after any of the Mexican constitutions that have governed the country, but rather after the Cádiz Constitution signed in Spain in 1812. It came to be known as the Zócalo because plans were made to erect a column there as a monument to independence, but only the base, or zócalo, was ever built.
According to IE Business School Prof. Manuel Bermejo, family businesses form the base of any economy. He tells us that oddly enough most of the big companies we all know are still family businesses.
As IE Law Prof. Justin Swinsick says in the introduction to this video, Prof. Bermejo speaks from experience because he himself was born into a family business. He’s always on the lookout for opportunities to generate value, and he’s one of those people who speaks passionately about what he does, a true champion of family entrepreneurs.
Yips
When I first talked to Entrepreneurship Professor Julio de Castro back in July about shooting this video, he was very enthusiastic until the moment I mentioned the yips. Nobody talks about that, he said, it’s just bad luck. Well, after a bit of to-ing and fro-ing, he finally agreed to do it.
Yips or the yips is the loss of fine motor skills without apparent explanation in one of a number of different sports. Athletes affected by the yips demonstrate a sudden, unexplained loss of previous skills.
In golf, the yips is a movement disorder that most-commonly interferes with putting. The term yips is said to have been popularized by Tommy Armour—a golf champion and later a golf teacher—to explain the difficulties that led him to abandon tournament play. The technical term is focal dystonia.
Check out what Prof. de Castro has to say about yips, golf, and entrepreneurs.
Take Me Way Up
I’ve known Entrepreneurship Professor Max Oliva for some years now, and he’s always struck me as someone who stands out from the rest for one reason or another. When I first knew him it was because I thought he was insultingly young for what he was doing and saying. My mistake, of course, because he always gave due and intelligent consideration to everything and knew exactly what he was talking about. More recently, it was because when I proposed to him that we shoot this video he immediately said that he would like it to be about skydiving.
Well, as you know, parachuting, or skydiving, is the action sport that involves exiting an aircraft and initially letting gravity take its course as you plummet towards earth, and then using a parachute to slow down the latter part of the descent. Well, the older I get the more I enjoy more earthly pleasures, so I confess that I didn’t have the guts to jump with him. I did, however, get to share in the excitement all the way.
Enjoy his beloved Mexico, the impressive skydiving shots, and everything he has to say about skydiving and entrepreneurship.
Viva Mexico!!!
Snow Woman
IE Business School Prof. Conchita Galdón talking about Social Entrepreneurship while skillfully skiing.
Cherchez la femme is a French expression which literally means “look for the woman.” If I had to look for Entrepreneurship Prof. Conchita Galdón, I don’t think I would ever get hold of her. You only have to watch her ski to know what I am talking about.
The expression was coined by Alexandre Dumas in the novel The Mohicans of Paris, in 1864, and offers a succinct definition of any piece of detective pulp fiction, namely that no matter what the problem is there is usually a woman behind it. In the world of cinema it has come to refer to explanations that are always based on the same root cause, no matter what the problem is. Anyway, don’t get me wrong. There was no problem with Prof. Conchita Galdón, apart from finding it impossible to keep up with her without the help of skilful and friendly ski instructor Jorge Sánchez-Seco, who you’ll see at the beginning of this video.
Prof. Galdón is thoughtful and conscientious as a researcher, as she is focused on helping people. She co-founded Puentes Global which uses the power of social entrepreneurship to help individuals and organizations make the most of their international mobility experience. She studied economics, holds a Master’s Degree in Public Administration and International Development from Harvard, and is real fun.
She said that “nothing beats nature”. That’s definitely one to remember!
Talking Luxury
Maria Eugenia Giron, Prof. of Entrepreneurship in luxury & creative business talks about the luxury industry and the Japanese concept of beuty “Wabi Sabi”.
There’s a Japanese proverb that says that the person who makes poor quality goods is worse than a thief, because he makes things that neither last nor provide true satisfaction, while a thief at least redistributes wealth in society. Well, when it comes to quality Prof. María Eugenia Girón knows everything there is to know.
Here she speaks about luxury and perfection, while touching on the ancient and intriguing Japanese Wabi Sabi concept of beauty, which is about seeking beauty in the imperfections found in all objects. As you might know, the aesthetic values of Wabi Sabi have inspired a great many aspects of Japanese culture, including the tea ceremony, flower arranging, haiku, garden design, and noh theater.
Prof. Girón has many sides and talents. She holds a degree in industrial engineering and is a Harvard MBA graduate. She has also studied art, worked as CEO of Carrera & Carrera, is a member of a large number of boards, including that of Oceana, and also she is the Executive Director of the Premium & Prestige Business Observatory etc. etc. But most of all she is just a really nice person. What else can I say?
P.S. Prof. Girón is the author of the book “Inside Luxury”.
