Micheal Lee and the Innotivity Institute

11/28/20 • 54 min

"Really great questions, and coaches who ask them... these are a few of my favorite things"
A question from Michael in a conversation earlier this week sparked this episode. How do we as coaches work with others to generate great ideas and help them turn that into viable action? Through Innotivity of course. As a bonus Michael coaches me in less than 10 minutes on a real live issue I'm grappling with. Unexpected and totally worth it! You can watch the video version on YouTube here.
There is a giveaway from the Innotivity Institute that you want to take up now. It's towards Giving Tuesday on the 1st of December. Here's some info from Innotivity and a link to register for that.
"HELP ENTREPRENEURS GROW and celebrate “Giving Tuesday” with our interactive and participatory masterclass HOW TO DANCE WITH UNCERTAINTY (for 90 mins on Dec 1 at 6 PM SAST).
The experience will help you transform your anxiety about uncertainty into an up-leveling life tool. You'll take a challenge you're currently struggling with due to uncertainty and find innovative and creative ways to overcome it. Most excitingly, you’ll learn to welcome--and then DANCE with uncertainty - instead of trying to turn it into certainty. After all, both are imaginary.
As a thank you for your participation and generosity, anyone who attends the full seminar will get FREE access to our Innovation Explosion training (a $347 value). But the training will be given not to YOU, but in your name to a young entrepreneur who can’t afford it. You will be tagged and thanked publicly for this generous blessing. It’s your chance to give away something of such high value without having to part with anything!"

Previous Episode

RELEAF - investing in Nigeria #agritech for the long term

This episode on #food was a delight to record.
"Wakanda is not only a whimsical dream. What can we create for the generations that will come after us?"
My guest is Uzo Bailey Ayogu CTO of Nigerian Agritech startup RELEAF. Uzo knows his business and tells great stories. As he says, stories are powerful for shifting mindsets and narratives, which in turn change behaviour. As Uzo told story after story of the first few years growing RELEAF as a business, my hope grew. Grew for their business for sure, but also for Nigeria. We need more young people who will "come home and see what they can do" like Uzo and his business partners Isaiah UDOTONG (CEO) and Ikenna NZEWI (COO).
As I listened to his stories of investing, growing, learning, and doing agribusiness in Nigeria, I was struck by how much grace and goodwill covers what must have been a steep and tough learning curve. And this, more than anything else makes me hopeful about RELEAF and confident that they will see this through to the long term.
In this episode we explore:
Why Food? 3:29
The RELEAF back story 6:37
"Go and see the land" operating principle 7:33, 10:44
There's always a swindler, "shine your eye" 12:11
Sustainable linked economy 15:10
At the end of the day, it's about making strong relationships 19:06
When the factory wins, the community wins 22:35
Advice to young bucks who want to do this too: "the risk is in not taking the risk" 25:45
Partnerships, relationships and building longevity 32:13
Local is lekker: localized industrialization 35:04
Quality, tech-based R&D 40:10
Western saviours and other things that will not work 43:04
Short-termism, mindset, and narrative shifts 44:57
There have been wildly successful and rich black nations 50:12