Went to this EA-Tokyo held seminar.
Interesting was the contrast between this two women. Yuriko-san seemed to be an ordinary person who had done and is going to do an extraordinary thing. She was a bit shy, gentle, and mild-hearted. Caroline seemed to be a person who might have done something in any field she decided to be engaged. So detemined with an aura of strong will and desire coming out of her body. Sometimes I had to tell myself this person is not Terrie Lloyd.
Watching these two sitting side by side and giving their stories with a storng sense of partnership, I thought you cannot define somebody is or can be an entrepreneur or not by only looking at the surface. If it was only Caroline at the speech, I might have gotten in the trap thinking entrepreneurship must be natural born, a gift.
The most impressive comment came from Caroline, about her hiring process. “I never look at the details in the resume, never ask who he/she has achieved in the past. It’s not what you can bring to my company. Rather, it is what you would like to do or learn in what condition, and whether I can provide the environment and help you, grow up together.”
After the seminar, for the first time, I took part in the networking session. About 50 people chatting and exchanging information. In the past two seminars at EA-Tokyo, I actually chickened out of this part, mostly because I was afraid of realizing I have nothing to offer, among people who are supposedly full of stories to tell. I just gave it a try to know what I would actually feel and learn – I cannot keep staying in my confortable zone, pretending I am not making any action in order not to embarass others.
Anyway I did have several conversation, and from my point of view, I had learned a great deal of things though I don’t reveal all of them here and everybody is extremelly generous and open-minded, relaxed yet serious. What I could offer anything to other people is still a questionable item and I need to think about it seriously(and there were a couple of moments I knew it wasn’t the right time to talk, but I couldn’t stop myself).
One thing I would like to swear. Someday I might be in the position of giving lecture or sharing my experience to other relatively less-experienced people, like today’s Caroline and Yuriko. Then if someone comes up and asks me stupid questions or telling his/her (relatively) shallow stories, I will treat them as serious as possible, never blushing them off at the first trial. It doesn’t mean somebody treated me in that manner – completely the opposite, and I appreciate their stance at the bottom of my heart.