My Journey to Leadership

Stonehenge Cabin BWCA Greenwich Ikaria Tokyo

Home (start) IDEO Sayulita Amazon Okavango Delta

Athens Everest NZ Darwin

Tierra del Fuego

Tristn De Cunha

Boab

Beach Pit

KEY

Air Travel Road Trip Boat Trip

Visited Avoid! Future Trip

Home (Start) Final Destination Place of Reflection Point of Interest

Jake Hvistendahl, 12/13/13, Final

Map Points
! "
!"

Home Base Starting Point

I began my journey to leadership at my home in Minnetonka, MN. I find the lakes and natural settings around my home to be a great place to reflect upon my travels and locate new places to visit or avoid in the future. My personal journey to leadership began close to here many years ago, when I started running our family restaurant. I think that on my best days I was a stage three manager, who focused on personal achievement much more than I should have. My journey to leadership will bring me a long way from this place of blissful ignorance.

! "
1."

Natural Spaces - That have influenced my journey to becoming

a creative leader: Our Cabin in the Black Hills - About 12 years ago my father purchased 60 acres on the top of a mountain near Deadwood, South Dakota. At the time there were not even roads to get up there and no amenities to speak of on the mountain. Shortly afterwards, gravel roads were put in to the site and power was run from nearby lines. We then spent the last 10 years or so building small structures from recycled materials to create a semi-sustainable property my dad likes to call 'Hobo Heaven'. We finished our first small cabin (built entirely with help from family and friends) in 2009, and since that time have added the world's nicest outhouse, a rain catchment system, a tree house tent deck, and a covered area for our tools.

Jake Hvistendahl, 12/13/13, Final - Page 2

! "
1."

Natural Spaces Continued

This year we began construction on a 2 story cabin directly next to the existing one. This cabin will have on demand hot water, fed from a cistern underneath the first story, flushing toilets that connect to an underground storage tank, wood siding reclaimed from trees damaged by Pine-bark Beetles, and recycled energy star windows (cast offs from the local lumber store). I have really enjoyed the weeks I have spent out there camping and working. The experience of building these structures from the ground up while being immersed in the natural beauty of the area has really strengthened my ideals surrounding sustainability and my connection with natural systems. Throughout the building process we have relied on the shared expertise of many different people while planning, designing, and building the structure. It has truly been a team effort and the experience has helped to show me how a community of individuals can collaborate to create great things. The Boundary Waters Canoe Area and Wilderness The BWCA has held a special place in my heart ever since my first trip up there as a seven year old kid back in the late 80's. I now try and get up there to go canoeing and fishing at least once every summer. The BWCA is an incredibly pristine environment where access is extremely limited, and motorized vehicles are banned on all but a few lakes and rivers. The area that it covers is so vast that I have only visited the same lake on two or three occasions out my twenty or so visits. I believe that the experience becomes more rewarding the more effort you put into canoeing and portaging (my wife disagrees), because you can get deeper into the wilderness and are more likely to come in contact with wildlife that rarely sees humans. On this years trip, we spotted moose on 3 out of the 4 days we were there. Bald eagle sightings are constant, and the fishing is great! The Boundary Waters inspires me to help conserve natural areas and keep them natural so that someday I might bring my kids there and share with them those same values and experiences. This place is important to my leadership journey, because it represents a last bastion of wilderness that requires our protection and continually reinforces my ideals surrounding sustainability.

2."

Jake Hvistendahl, 12/13/13, Final- Page 3

! "
3."

Natural Spaces Continued

I added New Zealand to this list because it remains my favorite place that I have ever visited. I went there once was I when I was in college, and then returned last year for our Honeymoon. While on this past trip, we met a local tour guide who does kayak tours. After taking the tour he started asking for volunteers to help clean up some beaches on one of his off days. We didn't have anything better going on so we went along to help out. There we met his father, who is an ecologist in New Zealand and Australia. He explained at length many of the issues facing local bird populations all around the country. In every case, some human behavior or the behavior of a different invasive species brought by humans was the root cause of the decline in bird populations. We had a great day cleaning up that beach and learning about the perils of living close to such delicate habitats. My treks through New Zealand offered almost daily inspiration and helped me decide to apply for this program and explore sustainable design as a career.

! "
1."

Places to Visit in the Future

One place I would really like to visit on a future journey to becoming a creative leader would be the IDEO Palo Alto offices. I would like to spend some time as a fly on the wall in this innovative design firm, learning about the processes they use to create award winning products and processes. I think immersing myself in a forward thinking, team based culture like they have at IDEO would help solidify many of my ideas on shared leadership and collaborative design.

Jake Hvistendahl, 12/13/13, Final Page 4

! "
2.

Places to Visit in the Future Continued

Another place I would really like to visit is Sayulita, Mexico. I stopped through this town a few years ago and discovered its amazing mix of artists and surfers. Unfortunately, I didn't have my board with me so I was forced to sit on the beach and watch people enjoying the rolling surf. I have decided to use a future visit to Sayulita as a reward and incentive for accomplishing a number of goals that I have with various projects. Some of these goals are described in the last entry of my travel log.

! "
1."

Places to Avoid on this Journey

The Beach Pit - One place I would like to avoid going back too on my journey to becoming a creative leader would be a little restaurant in Manly, NSW called The Beach Pit. Lucky enough for all of us, this restaurant is now gone, but ten years ago I had the dissatisfaction of working there for about five months. The place was located on the Manly Corso, adjacent to the beach. Both features are large tourist attractions, so there were always customers around even in the relatively cold winter months. The Beach Pit was hands down the most aggravating and draining place I have ever worked. The owner was disrespectful to customers and staff alike, and the culture he created within the restaurant was an 'every man for himself' type of atmosphere. We worked in constant fear of his verbal reprimands and our lack of respect for the leader and the culture was represented by terrible customer service and no attention to quality in the kitchen or the bar. After reading the first section of 'Tribal Leadership' I believe that the tribe I worked within was at a low 2 on the 5 point scale. I'm pretty sure I heard people muttering "my life sucks" on a daily (if not hourly) basis, and I must admit that my own thoughts were right there as well. We couldn't wait to get done with work and move on to something that held even a modest amount of enjoyment. No one in that work culture was interested in putting any effort into creating a better business, because the leadership wasn't willing to accept input. After all, we were just employees, how could we have any idea how to run a business? On many occasions the tribe would regress into stage 1, mostly when "leadership" wasn't present, and we would passively revolt by doing almost nothing and eating and drinking away the time. At one point there was even a fist fight between the owner and an employee at a staff meeting. Classic stage one stuff right there. The experience wasn't all bad, as I was able to reflect a lot on how my then boss's attitude towards the restaurant and staff caused most of the problems with the culture. After I returned to the U.S. I took over as General Manager of my father's restaurant and dedicated myself to doing things differently. I tried to make sure that the core employees felt invested in the success of the restaurant and I think that I was able to create a stage 3 tribe within the restaurant.
Jake Hvistendahl, 12/13/13, Final Page 5

! "
2.

Places to Avoid on this Journey - Continued

Another place I would like to avoid on my journey to becoming a creative leader is Greenwich, Connecticut. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure its a lovely town. It better be since its one the richest areas in the United States, but I'm not avoiding it because of aesthetics. I want to avoid it because I have a friend who lived there for a short period while working for a hedge fund. He basically described it as a vacuous town filled with people who think they are far too exceptional and amazing for the common man. I imagine it as a town whose motto could be that of the standard third stage tribe, "I'm great, and you're not," (its actually "In god we trust.) I want to be clear, I'm sure there are great people doing great work in Greenwich, I just think that a town that operates the most hedge-funds in the U.S. is probably a place that I could avoid visiting. The hedge-fund itself is a quintessential 3rd level tribe. Entry into a hedge fund is even restricted to the privileged few who have a net worth over one million dollars, giving them access to greater investment options and lessened regulatory oversight. The simple act of placing money into a hedge fund screams "I'm great! and you most likely are not." I'm not sure what a fourth stage tribal investment strategy would be, or town would be like, but I assure you that I would rather place my money somewhere that helps me feel that we are great!" rather than just reinforcing the walls around my insular intellectual and monetary villa.

Jake Hvistendahl, 12/13/13, Final Page 6

Travel Log
! " Starting Point (Reflections on the Beach Pit)
!"

!"

I think my journey to becoming a creative leader began in 2005 when I was working as a waiter at a restaurant on Manly beach in Sydney, Australia. My boss at the restaurant was overbearingly authoritarian and the work environment was pretty dismal. As employees we were motivated mostly through fear and the need for money, none of us had any real respect for the operation because very little was afforded to us. Upon returning to Minnesota I took over as general manager of my fathers pub in Northfield and I was determined to manage it differently than the restaurant was run in Manly. As the boss I made sure to work shifts on the floor whenever possible to bring myself closer to the customers and staff. I also tried to lead by example more than manage through conversation and reprimand. I also tried to encourage the staff with positive feedback whenever appropriate. Basically I viewed my position there as the coach of a team rather than the master of some serfs. I am not currently in a leadership position at work, but as our operations begin to solidify with the proposed aquaponics projects, we will be quickly adding staff and I will again be in a leadership position. This class is ideally located at the early stages of my development as a leader. Im not sure how I currently stack up against the desired traits of a great leader, but I am sure that there is a lot of room to develop them further throughout my journey to becoming a creative leader. The trait that scares me the most is adopting the growth mindset, because I think I often times get stuck in the fixed mindset when looking at myself. I need to continually remind myself that we are not born great leaders, but rather become them through hard work and effort. I also need to work on asking more questions. Sometimes I feel that by asking questions on certain topics it would reveal a lack of competency and people would begin to doubt my abilities. I need to get past this fear, and I think attempting to adopt a growth mindset will really help me have the confidence to ask more questions when I need to.

Jake Hvistendahl, 12/13/13, Final Page 7

Travel Log
! "

Home to the Boundary Waters Lessons from Great Leaders

!"

There was quite a bit of content on the history of leadership to draw and learn from this week, as well as a number of examples of well known leaders like Bishop TuTu and Madeline Albright. In the first section (2.1) I learned how not to lead or to think about leadership. We are so often moved to think about leadership as a singular, epic pursuit by an amazingly talented individual, that we forget that most leaders and leadership roles do not fit this archetype in any way. This idealized form of leadership doesn't give any thought to the relationship between the leader, the 'followers', the context, the social values, or anything else, but still we often think that great leaders have some sort of personality traits that make them great leaders no matter the situation. The reality of leadership is much different though. After watching the interviews and videos about famous world leaders it became very evident that each person has a unique leadership style that is shaped by their own personal experiences. What makes them all effective leaders is their ability to reflect upon their experiences and share their story and the lessons they have learned with people around them. They have used these past lessons, many of them painful ones, to help shape their vision of the future and bring hope to other people. Each of the leaders gave some great advice for becoming a great leader yourself. The nuggets that stood out for me the most were from both Madeline Albright and Sir Richard Branson, who both spoke at length about the need of a leader to surround herself with the right team. Sir Branson continued on to point out that the main role of a leader is to support and empower that team, and ensure that the great people you have surrounded yourself with are happy, motivated, and on task. From all of the advice in this week's content, Bishop TuTu's advice about leaders suffering with their people and sacrificing for their people resonated with me the most. I guess that is because its sometimes hard to locate truly legitimate leaders, because most of ours choose to lead from the ivory tower, insulated from the perils of the people. I think that the world would be a much better place if the leaders of society were more closely connected to the issues of the people, and I think that as a future leader I should try to keep this in mind, and stay grounded and close to the issues. I also really enjoyed, and was deeply inspired by the hummingbird allegory and the DO Lecture from Maggie Doyne. I think the shared message between the two about not just sitting there and feeling overwhelmed by the odds, but rather choosing to do what you can, no matter how insignificant the gesture may seem, is really important. I often feel that I am the elephant or some other animal in the allegory, sitting by and watching the problem, feeling overwhelmed by the size of the issue, and remaining paralyzed by a perceived inability to make a meaningful difference. I often have these feelings when considering climate change, but it is now apparent to me that I need to change the scale of my goals, and just do what I can. Maybe I can develop a story along the way that can inspire other to do the same.

!"

!"

Jake Hvistendahl, 12/13/13, Final Page 8

Travel Log
! "

Boundary Waters to the Cabin Natural Models of Leadership

!"

This week was very interesting for me in developing myself as a creative leader. There was a lot of content to go through, most of which dealt with natural models for leadership. I'm kind of a biology nerd, so I really enjoyed the video series outlining different leadership models and social structures in animal communities. The heterarchical leadership represented in the V formation of flying geese really interested me, because I like the idea of the right person for the job stepping up in times of need and the others in the group supporting whoever is leader for that portion of the journey. I also learned quite a bit from the 'Egosystem to Ecosystem' presentation by Gerd Leonhard. Specifically I was drawn to his assertion about how power used to be about what you could control, whereas in the future it will be about what you unleash. I found this to ring true with so many of today's successful ventures. The rise of crowd sourcing and crowd funding, Google's creation of free and open-source platforms, Wikipedia, and the online economy are all ventures that have been unleashed and their control given over to the user, not retained by the maker. It's unfortunate that not everyone is embracing this new source of power, and we see more movement in the old power structure to grasp even more control in areas where people feel they are loosing ground. This is evident in new IP and copyright legislation, the ever increasing lawsuits between mobile phone companies, the FCC selling off public bandwidth to the highest bidder, etc... As I become a new creative leader I will need to keep the concept of unleashing technology and staff in the forefront of my mind. It helps that this strategy couples well with other natural leadership traits and behaviors like Return on Engagement, efficacy instead of efficiency, and spreading information rather than controlling it. I think that as a leader my goals should be to empower people and give them skills and motivation to become leaders themselves. Then let those people use their talents to the best effect by giving them the freedom to pursue what interests them. This is sort of an open-source leadership model, where we plant a framework of information inside of the person and then let each individual do with it as they please. I'm sure in the long run this would be much more effective than trying to mold each person into some type of copy of an idealized leader.

!"

!"

Jake Hvistendahl, 12/13/13, Final Page 9

Travel Log
! "

Cabin to the The Amazon - Rapid Changes

!"

This week we started reading Making Ideas Happen by Scott Belsky and also watched a great speech by John Cleese on the nature of creativity. Both of these sources stressed that in order to operate an effective creative mind, a person has to transition between creative and productive mind sets. Cleese called these open and closed modes while Belsky refers to them as ideation and execution. They both agree that creativity is useless unless the creative person is able to organize and manage their ideas and bring them to fruition. Therefore an effective creative person must be able to transition between ideation and execution, and back again, quickly throughout the day. That ability to switch rapidly between mindsets is something that has eluded me throughout my professional career. I tend to get stuck in either my productive state, where I make lists and execute the actions on those lists in sequential order until they are complete, or my creative state, where I day-dream about inventions and products and maybe sketch them into a notebook. Rarely do these two states of mind cross-pollinate one another, and like so many other creative people, my ideas rarely become realities because I fail to use my organizational side to aid my creative side. I wouldn't say that my problem is the same as that of Chad, the writer that Belsky describes, who is unable to organize is life. Rather, I'm very organized but I don't give myself any structured time to be creative. Cleese recommended setting aside time for creative play and dedicating time for your creative pursuits, which is something I could definitely benefit from. I have a lot of ideas that seem to spring forth in my 'downtime' when I'm not executing some other task. My problem lies in not actually committing to any of these fleeting ideas, recording them, or returning to them and giving them a longer exploration. Blesky's three tools for making ideas happen: Once I have a goal in mind, organization and execution come naturally to me, but using those skills to progress and organize my creative ideas is still a foreign practice for me. I tend to spend the majority of time on those things that I need to get done, and very little time on those things that I want to do. I could probably stand to gain quite a bit if I leveraged more communal forces in my creative pursuits. I tend to be the lone tinkerer / maker type, and rarely bounce ideas off of other people until very late in the process. I'm not really sure where I fall in the leadership in creative pursuits category. I'm probably better at fostering other people's creativity than I am at shepherding my own. I tend to wrestle with the "creative's compromise", but from the other side, where I want to stay on task and feel like I'm not being productive when I get off topic or pursue ideas that aren't relative to the current task.
Jake Hvistendahl, 12/13/13, Final Page 10

!"

!"

!" 1."

2." 3."

Travel Log
! "

The Amazon to The Okavango Reflections on Nature

!"

For this week's travel log, we were to go to a quite spot in nature to observe and reflect, similar to the BCI sessions that we did last semester for the course on biomimicry. I chose to go back to the shore of Lone Lake Park, which is the same spot that I did my BCIs at this past summer. I hadn't been back to the park since August for my last session, so it was interesting to observe the changes that had occurred with the coming of fall and winter. This assignment was similar to the BCI arrangement where we would observe with our eyes closed for 10 minutes, then with our eyes open for another ten minutes, followed by ten minutes of reflection on leadership. Eyes Closed - It sounded to me like there was a lot less activity going on in the forest now that the temps had dropped. I could only hear the screams of a few of the heartier insects, which is in stark contrast to the cacophony of insect noises that I heard over the summer. I also heard a few birds, including the exploratory taps of a woodpecker, but all-in-all there still seemed to be less activity in the forest. Every couple seconds I would hear the patter of falling leaves. My allergies prevented me from taking up any of the smells that may have been present. Eyes Open - The first thing that I noticed was how much more colorful the forest was now, from canopy all the way down to the floor, there were colorful leaves adorning everything. In my previous BCI sessions I saw quite a few insects and birds, but today I could only hear them. I did glimpse one lone duck landing on the water, but that was about it for foul. On the walk in I noticed a lot of mushrooms fruiting on logs that had come down earlier in the year during storms. I guess if there was to be a an overarching theme to what I saw, it would have been leaves spinning in the breeze on their journey to the forest floor. Reflections on Leadership - I started by thinking about what stage this ecosystem would be in if it were a tribe. At first I figured that it must be a stage five tribe where all of the individual organisms proclaim that "Life is Great!", but then I started thinking that maybe the lamentations of fall may be driving the system back into an earlier stage. I wondered if the trees would miss their leaves and fear the cold of the coming winter. I then thought that stage five is probably more of a springtime feeling for this ecosystem. I also thought about what the core values and noble cause would be for this ecosystem. I think that the noble cause would have to do with life supporting life. All of the entities in the biome exist so that the others can as well. The core values would have to do with balance, recycling nutrients, and most of the other life's principles we covered in Biomimicry over the summer. I thought about how interconnected each component of the ecosystem is and how a leader in this system could be anything because the connections are so diverse. It serves to show me the power of the triad idea and how increasing connections strengthens not only the system itself, but the individuals within it..

!"

!"

!"

Jake Hvistendahl, 12/13/13, Final Page 11

Travel Log
! "

Okavango Delta to Madagascar I am the best me inside the Boab tree

!"

My first trip to the Boab treeI am about half way through my leadership journey at this point, and I thought it would be a good time to visit a place that holds a stunning example of natural leadership. So I transport myself to Madagascar to visit one of the many Boab trees that dot the landscape. The tree is massive! Its about 70 feet tall and about 100 feet in circumference. It has probably been growing slowly on this same spot for well over 500 years. During that time it has supported generations of other species with its nectar and pollen, fruit, and moisture. It has provided shade for numerous different animals and its hollow trunk (where I now sit) has been inhabited by countless more over the centuries. The tree is a stalwart and silent leader in its environment. I sit and think about what it means to have this tree as an example of leadership. The Boab stores water in times of plenty, protecting itself and those that feed off of it from the effects of any coming draught. Like any great leader, the tree has a plan and it follows this plan. The thin canopy and the shade it provides create a cooler habitat for the animals around it, giving them a place of comfort during hot days. Like other great leaders, the Boab gives its followers comfort in trying times. The fruit of the tree sustains many animals and draws them towards the tree where they interact and create relationships. Like all great leaders, the tree attracts followers and connects them together. I sit and contemplate these beautiful strategies and reflect upon how my leadership could become as perfect as that offered by this great tree. If I lead like this tree I would store up excesses and create buffers for trying times within our organization. I would also become a leader that attracts people naturally to myself through the use of my natural gifts. Once I have attracted these people I would then connect them with each other so they could collaborate and share their own gifts amongst themselves. If I led like this tree I would know myself intimately and reflect only my real self to the outside world. I would know my limitations and strengths and I would use my strengths to help as many people around me as I could. I would display my true self for all to see, and that image would be unwavering and unblemished throughout time. If I lead like this tree I would be the best leader that I could be. I accept the gifts of the tree and resolve myself to use this tree as a metaphor for my leadership. I resolve myself to return here often, so that I might become re-inspired by the majesty of this great organism.

!"

!"

Jake Hvistendahl, 12/13/13, Final Page 12

Travel Log
! "

Madagascar to Ikaria How Labels Affect our Behavior

!"

Ikaria, Greece has the highest percentage of 90 year olds on the planet, it is now widely considered the fifth entrant into the Blue Zones, which are places where populations statistically are much more healthy and live longer than the norm. About 33% of the people who live on the Island of Ikaria (located in the Mediterranean) can expect to reach their ninth century, and almost everyone there can expect to remain in good health longer than most populations around the world. What is their secret to long life? According to demographers and other researchers who have studied the five blue zones, the long lifetimes found within these communities can be attributed to a number of factors. Some are physical, like constant moderate exercise, eating nuts, drinking wine in moderation, and having a plant based diet. Other factors are social, like having strong community based relationships, lots of social engagement, and high levels of happiness. Interestingly, none of these places are the richest in the world, or the most technologically advanced, rather they are small, stable communities with very strong social ties and shared values based off of a common history. I would venture to bet that these regions are places where a large portion of the population has achieved stability in every area of Maslow's hierarchy of needs. I would guess that many of the 90+ year olds on the island have found ways to satisfy their highest needs, those being self actualization and self transcendence at an early age, and that reaching those personal heights has led to a more fulfilling life, which has kept them in good health. After discussing labels this week and looking for them in our daily lives, I find it interesting that a small community like Icaria could have received this label for healthy living, and I am curious how that label will affect their community in the future. Will the people there embrace this label and continue living healthy lives, or will the new found international attention change their way of life and erode the elements of the community that make it so healthy? Will this community be able to continue their positive activities while facing pressure to open up their island life to tourism? It will be interesting to watch how Ikaria and the other Blue Zones handle this new found celebrity, and whether that changes their life outcomes. I truly hope it doesn't

!"

Jake Hvistendahl, 12/13/13, Final Page 13

Travel Log
! "

Ikaria to Athens In Search of Socratic Discourse

!"

This week I attended a socratic discussion at my local chapter of Socrates Caf at the Ridgedale Library. The basis of socratic discussion is to use logic to locate the root elements of arguments and delve more deeply into stated assumptions, logical assertions, and dogma. The event I attended is held every Thursday night at 7pm at the library and has a good history of attendance. This week fifteen people showed up, which the facilitator (Will) said was about average. It was a fairly diverse group, with people ranging in age from (I would guess) 16 to 80. Many were regulars of the Caf, but there were others besides myself who were there for the first time. We began the discussion by calling out questions that we would like to discuss and then voting upon them. We only voted once though, which is counter to the suggestions from the readings. The group chose the question, "Is thought a physical event?" and the author of the question opened up the discussion by describing the question and his reasoning behind asking it. Thus the discourse began and people started to analyze the question itself and offer opinions and ask questions. It was a lively discussion and I wouldn't do it justice by simply listing all of the viewpoints that were offered. I would just say that many interesting ideas emerged like; is the conscious or unconscious brain in control? Or do actions happen first and then we use thought to rationalize our actions? I very much enjoyed being a part of the discussion and was really awed by the geniality and patience of all of the people present. There were few if any interruptions by other speakers and people were (for the most part) attacking ideas and not people. My patience was tested on a number of occasions especially when a woman in the group continued to talk about horse riding and failed to relate it to the subjects and ideas we were talking about. There also seemed to be a few people who dominated the discussion, and may have intimidated other people into holding back their viewpoints. The first time I spoke up in the group I questioned weather we could prove that any physical event exists outside of thought, and the gentleman mathematician sitting next to me jumped on me for asking for proof. His response kind of jarred me and made me a bit self conscious, so I didn't pursue the thought line farther, even though I think that had I worded it differently it would have been a very valid line of inquiry. All-in-all, I had a surprisingly good time! It reminded me of the philosophy and political theory courses I took in college, and I realized that I kind of miss the lively debate that was so present during my undergrad years. I think that this method of discussion could be helpful to me as a leader when we require a group of people to think about the deeper questions behind whatever initiative we are currently undergoing. The question at hand need not be so philosophical, it could be a discussion about the values of an organization or the role of that organization in respect to its stakeholders. I think the Socrates Caf could really help define goals and behaviors for an organization in any scenario.
Jake Hvistendahl, 12/13/13, Final Page 14

!"

!"

!"

Travel Log
! "

Athens to Tristn De Cunha Introverts, Isolation, and Leadership

!"

This week we learned about how introverts can make good leaders and about improvisational techniques. Based off of the readings, I decided that a visit to the world's most isolated archipelago was in order. Why, you may ask? Well I'm naturally an extrovert, which is a good trait to have when you are a leader and when your followers are just followers, but an introvert could be more effective as a leader when the followers are more proactive. The most effective leaders are able to switch between these two dispositions depending on the circumstances and the group of people that have chosen to make them a leader. Therefore I decided to travel to this tiny South Atlantic Island to learn how to switch on my inner introvert. The island is only inhabited by about 215 people, almost all of which are related and know one another very well. I didn't exactly blend in to the community, but that was fine. I was here to listen to these people's stories and learn from their culture. Even though I seemed to be the center of attention everywhere I traveled, I tried to keep the topics of conversation on the other people around me and tried to have them tell me stories, not the other way around. It was good to not be the one talking all of the time, and to not be the one seeking out the attention of others. After this trip I fell that I can turn on my inner introvert when I need it. The route I took between Athens and Tritn De Cunha brought me to two points of interest on my journey towards becoming an effective, creative leader. The first stop was Stonehenge, where I marveled at the feats of prehistoric collaboration. I wonder what the leaders were like that built this monument? Where they introverts or extroverts? Did they coerce their followers or did they lead through inspiration? The second stop was at Tierra Del Fuego on the southern tip of South America. The first settlers to this harsh land were arriving around the same time as Stonehenge was being built. How they got there, and why they stayed have remained mysteries. I wonder if it was the vision of an iconic leader who led them to such a harsh place?

!"

!"

Jake Hvistendahl, 12/13/13, Final Page 15

Travel Log
! "

Tristn De Cunha to New Zealand Where am I on this Journey?

!"

This week I traveled a long way, from a very small island that is the most isolated place on earth, to a much larger Island that is still pretty isolated. I decided to return to one of my favorite travel spots which is The Bay of Isles on the north island of New Zealand. Its a fairly small community geared towards eco-tourism. I have spent a few weeks here in the past, and its my favorite place to relax in the whole world. I thought it would be a good place to sit, watch the dolphins playing in the bay, and think about where I currently am on this journey to becoming a leader. My thoughts and reflections kept moving towards the phone meeting I would have in about an hour or so. At this meeting my boss Glenn was going to let me know where we sat with our capital financing for the first two aquaponics builds in KC and Chicago. He also wanted me to let him know where I saw myself within the company in the next three years. At the beginning of this course I probably would have told him that I would like to see myself working on improving the operations of the aquaponics facilities through innovation in an R&D type position. Now that I have gone through this journey, and have begun to think of myself as a leader, I now envision my future position as one that requires leadership skills. A few weeks back I decided that I would like to have a position where I can help others who work in our facilities collaborate to foster increased sustainability and innovation within our aquaponics operations. This class has really changed my thoughts about management. A few months ago I envisioned this role as a top - down position where I would be managing people and projects and directing them towards more sustainable goals. Now I envision my future position as setting goals and tracking metrics, and then sharing this information with individuals around our company and helping them create solutions. I envision this leadership position as one where my main role is foster effective collaboration between the various sites and help the biologists and engineers pursue projects that they are personally interested in and still serve to meet our goals. Basically my job would be to help form relationships, keep our sustainability goals in the fore front of our projects, and provide support to whoever needs it. This new understanding of leadership and the new vision of my position seems like one where I would be a lot happier, even if it does require me to travel quite a bit.

!"

Jake Hvistendahl, 12/13/13, Final Page 16

Travel Log
! "

New Zealand to Tokyo with a Stop in Darwin - Looking forward

!"

This week I traveled from New Zealand to Tokyo with a stop off in Darwin. While in Darwin I wanted to check out the Darwin Aquaculture Center, which is basically the world leader in the advancement of high density techniques for warm-water fish farming. I have read a lot about this place in my professional studies and I was excited to see the inner workings of their operation. I am interested in high density aquaculture, because I think its currently one of the most sustainable ways to produce protein to feed our growing population. Im especially interested in raising one fish species from northern Australia called Barramundi. Its a healthy fish with great growth rates and a great feed conversion ratio, which basically means that the fish convert their feed to mass with very little loss, making them efficient to raise. As I near the end of this leg of my leadership journey its nice to see the successful practice of the processes Im trying to bring to cities on the other side of the world. My next stop is Tokyo, Japan. Here I wanted to live for a while within the confounds of one of the densest human populations on earth. Many demographers think that super-cities like Tokyo are a vision of what the future holds for humanity. People will continue to move into densely populated cities that will have to grow outward and upward to accommodate these new inhabitants. I see my future role as a leader helping to create sustainable food systems that can feed these large populations without degrading the surrounding countryside. The sheer volume of people here is a bit daunting and somewhat stifling, but I find inspiration in the innovative ways that people in Japan have found to feed their population. Even though they still drag the oceans for much of their food, many Japanese companies are taking a leadership role in developing advanced aquaculture techniques. Mitsubishi recently finished trials on an indoor tuna farm, which could eventually take pressure off of wild populations. This week we read Paul Hawkens commencement address to the University of Portlands graduating class in 2009. This was titled You are Brilliant and The Earth is Hiring. The speech is very inspirational and challenges us to work for the earth and be grateful for what the earth has given us. I hope that my work in Aquaponics and other other urban food systems will an adequate gift back to the earth. After visiting these last two places on this leg of the journey I am looking forward to returning home filled with greater knowledge of what it takes to be a great leader, and a sense of purpose for why I should lead.
Jake Hvistendahl, 12/13/13, Final Page 17

!"

!"

Travel Log
! "

Tokyo to Everest A Vision of the Future at the End of a Journey

!"

Standing on the summit of Everest I am struck by this vision I wake up three years from today, on December 12th of 2016. The few birds that haven't flown south for the winter are outside chirping on this unusually warm day. I have woken up early in anticipation of the big news that should be arriving in my email inbox soon. This should be a big day for me and my team, and it should provide some validation and hopefully a much needed reward for the many hours of work we have put in on this project. The journey to reach this day began three years ago when I finally decided definitively on my thesis project for the MCAD SDO program. I had been floating an idea around in my head, for a user friendly, soil generating, indoor home gardening system. I had quickly settled on the name of The Living Cupboard, but little else had been developed for the design besides the basics of using vermi-composting in some way, developing some sort of high efficiency, vertical layout, and using a combination of infrared LEDs and induction lighting for the unit. Over the following two semesters I worked on the design tirelessly, even while helping to get the first two Praxis aquaponic farms built in Chicago and Kansas City. Once I finished up the master's program I decided to try and commercialize the project. I formed a team to help me bring this product to market, relying heavily on the network that I had created in school and with Praxis. Being in a leadership position within this start-up company was difficult, but it was a place I had been before and I was able to draw upon the many lessons learned throughout school and especially in our creative leadership class. The first thing I did was try and define what the driving values and purpose would be for this new company, and then I put those values at the center of everything we did. This positively influenced the people that we hired, the actual design of the product, as well as those companies we chose to partner with. I also used a lot of techniques we had learned in that course to help the team come up with radical innovations for the project, like socratic inquiry sessions and improvisational gatherings. After two plus years of work and some modest gains in the market, our company is ready to be catapulted to a whole new level. The early feedback on our units that have been operational for at least three months has been really positive, and we are starting negotiations with some appliance retailers, which would move our product from an oddity to a potential fixture in the market. We have demonstrated that the system works and that people are willing to buy a product that helps them reduce waste and produce superior vegetables in their own home. Now I just have to open up this email and see if the selection committee from Popular Science's 'Best Inventions of 2016' agrees with our findingsI open my inbox and there is something waiting for me. I click on the link and the first thing I read is "Congratulations, your product has been selected as the winner of the best sustainability invention of 2016!" I immediately start video calling everyone on our staff to congratulate them and thank them for their hard work. Now all we have to do is ramp up our production capacity without sacrificing our core sustainability values. I lean back in my office chair and think about how great the next three years are going to be...
Jake Hvistendahl, 12/13/13, Final Page 18

!"

!"

!"

!"

Travel Log
! "

Future visit toIDEO and Sayulita A Reward for Success

!"

I have planned a trip in the future to IDEOs main design lab and Sayulita, Mexico. This trip will be a reward for successful completion of the steps outlined below. I hope that this trip can serve as extra motivation to help me implement the following plan: Step 1: Complete Stage Three - I'm currently in a unique position in that I work for a start up company in a very adolescent field that already has somewhat sustainable aims and a noble cause attached to it. Those being, increasing healthy food access to underserved urban communities by creating health grocery stores in those communities and producing large amounts of produce through very large scale aquaponic endeavors. We're still formulating the business plans and have yet to actually start building any of our infrastructure, but those days are just over the horizon. For now I will concentrate on my specific area (Aquaponic Development and Operations) and finish out these next few months by applying myself as much as possible using my current Stage 3 attitude of "I'm Great!" Once I have further developed my area of expertise and proven myself to be capable I can then transition... Step 2: Transition - Even though I know that we are currently a stage 3 tribe (for the most part), I think it would benefit the business if I began transitioning to stage 4 language and practices. I will start by using the "We're Great!" language as much as possible in the immediate future. I will then try and open up conversations within our small tribe about our core values, and really work to define what our noble cause is. Once these have been developed it will be important for me as a leader to ALWAYS act in accordance with our values, no matter the cost. Once we align ourselves around these values we can then begin working as a stage 4 tribe. Step 3: Stage 4 Practices - Once we are aligned around this set of core values and motivated by our noble cause I will begin expanding the tribe by facilitating the creation of triad relationships. In order to do this I will need to get to know each member of the tribe and understand each according to their values, current projects, and career aspirations. Once I have created this database I can start introducing people to each other based upon shared goals, values, and projects. These triad relationships will help reinforce the tribe at stage 4. Step 4: Stage 4 Strategy - Once we have a critical mass of people within our tribe that are using stage four language I will help to facilitate a tribal strategy based upon three main questions. These are: What do we want? What do we have? And what will we do? By graphing the overlaps that are created by the answers to these questions we can start to really move the tribe in a direction that is aligned with our core values and cause. I will also lead areas of the tribe in regular "oil changes" where we ask questions of ourselves about what is working, what hasn't been working, and what we can do to make those things happen. These "oil changes" will help the tribe to air grievances and locate solutions to any issues that have been plaguing progress.
Jake Hvistendahl, 12/13/13, Final Page 19

!"

!"

!"

!"

Image credits
!"

Amazon Pages 1, 10, 11 - WWF-Canon / Andr BRTSCHI Okavango Pages 1, 11, 12 safaribookings.com / HPH Publishing Boab Tree Pages 1, 12, 13 http://amazinglist.net/2013/03/baobab-treeadansonia-gregorii/ Ikaria, Greece Pages 1, 13, 14 http://www.sail-la-vie.com/discover/a/511/Ikaria__North_East_Aegean Athens, Greece Pages 1, 14, 15 http://www.greeklandscapes.com/greece/ athens_agora.html Stonehenge Pages 1, 15 http://witcombe.sbc.edu/sacredplaces/ stonehenge.html Tierra Del Fuego Pages 1, 15 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ File:Map_of_Tierra_del_Fuego_Demis.png Tristn De Cunha Pages 1, 15, 16 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ File:Tristanfromspace.jpg

!"

Darwin Pages 1, 17 http://www.aurecongroup.com/en/projects/ transport/darwin-city-waterfront-redevelopment.aspx Tokyo Pages 1, 17, 18 http://www.tokyotimes.com/2013/tokyo-skytreetops-50-million-visitors-before-anniversary/ Everest Pages 1, 18 http://snowbrains.com/4-killed-avalanche-nearmount-everest-yesterday/ Greenwich, CT Pages 1, 6 Image from Google Earth The Beach Pit, Manly NSW Pages 1, 6 Image from Google Earth IDEO Pages 1, 4, 19 http://www.ideo.com/locations/palo-alto Sayulita, Mexico Pages 1, 5, 19 http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/ photography/photo-of-the-day/sayulita-mexico-surftown/ All other photos and images created by: Jake Hvistendahl

!"

!"

!"

!"

!"

!"

!"

!"

!"

!"

!" !"

!"

!"

Jake Hvistendahl, 12/13/13, Final Page 20