Here’s a report (in Spanish) on my lecture at Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez in Santiago, Chile, to a group of engineering students and faculty. Thank you to Professor Ruth Murrugarra for inviting me.
I also did a short follow-up interview (in English) with Andrea Millar Bruna, posted here:
AMB: Which are the essential skills for success nowadays?
SH: Most important is an entrepreneurial mindset — that is, being committed to actively seeking interesting challenges and working creatively to meet them. That mindset enables one both to enjoy one’s work and to become good at it.
AMB: What is your vision about Chile related to entrepreneur and ethics.
SH: Chile’s remoteness from major economic sectors and its sometimes dependence upon a few commodities — can be positives but also present challenges for integrating into the world economy. Entrepreneurship is all about meeting challenges. So Chile might think about adapting, say, the Finnish model of education by investing in human capital and the high-tech sector, as both Chile and Finland are geographically distant countries with smallish populations and a narrower range of natural resources.
AMB: In your opinion, why are ethics and entrepreneurship so important?
SH: The only way to personal success in one’s business is by having integrity – being committed to doing quality work and following through. People who cheat or engage in hypocrisy may gain in the short-term but they rob themselves of the satisfaction of living with pride. Their “successes” are hollow. Ethics is also especially important for entrepreneurs, not only in their personal quests, but also since as founders they are most influential in establishing the culture of their firms.