It's Time to Build

Venture capitalist Marc Andreessen recently wrote a widely circulated essay on how ill preparation and not building the ‘right’ things contributed to the coronavirus’ massive global impacts.

What lessons can we learn and should we learn? We definitely aren’t out of the woods yet, in fact, we’re still finding a path out. Looking forward, as we must, Andreessen says we’ve gotta create.

“Building isn’t easy, or we’d already be doing all this. We need to demand more of our political leaders, of our CEOs, our entrepreneurs, our investors. We need to demand more of our culture, of our society. And we need to demand more from one another. We’re all necessary, and we can all contribute, to building.

Every step of the way, to everyone around us, we should be asking the question, what are you building? What are you building directly, or helping other people to build, or teaching other people to build, or taking care of people who are building? If the work you’re doing isn’t either leading to something being built or taking care of people directly, we’ve failed you, and we need to get you into a position, an occupation, a career where you can contribute to building. There are always outstanding people in even the most broken systems — we need to get all the talent we can on the biggest problems we have, and on building the answers to those problems.”

— Marc Andreessen

One of the main goals we have for our students in the process of working together before applying to schools is to bring something new into the world that didn’t before exist. The “what” of your creation, and more fundamentally the “need” is up for debate, and also deeply personal.

But none of the problems of the past, present, or future have been or will be solved without creators. So, what will you create?

With Time To Reflect, Consider What's Your BHAG?

Pronounced Bee-Hag, BHAG stands for “Big Hairy Audacious Goal.” I just LOVE this phrase! Ever since I heard it many years ago, it stuck with me. It’s only when we as people, organizations and as a civilization begin to dream bigger and set more outrageous goals can we make what seems impossible today a future possibility.

“BHAG is a concept developed in the book Built to Last. A BHAG (pronounced “Bee Hag,” short for “Big Hairy Audacious Goal”) is a powerful way to stimulate progress. A BHAG is clear and compelling, needing little explanation; people get it right away. Think of the NASA moon mission of the 1960s. The best BHAGs require both building for the long term AND exuding a relentless sense of urgency: What do we need to do today, with monomaniacal focus, and tomorrow, and the next day, to defy the probabilities and ultimately achieve our BHAG?”

— Jim Collins

When I was in college, a friend and I decided to get a Buddhist Student organization going. In our first planning meeting together, my friend and I brainstormed what we wanted the club to do. When we thought bigger and more long-term, my friend added that we should aim to have the Dalai Lama come to campus. I think I had laughed out loud. It seemed like a totally absurd impossibility to host a global figure on a rural upstate NY campus. I filed it away under “that would be nice, but I won’t hold my breath.”

But, lo and behold, years later after much work, many meditation sessions, retreats, and activity, although I would say really to no credit of ours, who was brought to campus in the spring of my final year? His Holiness. Cue one of the most epic days of my life! That was my own first personal encounter with experiencing a BHAG come to life. Totally. Worth. It.

Got any BHAGs? Go BHAG or go home. I had to.