Sam Jacobs’ Post

My MBA hasn't been useless in my entrepreneurial ventures but close. I got my real business education in the trenches in my first business.

I always thought I was smart until I started my business and realized how much I didn't know! Entrepreneurship has been a constant learning journey and I stay in the growth mindset. My clients are smart, many-degreed, ivy-league business leaders who know where their blind spots are. That's the real key, imho. Know what you don't know and find the right people to fill the gaps. Giddy up! 🔥

We've placed hundreds of executives into PE-backed companies, and have yet to place anyone with a Harvard or Wharton MBA. Other grad schools...for sure. Not because we don't want to, but they typically dont lend themselves to being great execution artists in smaller companies. They're great strategic thinkers and brilliant minds who are better served in other roles than in leadership of lower mid-market companies.

Universities don't teach this, it took me over a decade to learn and figure this out on my own - reading, studying, failing, learning, observing what to do and not to do from leaders I was around, etc.

But you receive the tools, awareness of skills you need to build and have the peer group which will shortcut certain pathways you need to discover without it. It might not make you a better exec but you will be very well guided at the beginning and this safes time and increases the probability to actually become an executive and be an effective one.

Great point Sam Jacobs ! Real-world experience often trumps classroom theory when it comes to being an effective exec. I recently read "The Lean Startup" by Eric Ries, and it really drives home the importance of adaptability and hands-on learning. Not to mention practical courses such as the "Revenue Architecture" from Winning by Design shine and help Execs deliver better business outcomes on the ground.

great having you on the pod sam. thanks for the time and insights!

So much is left out of university education - both mindsets and skillsets - while I loved my time at Stanford I saw this first hand -that’s why Pavilion is so important, now more than ever.

Sam Jacobs, Pavilion is a great community to learn from and learn within. The many Pavilion-offered courses, i.e. Revenue Architecture, CRO School, CMO School, etc., are excellent and the people engaging in specific community channels are experts in their field. Thank you for holding a space to develop and collaborate!

Great point and I was talking about this the other day. Do you think it depends on the job the person has? Certain roles like sales and marketing can be measured more objectively like results whereas engineering and consulting are often shaped by education. Thoughts?