Engaging with Vlerick

Engaging with Vlerick (iGMO) on the topics of friction (situational and interpersonal), irrationality (as the dominant force in the decision-making trinity), and simplicity (to reduce the effects of randomness and complexity).

The food-for-thought presentation was presented in a unique style, providing a special forces perspective on issues that all professions deal with to varying degrees (friction, passion, and complexity). Each concept was unpacked using stories and visual graphics to connect the flow of ideas together.

Some key points:

1. The biggest problem is how people avoid friction in our Belgian society, somehow (and conveniently) thinking that this is a bad/avoidable form of energy.
2. The second biggest problem is the general logico-scientific assumption that rationality is the best tool to contend with the rational/irrational/non-rational world.
3. And lastly, not really understanding the power of simplicity.

The entrepreneurs from the iGMO (Vlerick) group are truly a small percentage of owner-managers who have found varying degrees of high success in their business exploits. They have overcome mountains of friction (in high intensity environments), making our lessons-learned from our professions (military and business) far more similar than either of us could have thought before engaging with one another.

Slowly but surely we continue to work towards making our society braver. We humans are always far more capable than we think we are – and iGMO is an excellent representation of this potential in our exceptionally talented Belgian society.